County food-access profile · Pennsylvania
Columbia County, PA
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.
- 8.4%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 10.7%
- on SNAP
- 65K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
8.4% of Columbia County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 7.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.7%
- 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).
Columbia County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 8.4% per the USDA Atlas. 2 of the county's 15 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 5,639 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,748 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 Columbia County compares nationally
Columbia County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.4% low-access share that beats 17% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,614).
Columbia County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 15 census tracts in Columbia County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Columbia County vs. other Pennsylvania counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Pennsylvania
- Columbia 8.4
Columbia County, PA
8.4 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, PA
15.9 % low-access
- Allegheny
Allegheny County, PA
26.4 % low-access
- Armstrong 5.2
Armstrong County, PA
5.2 % low-access
- Beaver
Beaver County, PA
32.5 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, PA
22.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 15 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 67,295 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 5,639 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.4%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,748 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 65,362 |
| Median Household Income | $64,644 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.7%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,826 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.9% |
About 10.7% of Columbia County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 8.4% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,826 households here.
- 7.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Columbia County
near the national share
1 of Columbia County's 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 6.7% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 2.
An estimated 5,639 residents, roughly 8.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,748 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 13 tracts (86.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Columbia County
Columbia County has 59 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 26 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 26
- 7-eleven store 40407b, bloomsburg
- berwick foodmart llc, berwick
- catawissa food mart, catawissa
- d-mart, bloomsburg
- food express convenience inc 1, berwick
- freas convenience inc, berwick
- fresh & quick, catawissa
- fuel on, bloomsburg
- fuel way, mifflinville
- kwik fill 420, benton
- love's travel stop 324, mifflinville
- millville food mart, millville
- orangeville foodmart llc, orangeville
- quick chek, millville
- quickies convenience, bloomsburg
- radhey krishna llc, bloomsburg
- sheetz 213, bloomsburg
- sheetz 434, berwick
- sheetz 769, bloomsburg
- ta bloomsburg 212, bloomsburg
- tanish convenience llc, bloomsburg
- turkey hill 950302, berwick
- uni mart, bloomsburg
- uni-mart 94340, bloomsburg
- unimart, benton
- unity food mart 94062, bloomsburg
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- cvs pharmacy 1590, bloomsburg
- cvs pharmacy 1599, berwick
- dollar general 14197, catawissa
- dollar general 18203, benton
- dollar general 3152, berwick
- dollar general 6176, bloomsburg
- dollar general 20504, orangeville
- dollar general 20709, bloomsburg
- dollar general 23806, stillwater
- dollar general 4354, bloomsburg
- dollar general 7322, millville
- dollar general 8979, benton
- dollar general 9076, berwick
- dollar tree 1909, bloomsburg
- dollar tree 3011, bloomsburg
- dollar tree 7166, berwick
- family dollar 4602, berwick
Supermarket · 9
- aldi 60152, bloomsburg
- aldi 78, berwick
- boyer's food markets inc 3573, berwick
- country fresh market, benton
- giant food store 6121, berwick
- giant food store 6287, bloomsburg
- weis markets 192, bloomsburg
- weis markets 28, catawissa
- weis markets 8, berwick
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- bloom naturally, llc, bloomsburg
- millville farm market & creamery, millville
- quick shop 1, orangeville
- reading specialty meats inc, berwick
Seafood Specialty · 1
- wild for salmon, bloomsburg
Small Grocery Store · 1
- your choice, orangeville
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 1794, bloomsburg
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Pennsylvania
Compare Columbia County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →
Food access nationally, Pennsylvania in context
Columbia County sits inside Pennsylvania (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 Columbia County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Columbia County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Columbia County? ▼
Is Columbia County a food desert? ▼
What share of Columbia 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.