County food-access profile · Virginia
Chesapeake city, VA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Chesapeake city 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).
- 24.1%
- low-access pop.
- 8
- food-desert tracts
- 7.2%
- on SNAP
- 253K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
24.1% of Chesapeake city residents live in a low-access area, and 8 of its 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 22
- low-access tracts
- 11K
- food-desert residents
- 5.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.4%
- 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 Chesapeake city's low-access share at 24.1%, above the national share. 22 of the county's 41 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 53,631 people. 8 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 10,875 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 Chesapeake city compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Chesapeake city's 24.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 57% of them and ranked #1,362 most-affected nationwide.
Chesapeake city: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 41 census tracts in Chesapeake city, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Chesapeake city vs. other Virginia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Virginia
- Chesapeake city
Chesapeake city, VA
24.1 % low-access
- Accomack 2.2
Accomack County, VA
2.2 % low-access
- Albemarle
Albemarle County, VA
11.9 % low-access
- Alexandria city 0
Alexandria city, VA
0 % low-access
- Alleghany
Alleghany County, VA
16.4 % low-access
- Amelia
Amelia County, VA
16.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 41 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 222,209 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 22 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 8 |
| Low-Access Population | 53,631 |
| Low-Access Share | 24.1%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 10,875 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 252,583 |
| Median Household Income | $95,373 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.4%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,728 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.2%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
About 7.2% of Chesapeake city households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 24.1% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,728 households here.
- 5.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 8 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 Chesapeake city
above the national share
8 of Chesapeake city's 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 19.5% of all its tracts.
A further 14 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 22.
An estimated 53,631 residents, roughly 24.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 10,875 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 19 tracts (46.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Chesapeake city
Chesapeake city has 161 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 81 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 81
- 7 eleven inc f 39476a, chesapeake
- 7-eleven #32963b 32963b, chesapeake
- 7-eleven #33999b 33999b, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 10884j, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 20291j, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 22751, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 32752j, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 32962j, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 33473j, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 33676b, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 37037j, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 38163h, chesapeake
- 7-eleven inc 10882, chesapeake
- 7-eleven inc f 18667b, chesapeake
- 7-eleven inc f 20277a, chesapeake
- 7-eleven inc f 29166a, chesapeake
- 7-eleven inc f 32868a, chesapeake
- 7-eleven inc f 32964a, chesapeake
- 7-eleven inc f 33565a, chesapeake
- 7-eleven store 16570j, chesapeake
- 7-eleven, inc. 23276j, chesapeake
- 7-eleven #21344c 21344c, chesapeake
- 7-eleven #33329d 33329d, chesapeake
- 7-eleven #33718b 33718b, chesapeake
- 7-eleven #38066b 38066b, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 10872c 10872c, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 33280a 33280a, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 33463c, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 33668a, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 33976c 33976c, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 36052a, chesapeake
- 7-eleven 37154a 37154a, chesapeake
- 7-eleven convenience store 23544, chesapeake
- chill stop #8, chesapeake
- chillstop #14, chesapeake
- daily needs, chesapeake
- dunedin food mart, chesapeake
- easy go, chesapeake
- freedom food mart 3, chesapeake
- freedom food mart 4, chesapeake
- freedom food mart 6, chesapeake
- gas n go, chesapeake
- great mart, chesapeake
- happy shoppers, chesapeake
- in and out, chesapeake
- joe's kwik mart 8401, chesapeake
- liberty gas and go inc, chesapeake
- military highway exxon, chesapeake
- miller's 511, chesapeake
- miller's 513, chesapeake
- miller's 567, chesapeake
- mobil food mart, chesapeake
- monifood mart, chesapeake
- mr food mart, chesapeake
- murphy usa 7530, chesapeake
- newyork deli, chesapeake
- one stop shop 1, chesapeake
- pavan 1, chesapeake
- quik shop, portsmouth
- quik shop 2, chesapeake
- royal farms 157, chesapeake
- sam's stop n shop, chesapeake
- seven 11 36094, chesapeake
- shell food mart 1050, chesapeake
- shri sainath llc dba cavalier exxon, chesapeake
- skymart #101, chesapeake
- smokers choice v, chesapeake
- stop n save 3, chesapeake
- stop n save inc, chesapeake
- sunoco 965, chesapeake
- super mart, chesapeake
- the yellow store, chesapeake
- tinee giant 44, chesapeake
- tinee giant 464, chesapeake
- tinee giant 609, chesapeake
- tinee giant citgo 544, chesapeake
- wawa 654, chesapeake
- wawa 8613, chesapeake
- wawa 8668, chesapeake
- wawa 8632, chesapeake
- wawa food market 695, chesapeake
Combination Grocery/Other · 39
- cvs 255, chesapeake
- cvs pharmacy 10013, chespeake
- cvs pharmacy 10202, chesapeake
- dollar general 9393, chesapeake
- dollar tree 0502, chesapeake
- dollartree 10236, chesapeake
- dollartree 9159, chesapeake
- dollartree 9588, chesapeake
- dollar general 1709, chesapeake
- dollar general 19315, cesapeake
- dollar general 25032, chesapeake
- dollar general 7764, chesapeake
- dollar general 7827, chesapeake
- dollar general 8951, chesapeake
- dollar tree 1000, chesapeake
- dollar tree 171, chesapeake
- dollar tree 283, chesapeake
- dollar tree 3448, chester
- dollar tree 3599, chesapeake
- dollar tree 6248, chesapeake
- dollar tree 7652, chesapeake
- dollar tree 7793, chesapeake
- dollar tree 91, chesapeake
- dollar tree 95, chesapeake
- family dollar 12391, chesapeake
- family dollar 12544, chesapeake
- family dollar 12667, chesapeake
- family dollar store 1749, chesapeake
- family dollar store 176, chesapeake
- family dollar store 2196, chesapeake
- family dollar store 4977, chesapeake
- feed the need pantry market, chesapeake
- roses 198, chesapeake
- walgreens 09196, chesapeake
- walgreens 05461, chesapeake
- walgreens 07886, chesapeake
- walgreens 11213, chesapeake
- walgreens 13474, chesapeake
- walgreens 15609, chesapeake
Super Store · 19
- b js wholesale club 70, chesapeake
- harris teeter inc 176, chesapeake
- harris teeter 465, chesapeake
- harris teeter 51, chesapeake
- kroger 557, chesapeake
- kroger 572, chesapeake
- kroger 578, chesapeake
- lidl 1063, chesapeake
- sam's club 4710, chesapeake
- sam's club 6368, chesapeake
- target stores 1021, chesapeake
- target 2203, chesapeake
- target store 1420, chesapeake
- walmart 3644, chesapeake
- walmart 5253, chesapeake
- walmart neighborhood market 3299, chesapeake
- walmart neighborhood market 3330, chesapeake
- walmart supercenter 1682, chesapeake
- walmart supercenter 1841, chesapeake
Supermarket · 16
- aldi 80012 80012, chesapeake
- aldi 80024, chesapeake
- aldi 80052, chesapeake
- food lion 1204, chesapeake
- food lion 1476, chesapeake
- food lion 1591, chesapeake
- food lion 1611, chesapeake
- food lion 1613, chesapeake
- food lion 2631, chesapeake
- food lion 374, chesapeake
- food lion 494, chesapeake
- food lion 622, chesapeake
- food lion 642, chesapeake
- food lion 756, chesapeake
- food lion 889, chesapeake
- publix north carolina lp 2032, chesapeake
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- central meats, inc, chesapeake
- southern packing corporation, chesapeake
Small Grocery Store · 2
- al amin super market, chesapeake
- mi casita tienda latina, chesapeake
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- mi rancho, chesapeake
Seafood Specialty · 1
- wickers seafood market 1, chesapeake
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Virginia
Compare Chesapeake city vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Food access nationally, Virginia in context
Chesapeake city sits inside Virginia (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 Chesapeake city has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Chesapeake city? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Chesapeake city? ▼
Is Chesapeake city a food desert? ▼
What share of Chesapeake city households lack a vehicle? ▼
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.