Where does District of Columbia rank for food access?

According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019), District of Columbia ranks #2,829 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #1 of 1 counties in DC, the same sort as the worst-food-deserts ranking. See /methodology#corpus-placement.

What share of District of Columbia has low food access?

4.6% of residents in District of Columbia, DC 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 District of Columbia?

14.3% of households in District of Columbia receive SNAP, covering 46,408 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).

What is the poverty rate in District of Columbia?

The poverty rate in District of Columbia, DC is 15.4%, with a median household income of $109,870 (Census ACS 2024).

Is District of Columbia a food desert?

12 of District of Columbia's 179 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 District of Columbia households lack a vehicle?

36.0% of households in District of Columbia have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.

Signature · 36.0% households with no vehicle

District of Columbia, DC

District of Columbia lands in the lower national band on low-access (4.6%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.

Compiled by Plainfoodaccess, Food Access Editorial Process · December 31, 2024

4.6%
low-access pop.: 12
food-desert tracts: 14.3%
on SNAP: 681K
residents (ACS 2024)

USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 DC

USDA FARA access plate

County District of Columbia, DC

LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-THIN

LA-ADEQUATE 4.6% low-access
BELOW-NATIONAL -17.5 pts vs US
LILA-CLUSTER 12 food-desert tracts
SNAP-HEAVY 14.3% SNAP
VEH-GAP 36.0% no vehicle
DENSITY-THIN 7% tracts LILA

Lower-band low-access

District of Columbia lands in the lower national band (4.6%, #2,829 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.

#2,829
national by low-access %: #1
in DC: 16
low-access tracts: 10K
food-desert residents

Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.

Signature read: 36.0% households with no vehicle .

How District of Columbia compares nationally

Food access in District of Columbia compares favorably nationally: its 4.6% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 10% of them (rank #2,834).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

District of Columbia's lower-band USDA tier split

179 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 12 LILA.

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, District of Columbia has 179 urban and 0 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.

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for District of Columbia
Indicator	Value
Census Tracts	179
Atlas Population (2010 basis)	601,723
Low-Access Tracts	16
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)	12
Low-Access Population	27,650
Low-Access Share	4.6%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population	9,664

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for District of Columbia
Indicator	Value
Population	681,294
Median Household Income	$109,870
Poverty Rate	15.4%near the national average
SNAP Households	46,408
SNAP Participation Rate	14.3%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle	36.0%well above the national average
Group-Quarters Population	5.0%

Counties near District of Columbia's lower low-access or SNAP band

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for District of Columbia, both outside District of Columbia so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside DC (4.6% here).

Gibson County, IN · 4.6% low-access
Gibson County, IN · 4.6% low-access
Kalkaska County, MI · 4.6% low-access
Kalkaska County, MI · 4.6% low-access

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside DC (14.3% here).

Duval County, FL · 14.3% SNAP
Duval County, FL · 14.3% SNAP
Franklin County, FL · 14.3% SNAP
Franklin County, FL · 14.3% 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.

District of Columbia inside a lower low-access state context

District of Columbia sits inside District of Columbia (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 2026-06-23.

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 District of Columbia, DC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 11001. 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.