PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Pennsylvania

Crawford County, PA

Crawford 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.

14.5%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
18.7%
on SNAP
83K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 PA

The food-access picture

14.5% of Crawford County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

6
low-access tracts
4K
food-desert residents
10.5%
households, no vehicle
14.3%
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).

Crawford County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 14.5% per the USDA Atlas. 6 of the county's 23 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 12,875 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,605 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 Crawford County compares nationally

Crawford County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.5% low-access share that beats 31% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,157).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Crawford County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 23 census tracts in Crawford County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Crawford County, PA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 17 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 4 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 23 tracts evaluated. 17 tracts adequate (73.9%) 4 tracts limited (17.4%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (8.7%) Adequate 74% Limited 17% Severe 9% Food-access tier distribution: Crawford County, PA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Crawford County vs. other Pennsylvania counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Pennsylvania

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Crawford County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts23
Atlas Population (2010 basis)88,765
Low-Access Tracts6
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population12,875
Low-Access Share14.5%below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,605

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Crawford County
IndicatorValue
Population82,716
Median Household Income$60,476
Poverty Rate14.3%near the national average
SNAP Households6,313
SNAP Participation Rate18.7%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle10.5%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population5.0%
SNAP participation in Crawford County 18.7%

About 18.7% of Crawford County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 14.5% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 18.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,313 households here.
  • 10.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 2 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 Crawford County

near the national share

2 of Crawford County's 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 8.7% of all its tracts.

A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.

An estimated 12,875 residents, roughly 14.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 3,605 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 17 tracts (73.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Crawford County

Crawford County has 76 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 30 locations (39% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 30

  • cvs pharmacy 5097, titusville
  • cvs pharmacy 5099, meadville
  • dollar general 2413, titusville
  • dollar general 2446, meadville
  • dollar general 4964, meadville
  • dollar general 9470, linesville
  • dollar general 12873, espyville
  • dollar general 12882, saegertown
  • dollar general 13022, conneautville
  • dollar general 13172, cochranton
  • dollar general 13230, townville
  • dollar general 18479, union city
  • dollar general 19674, conneaut lake
  • dollar general 19881, meadville
  • dollar general 19958, hartstown
  • dollar general 22124, springboro
  • dollar general 23409, linesville
  • dollar general 30968, centerville
  • dollar general 31245, spartansburg
  • dollar general 6289, cambridge springs
  • dollar general 6560, conneaut lake
  • dollar general store 16908, meadville
  • dollar tree 5425, titusville
  • dollar tree 7464, meadville
  • dollar tree 942, meadville
  • family dollar 10772, spartansburg
  • family dollar 12929, conneautville
  • family dollar 8809, meadville
  • hill top processing, conneautville
  • walgreens 10837, meadville

Convenience Store · 24

  • buell's corners store, spartansburg
  • cambridge grocery, cambridge springs
  • country fair 30, meadville
  • country fair 37, saegertown
  • country fair 45, linesville
  • country fair 55, meadville
  • country fair 58, cochranton
  • getgo 3288, titusville
  • kwik fill 166, saegertown
  • kwik fill 167, meadville
  • kwik fill 174, cambridge springs
  • kwik fill 200, titusville
  • kwik fill 304, meadville
  • kwik fill 393, meadville
  • lincan food mart, union city
  • last stop beverage, inc, cochranton
  • quick stop food store 1, meadville
  • sh food mart, conneaut lake
  • sheetz 153, meadville
  • sheetz 159, conneaut lake
  • sheetz 337, meadville
  • sheetz 502, titusville
  • shree shakti inc, meadville
  • titusville market square, titusville

Medium Grocery Store · 6

  • crawford county liquidation depot, llc, linesville
  • hawks grocery and smokehouse, titusville
  • miller's country store, cochranton
  • millers farm market, meadville
  • vernas discount grocery, meadville
  • winding creek farm, cambridge springs

Supermarket · 6

  • aldi 69049, meadville
  • golden dawn, conneaut lake
  • grocery outlet of meadville 781, meadville
  • h & h market place, saegertown
  • save a lot 30192, titusville
  • tops markets 670, meadville

Super Store · 5

  • giant eagle 88, titusville
  • giant eagle 95, meadville
  • valesky's, meadville
  • walmart 1656, meadville
  • walmart supercenter 5360, titusville

Large Grocery Store · 2

  • market place, cochranton
  • ray s marketplace, linesville

Small Grocery Store · 2

  • livingston quality meats, conneaut lake
  • lakeside meats inc, conneaut lake

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • malady's meat market, meadville

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Pennsylvania

Adams County
15.9% low-access · 8.2% SNAP
Allegheny County
26.4% low-access · 13.0% SNAP
Armstrong County
5.2% low-access · 15.6% SNAP
Beaver County
32.5% low-access · 13.8% SNAP
Bedford County
22.7% low-access · 15.8% SNAP
Berks County
17.5% low-access · 13.9% SNAP

Compare Crawford County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →

Food access nationally, Pennsylvania in context

Crawford County sits inside Pennsylvania (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Crawford County has low food access? ▼
14.5% of residents in Crawford County, PA live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Crawford County? ▼
18.7% of households in Crawford County receive SNAP, covering 6,313 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Crawford County? ▼
The poverty rate in Crawford County, PA is 14.3%, with a median household income of $60,476 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Crawford County a food desert? ▼
2 of Crawford County's 23 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Crawford County households lack a vehicle? ▼
10.5% of households in Crawford County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.