County food-access profile · Vermont
Chittenden County, VT
Chittenden County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 13.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 7.8%
- on SNAP
- 170K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
13.9% of Chittenden County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 7.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.7%
- 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).
Chittenden County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 13.9% per the USDA Atlas. 10 of the county's 34 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 21,795 residents who live far from a supermarket. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Chittenden County compares nationally
Chittenden County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.9% low-access share that beats 29% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,211).
Chittenden County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 34 census tracts in Chittenden County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Chittenden County vs. other Vermont counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Vermont
- Chittenden
Chittenden County, VT
13.9 % low-access
- Addison 6.2
Addison County, VT
6.2 % low-access
- Bennington 8.2
Bennington County, VT
8.2 % low-access
- Caledonia 5.8
Caledonia County, VT
5.8 % low-access
- Essex
Essex County, VT
28.2 % low-access
- Franklin 9.2
Franklin County, VT
9.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 34 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 156,545 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 21,795 |
| Low-Access Share | 13.9%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,911 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 169,758 |
| Median Household Income | $96,759 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,608 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.8%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.3% |
About 7.8% of Chittenden County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 13.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,608 households here.
- 7.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $96,759 with a 9.7% poverty rate.
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 Chittenden County
near the national share
A further 10 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 21,795 residents, roughly 13.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,911 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 24 tracts (70.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Chittenden County
Chittenden County has 144 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 61 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 61
- always full asian market llc, south burlington
- beaudrys market, huntington
- bayside triple m & deli, colchester
- champlain farms 40, burlington
- cumberland farms 8016, richmond
- cumberland farms 8018, burlington
- cumberland farms 8019, burlington
- cumberland farms 8028, colchester
- central beverage, essex junction
- champlain farms 10, burlington
- champlain farms 150, colchester
- champlain farms 160, colchester
- champlain farms 192, essex junction
- champlain farms 235, milton
- champlain farms 35, south burlington
- champlain farms 400, winooski
- champlain farms 50, south burlington
- champlain farms 60, burlington
- champlain farms 80, south burlington
- champlain farms 81, south burlington
- chick's market, winooski
- dick mazzas general store inc, colchester
- dots market, burlington
- downtown quick stop, burlington
- fastop, winooski
- frey family deli & convenience, milton
- gracey's store & deli, south burlington
- hans raj corporation, milton
- j & m groceries, burlington
- jr's corner store llc, burlington
- jiffy mart 441, williston
- jiffy mart 442, shelburne
- jiffy mart 445, south burlington
- jiffy mart 446, hinesburg
- jiffy mart 456, colchester
- jolley 501, jericho
- jolley 504, south burlington
- jolley 505, south burlington
- jolley 507, south burlington
- jolley 522, milton
- jolley 526, burlington
- jolley 543, hinesburg
- jolley 546, south burlington
- kampus kitchen 001, burlington
- nepali grocery store, winooski
- nepali grocery store llc n/a, winooski
- nj beverages llc 8028254490, burlington
- rotary mart 20, burlington
- renes discount beverage, milton
- simons winooski store & deli, winooski
- sammy's quick stop, winooski
- simon's chimney corners store, colchester
- simon's college parkway, colchester
- simon's five corner store, essex junction
- simon's milton store, milton
- simon's route 2a store, essex junction
- simon's st. george store, st george
- simons park street store, burlington
- the shopping bag, burlington
- uncle ronnie's deli inc, milton
- zero point market, winooski
Combination Grocery/Other · 35
- cvs 10216, colchester
- cvs 11037, burlington
- cvs 7103, williston
- cvs pharmacy 1052, essex junction
- cvs pharmacy 10690, south burlington
- city market, burlington
- city market, burlington
- dollar general 10721, colchester
- dollar general 11091, milton
- dollar general 11877, colchester
- dollar general 14214, milton
- dollar general 14358, jericho
- dollar general 30202, essex junction
- dollar tree 4643, burlington
- dollar tree 7257, essex junction
- european market llc 1, south burlington
- family dollar store 9263, milton
- india bazaar llc, south burlington
- kinney drugs 103, hinesburg
- kinney drugs 107, shelburne
- kinney drugs 21, essex junction
- kinney drugs 29, burlington
- kinney drugs 35, milton
- kinney drugs 55, s burlington
- kinney drugs 86, cambridge
- lantman's market, hinesburg
- pradhan & mangar llc, burlington
- thai phat llc 1, burlington
- walgreens 17183, colchester
- walgreens 17447, south burlington
- walgreens 17471, essex junction
- walgreens 17485, winooski
- walgreens 17747, milton
- walgreens 18325, shelburne
- walgreens 19570, burlington
Supermarket · 13
- essex junction market 10828, essex junction
- jericho market 10821, jericho
- market 32 shelburne rd 165, burlington
- market 32 by price chopper 192, essex junction
- price chopper colchester 230, colchester
- price chopper south burlington 228, south burlington
- richmond market and beverage 10823, richmond
- shaw's supermarket 2518, williston
- shaw's supermarket 615, colchester
- shaws supermarket 117, burlington
- shelburne market 10824, shelburne
- steeple market, fairfax
- trader joe's 527, south burlington
Super Store · 11
- costco wholesale 0314, colchester
- hannaford food & drug 8161, burlington
- healthy living, s burlington
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8274, milton
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8353, essex jct
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8357, south burlington
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8398, williston
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8448, south burlington
- healthy living market williston, williston
- target t3306, south burlington
- walmart 2224, williston
Farmers' Market · 9
- burlington farmers mkt, burlington
- essex parks & rec farmers market, essex junction
- jericho farmers market l3c, jericho
- milton farmers market, milton
- milton farmers market, milton
- old north end farmers market, burlington
- richmond farmers' market, richmond
- shelburne farmers market, shelburne
- winooski farmers market, winooski
Medium Grocery Store · 9
- asian general market, burlington
- asian mart, essex junction
- brixton halaal llc, burlington
- burlington asian market vermont llc, burlington
- halal champlain market, llc, burlington
- hamro sagarmatha grocery llc, winooski
- lungeli mart llp, essex junction
- m square vermont, winooski
- nada market llc, winooski
Small Grocery Store · 4
- csc quick stop, burlington
- cambridge village market, cambridge
- kerrys kwik stop purchaser llc, burlington
- mawuhi african market n/a, burlington
Large Grocery Store · 1
- jake's one llc - jake's one market, burlington
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- dhaurali goats, colchester
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Vermont
Compare Chittenden County vs Addison County → · All Vermont counties →
Food access nationally, Vermont in context
Chittenden County sits inside Vermont (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 Chittenden County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Chittenden County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Chittenden County? ▼
Is Chittenden County a food desert? ▼
What share of Chittenden County 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.