County food-access profile · New York
Chemung County, NY
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Chemung County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 24.9%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 16.5%
- on SNAP
- 82K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
24.9% of Chemung County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 9.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.3%
- below poverty line
Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA, 1-and-10-mile measure).
USDA data puts Chemung County's low-access share at 24.9%, above the national share. 7 of the county's 22 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 22,120 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,493 low-income residents.
How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts
The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.
How Chemung County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Chemung County's 24.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 58% of them and ranked #1,304 most-affected nationwide.
Chemung County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 22 census tracts in Chemung County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Chemung County vs. other New York counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New York
- Chemung
Chemung County, NY
24.9 % low-access
- Albany
Albany County, NY
31.4 % low-access
- Allegany 3.9
Allegany County, NY
3.9 % low-access
- Bronx 0.6
Bronx County, NY
0.6 % low-access
- Broome
Broome County, NY
16.4 % low-access
- Cattaraugus 7.9
Cattaraugus County, NY
7.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 22 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 88,830 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 22,120 |
| Low-Access Share | 24.9%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,493 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 82,147 |
| Median Household Income | $63,716 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.3%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,824 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.5%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.8%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.4% |
About 16.5% of Chemung County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 24.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,824 households here.
- 9.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).
What the food-access data shows for Chemung County
above the national share
3 of Chemung County's 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 13.6% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 22,120 residents, roughly 24.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,493 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (68.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Chemung County
Chemung County has 83 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 46 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 46
- 7 eleven 35251h, elmira
- 7 eleven store #40138 40138, elmira
- 7 eleven store #40221 40221, elmira
- agt snack mart inc., elmira
- aces & eights general store, elmira
- ayra foods & beverages inc., elmira
- byrne dairy elmira 138, elmira
- byrne dairy fairgrounds 01, horseheads
- byrne dairy horeseheads 66, horseheads
- byrne dairy horsheads 126, elmira
- college ave convenient mart, elmira
- dandy mini mart 10, chemung
- dandy mini mart 11, big flats
- dandy mini mart 24, elmira
- dandy mini mart 26, wellsburg
- dandy mini mart 30, van etten
- dandy mini mart 34, breesport
- dandy mini mart 57, horseheads
- dandy mini mart 63, elmira
- dandy mini mart 68, elmira
- dandy mini mart 71, pine valley
- dandy mini mart 75, beaver dams
- eastside quick stop, elmira
- elmira food mart inc, elmira
- elmira heights deli inc, elmira
- elmiras stop & shop, elmira
- gerows dairy store, horseheads
- good habits, elmira
- gorrdon llc - 7 eleven 35122a 35122a, elmira
- joe's kwik mart 462, elmira
- lake road food mart inc, horseheads
- lake street mini mart, elmira
- lucky 7 deli c n y, inc., elmira
- maggie lus llc, elmira
- maple ave. quick stop, elmira
- on the way, elmira
- quick and convenient, horseheads
- s & h food mart, llc/ sammy's quick stop, elmira
- smileys quick stop, elmira
- smileys quick stop 1, elmira
- smileys quick stop 2, elmira
- speedway 7589, elmira
- speedway 9928, horseheads
- speedway 9953, horseheads
- speedway 9967, horseheads
- subhan quickstop inc., elmira
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- dollar tree 1415, elmira
- dollar tree 904, elmira
- dollar general 10705, horseheads
- dollar general 10820, elmira
- dollar general 11195, wellsburg
- dollar general 15843, pine valley
- dollar general 16566, breesport
- dollar general 19976, beaver dams
- dollar general 20329, pine city
- dollar general 20645, horseheads
- dollar general 24584, big flats
- dollar general 25090, elmira
- dollar general 8106, elmira
- dollar general 8364, elmira
- dollar general 8958, elmira
- dollar general 9657, elmira
- family dollar 10194, elmira
- family dollar 1724, elmira
- family dollar 3392, elmira
- family dollar 5066, elmira
- family dollar 5204, horseheads
- walgreens 10864, elmira
Super Store · 5
- jubilee foods, horseheads
- minier's, big flats
- sam's club 6431, elmira
- target 2158, elmira
- walmart supercenter 1976, horseheads
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 65058, elmira
- aldi 65059, horseheads
- tops pt, llc d/b/a tops pt 578, elmira
- wegmans 70, elmira
- weis markets 116, elmira
Farmers' Market · 2
- calmunity farms llc, elmira
- wisner market, elmira
Large Grocery Store · 1
- foodra inc, elmira
Seafood Specialty · 1
- maine harvest seafood, elmira
Small Grocery Store · 1
- renkos, elmira
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New York
Compare Chemung County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →
Food access nationally, New York in context
Chemung County sits inside New York (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Chemung County has low food access? ▼
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Data Sources & Methodology
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).
Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.