County food-access profile · Pennsylvania
Dauphin County, PA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Dauphin County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 35.4%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 13.3%
- on SNAP
- 290K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
35.4% of Dauphin County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 65 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 31
- low-access tracts
- 23K
- food-desert residents
- 9.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.9%
- 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).
USDA data puts Dauphin County's low-access share at 35.4%, above the national share. 31 of the county's 65 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 94,784 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 22,723 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 Dauphin County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Dauphin County's 35.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 82% of them and ranked #574 most-affected nationwide.
Dauphin County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 65 census tracts in Dauphin County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Dauphin County vs. other Pennsylvania counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Pennsylvania
- Dauphin
Dauphin County, PA
35.4 % 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 | 65 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 268,100 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 31 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 94,784 |
| Low-Access Share | 35.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 22,723 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 289,593 |
| Median Household Income | $76,242 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.9%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 16,085 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.3%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.4%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.3% |
About 13.3% of Dauphin County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 35.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 16,085 households here.
- 9.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Dauphin County
above the national share
6 of Dauphin County's 65 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 9.2% of all its tracts.
A further 25 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 31.
An estimated 94,784 residents, roughly 35.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 22,723 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 34 tracts (52.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Dauphin County
Dauphin County has 260 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 118 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 118
- 6th street market, harrisburg
- 7 eleven store 11402d, middletown
- 7-eleven 40283, middletown
- 7-eleven store #11417b, harrisburg
- 7-eleven store #21439e, harrisburg
- 7-eleven store #40146a 40146a, harrisburg
- 7-eleven store 2405-35602a 35602a, hummelstown
- 7-eleven store 40136a, harrisburg
- all in mart, harrisburg
- brookwood mart 2, harrisburg
- choice cigarette outlet, harrisburg
- canario mini market llc, harrisburg
- chens grocery inc., harrisburg
- city gas and diesel, harrisburg
- community supermarket & pizza llc, harrisburg
- d jesus grocery, harrisburg
- daily mart, harrisburg
- dollar dreamz, harrisburg
- dr. k's food mart 1, highspire
- duke's, harrisburg
- e seven food llc, harrisburg
- e-z discount, harrisburg
- eisenhower sunoco 1, harrisburg
- eniola african store llc, harrisburg
- everest food mart, highspire
- funcks exxon, grantville
- h j food mart, harrisburg
- hamilton food store, harrisburg
- jigs store, harrisburg
- khan foods, harrisburg
- king food market, harrisburg
- kissqueya grocery llc, harrisburg
- koppy's on the square, elizabethville
- la familia mercado mini market llc, harrisburg
- lola grocery deli llc, harrisburg
- love's travel stop 535, middletown
- luckymart sunoco, harrisburg
- m & d grocery store corp., harrisburg
- m & z quick pick mart, steelton
- m&d convenient store llc, steelton
- m&h corner store, harrisburg
- mahatam mini mart, harrisburg
- major league grocery del llc, harrisburg
- marco gas station, harrisburg
- market on market 1, harrisburg
- munchies markette, harrisburg
- munchies markette 2, harrisburg
- nemo's quickstop 3, harrisburg
- nemo's quickstop 4, harrisburg
- one stop no, harrisburg
- penn jersey, lykens
- penn jersey mart 1, millersburg
- pilot travel center 245, harrisburg
- pilot travel center 4563, harrisburg
- pilot travel center 517, duncannon
- polanco's grocery llc, harrisburg
- quality food market, harrisburg
- quick serv enterprises, inc., steelton
- royal mart, highspire
- rana food mart, harrisburg
- reyansh rana 2 llc, harrisburg
- rutter's 77, duncannon
- rutters 20, middletown
- rutters 27, hummelstown
- sam's fresh mart halifax, halifax
- sam's fresh mart lykens, lykens
- sazon mini market llc, harrisburg
- seans convenience store llc, harrisburg
- shakti grocery, harrisburg
- sheetz 219, harrisburg
- sheetz 228, halifax
- sheetz 351, hummelstown
- sheetz 374, harrisburg
- sheetz 412, harrisburg
- sheetz 449, harrisburg
- sheetz 461, duncannon
- sheetz 523, harrisburg
- sheetz 574, middletown
- sheetz 580, harrisburg
- sheetz 616, hummelstown
- sheetz 628, harrisburg
- sheetz 651, grantville
- shop n drive, harrisburg
- shree laxmi krupa llc, dauphin
- sixth street gas llc, harrisburg
- sk mini mart llc, highspire
- souder mini market, middletown
- speedway 6763, harrisburg
- sunoco, harrisburg
- sunoco a - plus, harrisburg
- sunoco a plus, harrisburg
- ta harrisburg 012, harrisburg
- tabish foods market, harrisburg
- the grace food mart llc, grantville
- top star express 116, lykens
- turkey hill mini market 950227, harrisburg
- turkey hill minit market 950034, middletown
- turkey hill minit market 950088, hershey
- turkey hill minit market 950090, harrisburg
- turkey hill minit market 950125, highspire
- turkey hill minit market 950222, hershey
- turkey hill minit market 950265, hummelstown
- turkey hill minit market 950282, hummelstown
- turkey hill minit market 950296, harrisburg
- turkey hill minit markets 950094, oberlin
- turkey hill minit markets 950095, harrisburg
- turkey hill minit markets 950098, harrisburg
- turkey hill minit markets 950186, steelton
- turkey hill minit markets 950234, harrisburg
- turkey hill minit markets 950266, harrisburg
- turkey hill minit markets 950279, harrisburg
- u mart, harrisburg
- umies market, williamstown
- uni-mart 3125, harrisburg
- us super food mart llc, harrisburg
- walnut food mart, harrisburg
- wawa store 8195, middletown
- youngs grocery, harrisburg
Combination Grocery/Other · 50
- aci market, harrisburg
- cvs 1922, harrisburg
- cvs pharmacy 1625, middletown
- cvs pharmacy 1640, elizabeth
- cvs pharmacy 1917, harrisburg
- cvs pharmacy 2370, harrisburg
- cvs pharmacy 01624, harrisburg
- cvs pharmacy 11040, hummelstown
- cvs pharmacy 1637, millersburg
- cvs pharmacy 1641, harrisburg
- cvs pharmacy 1650, hershey
- cvs pharmacy 8979, harrisburg
- dollar general 11255, harrisburg
- dollar general 14049, highspire
- dollar general 19269, harrisburg
- dollar general 3797, harrisburg
- dollar general 7481, harrisburg
- dollar general 8914, halifax
- dollar tree 1689, harrisburg
- dollar tree 781, harrisburg
- dollartree 11512, harrisburg
- dollar general 13046, williamstown
- dollar general 17358, dauphin
- dollar general 19270, harrisburg
- dollar general 21530, steelton
- dollar general 23334, grantville
- dollar general 23508, harrisburg
- dollar general 24951, harrisburg
- dollar general 31646, lykens
- dollar general 6028, linglestown
- dollar general 8599, millersburg
- dollar general store 17156, berrysburg
- dollar tree 2256, middletown
- dollar tree 5418, harrisburg
- dollar tree 721, harrisburg
- dollar tree 7572, harrisburg
- dollar tree 7806, harrisburg
- dollar tree 8378, harrisburg
- family dollar store 11200, harrisburg
- family dollar 10554, harrisburg
- family dollar 9355, harrisburg
- family dollar store 1059, harrisburg
- family dollar store 2576, steelton
- family dollar store 6719, harrisburg
- farmstead foods, gratz
- flea flickers llc 01, elizabethville
- fresh 2 go, harrisburg
- harrisburg meat market llc, harrisburg
- namaste grocery 1 llc, harrisburg
- ocean state job lot 613, harrisburg
Medium Grocery Store · 28
- a joke african food market llc, harrisburg
- asian food and vegetables store, harrisburg
- best indian and nepali grocery llc, harrisburg
- best of asia llc, harrisburg
- bnn international supermarket llc, harrisburg
- el gallito mexican bakery i i i, steelton
- elamana halal meat and grocery, harrisburg
- express friend store, harrisburg
- fresh mini mart, harrisburg
- global grocery store llc, harrisburg
- julie's special 1, harrisburg
- laliguras grocery, harrisburg
- mnk grocery, llc n/a, harrisburg
- naya oriental market llc, harrisburg
- nepali grocery llc dba sabzi bazar, harrisburg
- nepali store llc, harrisburg
- oumbaraka international market llc, harrisburg
- r & m variety shop, harrisburg
- radish & rye food hub, harrisburg
- rgs market llc, harrisburg
- superior stores co, harrisburg
- saru grocery, llc, harrisburg
- sister's international grocery, llc, harrisburg
- south asian grocery store 1, harrisburg
- themal bazar, harrisburg
- tres hermanos mexican store & restaurant, harrisburg
- tudo, harrisburg
- y&c sayford supermarket llc 426, harrisburg
Small Grocery Store · 21
- adriel mini market llc, harrisburg
- chubbs mkt, highspire
- comercial mexican store llc okay, harrisburg
- crescencio ramon mendez perez, harrisburg
- europa market llc no, harrisburg
- family grocery ii, harrisburg
- fresh mart, harrisburg
- green valley mini market llc, harrisburg
- ire african market llc, harrisburg
- keila mini market llc, harrisburg
- lahore foods, harrisburg
- lucila grocery & deli, harrisburg
- m&g mini market llc, harrisburg
- midtown sayford supermarket inc., harrisburg
- phoenix mini market inc, steelton
- sara food market llc, harrisburg
- sayapatri nepali & indian grocery llc., harrisburg
- sazon deli & grocery llc, harrisburg
- shop n' drive, harrisburg
- to go supermarket, harrisburg
- young's market, harrisburg
Super Store · 12
- costco wholesale 0327, harrisburg
- karns quality foods, hershey
- karns quality foods, middletown
- karns quality foods 2, harrisburg
- lidl 1566, harrisburg
- pricerite of harrisburg 404, harrisburg
- sam's club 8175, harrisburg
- the sharp shopper inc, middletown
- target 2186, harrisburg
- target store 1254, harrisburg
- walmart 3412, elizabethville
- walmart supercenter 1591, harrisburg
Supermarket · 11
- aldi 71098, harrisburg
- aldi 77, harrisburg
- aldi 71087, colonial park
- boyer's food markets, inc. 3597, lykens
- derry family supermarket, harrisburg
- giant food store 6006, harrisburg
- giant food store 6088, middletown
- giant food store 6090, halifax
- giant food store 6097, hershey
- giant food store 6279, hummelstown
- giant food store 6304, harrisburg
Large Grocery Store · 4
- little saigon food market, llc, harrisburg
- market fresh, harrisburg
- y&f supermarket llc, harrisburg
- yfsupermarket 2 2, harrisburg
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- bixler's country meats - gratz, gratz
- brook meadow fresh farm, llc, harrisburg
- r.g. hummer meats and cheese, llc, harrisburg
Delivery Route · 2
- pennsylvania prime steak and seafood, hershey
- town and country, hummelstown
Seafood Specialty · 1
- harbour house crabs 1, harrisburg
Showing 250 of 260 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Pennsylvania
Compare Dauphin County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →
Food access nationally, Pennsylvania in context
Dauphin 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 Dauphin County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Dauphin County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Dauphin County? ▼
Is Dauphin County a food desert? ▼
What share of Dauphin 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.