Signature · 8.4% low-access (17th pct)
Columbia County, PA
Columbia County lands in the lower national band on low-access (8.4%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 8.4%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 10.7%
- on SNAP
- 65K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Columbia County, PA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-MODERATE 8.4% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -13.7 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-TYPICAL 10.7% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 7% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Schuylkill County (+ 0.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Columbia County lands in the lower national band (8.4%, #2,605 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,605
- national by low-access %
- #49
- in PA
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 8.4% low-access (17th pct) (-13.7 pts vs U.S. low-access).
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 #2,605).
Columbia County's lower-band USDA tier split
15 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Columbia County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (8 rural, 7 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 7 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Columbia County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Pennsylvania, not a full county-board reprint
- Chester
Chester 45.1%
45.1 % low-access
- Columbia 8.4
Columbia 8.4%
8.4 % low-access
- Schuylkill 8.4
Schuylkill 8.4%
8.4 % low-access
- Indiana 8.2
Indiana 8.2%
8.2 % low-access
- Jefferson 7.9
Jefferson 7.9%
7.9 % low-access
- Cameron 7.6
Cameron 7.6%
7.6 % low-access
- Wyoming 0.9
Wyoming 0.9%
0.9 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| 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 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| 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% |
Thick SNAP store book 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.
Where the store book sits, by town
8 towns share the 59 authorized stores; Bloomsburg holds 41% of them. 2 of the 8 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Mifflinville, Stillwater.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Bloomsburg | 24 | 5 |
| Berwick | 15 | 5 |
| Benton | 5 | 1 |
| Catawissa | 4 | 1 |
| Millville | 4 | 1 |
| Orangeville | 4 | 1 |
| Mifflinville | 2 | none |
| Stillwater | 1 | none |
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 stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Pennsylvania
One of 66 counties in Pennsylvania, 6 are shown here.
Compare Columbia County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →
Counties near Columbia County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Columbia County, both outside Pennsylvania so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside PA (8.4% here).
- Claiborne County, TN · 8.4% low-access
- Anson County, NC · 8.4% low-access
- Nicholas County, WV · 8.4% low-access
- Washington Parish, LA · 8.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside PA (10.7% here).
- Rogers County, OK · 10.7% SNAP
- Logan County, OK · 10.7% SNAP
- Yates County, NY · 10.7% SNAP
- Orange County, NY · 10.7% 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.
Pennsylvania among Middle Atlantic states
Pennsylvania ranks 2nd of 3 Middle Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (21.4%). Columbia County, at 8.4%, runs 13.0 pts below the Pennsylvania rate.
- New Jersey 23.8%
- Pennsylvania 21.4%
- New York 12.0%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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, PA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 42037. 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.