Signature · 9.7% SNAP (16th pct in NY)
Columbia County, NY
Columbia 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.
- 16.7%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 9.7%
- on SNAP
- 61K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Columbia County, NY
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-MODERATE 16.7% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -5.4 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.1% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 10% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Madison County (+ 0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Columbia County ranks #1,968 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #26 of 60 counties in NY (16.7% low-access; 2 food-desert tracts).
- #1,968
- national by low-access %
- #26
- in NY
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 9.7% SNAP (16th pct in NY) (-2.4 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Columbia County compares nationally
Columbia County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 16.7% low-access share that beats 37% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,973).
Columbia County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
21 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Columbia County has 4 urban and 17 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Columbia County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in New York, not a full county-board reprint
- Putnam
Putnam 53.6%
53.6 % low-access
- Cortland 17.6
Cortland 17.6%
17.6 % low-access
- Madison 16.8
Madison 16.8%
16.8 % low-access
- Columbia 16.7
Columbia 16.7%
16.7 % low-access
- Broome 16.4
Broome 16.4%
16.4 % low-access
- St. Lawrence 16.4
St. Lawrence 16.4%
16.4 % low-access
- Kings 0
Kings 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 21 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 63,096 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 10,567 |
| Low-Access Share | 16.7%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,499 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 61,100 |
| Median Household Income | $81,528 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.1%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,592 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.6% |
Thick SNAP store book in Columbia County
Columbia County has 66 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 31
- 66 food mart, hudson
- alltown fresh livingston 776, hudson
- blue stores xtra mart 10149, germantown
- cumberland farms 1567, valatie
- cumberland farms 1625, philmont
- chatham xtra mart 10053, old chatham
- chef richies deli incorporated, hudson
- claverack xtra mart 10120, claverack
- cobble pond farms 6, craryville
- cumberland farms 1592, columbiaville
- dania foodmart, canaan
- dba mcnans variety foods, philmont
- germantown xtra mart 10137, germantown
- ghent one stop inc, ghent
- hillsdale gulf 1, hillsdale
- love's travel stop 611, canaan
- onvo travel plaza - canaan 26, canaan
- quick mart no, hudson
- sam's market, hudson
- stewart's shop #285, germantown
- speedway 7672, hudson
- speedway 7712, hudson
- stewart's shops 493, hudson
- stewarts shop 168, new lebanon
- stewarts shop 209, hudson
- stewarts shop 239, hudson
- stewarts shop 281, hillsdale
- stewarts shop 297, chatham
- stewarts shop 349, kinderhook
- stewarts shop 412, valatie
- warren street market, hudson
Combination Grocery/Other · 15
- cvs pharmacy 424, hudson
- cvs pharmacy 557, hudson
- cvs pharmacy 783, valatie
- dollartree 9512, hudson
- dollar general 12546, hudson
- dollar general 14942, valatie
- dollar general 16022, germantown
- dollar general 25025, new lebanon
- dollar tree 1860, hudson
- family dollar 10547, new lebanon
- family dollar 2358, chatham
- family dollar 7556, philmont
- ocean state job lot 504, valatie
- walgreens 17466, hudson
- walgreens 18978, chatham
Medium Grocery Store · 7
- chatham real food market co-op inc, chatham
- filli's deli and bakery, claverack
- mx morningstar farm store, hudson
- random harvest, craryville
- rolling grocer 19, hudson
- the meat hook hudson llc, hudson
- upstate grocery inc, hudson
Super Store · 5
- freshtown of hillsdale 614, hillsdale
- hawthorne valley farm store, ghent
- hannaford food & drug 8364, valatie
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8416, hudson
- walmart supercenter 2097, hudson
Farmers' Market · 3
- copake hillsdale farmers market, hillsdale
- hudson farmers' market, hudson
- new lebanon farmers market, new lebanon
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 73016, hudson
- price chopper 246, chatham
- shoprite 277, hudson
Small Grocery Store · 2
- canaan general store, canaan
- hearty roots market, germantown
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in New York
One of 61 counties in New York, 6 are shown here.
Compare Columbia County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →
Nationwide peers for Columbia County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Columbia County (9.7%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside New York.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NY (16.7% here).
- Grays Harbor County, WA · 16.7% low-access
- Grays Harbor County, WA · 16.7% low-access
- King County, WA · 16.7% low-access
- King County, WA · 16.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NY (9.7% here).
- Polk County, NC · 9.7% SNAP
- Polk County, NC · 9.7% SNAP
- Madison County, OH · 9.7% SNAP
- Madison County, OH · 9.7% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Food access nationally, New York in context
Columbia County sits inside New York (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Columbia County, NY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 36021. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.