County food-access profile · California
El Dorado County, CA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of El Dorado 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).
- 25.2%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 193K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
25.2% of El Dorado County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 42 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 17
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 3.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.0%
- 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 El Dorado County's low-access share at 25.2%, above the national share. 17 of the county's 42 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 45,668 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,710 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 El Dorado County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, El Dorado County's 25.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 59% of them and ranked #1,282 most-affected nationwide.
El Dorado County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 42 census tracts in El Dorado County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
El Dorado County vs. other California counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in California
- El Dorado
El Dorado County, CA
25.2 % low-access
- Alameda 8.1
Alameda County, CA
8.1 % low-access
- Alpine
Alpine County, CA
57 % low-access
- Amador 0.2
Amador County, CA
0.2 % low-access
- Butte 19.1
Butte County, CA
19.1 % low-access
- Calaveras 14.7
Calaveras County, CA
14.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 42 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 181,058 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 17 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 45,668 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.2%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,710 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 192,662 |
| Median Household Income | $108,845 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.0%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,965 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
About 6.5% of El Dorado County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 25.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,965 households here.
- 3.6% 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 El Dorado County
above the national share
2 of El Dorado County's 42 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 4.8% of all its tracts.
A further 15 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 17.
An estimated 45,668 residents, roughly 25.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,710 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 25 tracts (59.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in El Dorado County
El Dorado County has 120 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 56 locations (47% of the total), followed by supermarket.
Convenience Store · 56
- 49er liquors, placerville
- 7 eleven 14078g, south lake tahoe
- 7 eleven 41230a 41230a, el dorado hills
- 7 eleven 41607a, placerville
- 7 eleven store 15047f, south lake tahoe
- 7-eleven 42031h, garden valley
- am pm 83656, el dorado hills
- alpine liquors, south lake tahoe
- american gas, south lake tahoe
- avorys 13 mile post, pollock pines
- cambridge chevron extramile, cameron park
- cameron park petroleum, cameron park
- chevron, camino
- cold springs foodmart, placerville
- cool general store, cool
- creek view mini mart, placerville
- discount food and liquor, shingle springs
- el dorado grocery & deli, el dorado
- el dorado hills shell 54, el dorado hills
- georgetown gas & go, georgetown
- gold harvest market, shingle springs
- green tahoe, south lake tahoe
- h & s energy products 3064, south lake tahoe
- h & s energy products 3073, cameron park
- h&s energy products llc 3032, diamond springs
- happy hour food & liquor, camino
- hassan & sons 1006, cameron park
- j & r brothers inc, placerville
- jiffy mart, diamond springs
- kings beverage company, south lake tahoe
- lakhdata inc no, cameron park
- logtown country market, el dorado
- maruti placerville, placerville
- mill creek market, placerville
- mother lode market, placerville
- mt aukum store, mount aukum
- placerville 76, placerville
- placerville drive market, placerville
- pleasant valley chevron, placerville
- quik stop market 550161, diamond springs
- rancho convenience center inc., placerville
- raymond liquor, placerville
- riverside mini mart, lotus
- rocket #7237 7237, shingle springs
- rocket #7966 7966, cameron park
- rubicon liquor and wine, georgetown
- safeway 5823 fuel center, south lake tahoe
- safeway fuel center 5815, san jose
- shell, pollock pines
- shell at placerville, placerville
- snowline station, camino
- speedway 1495, placerville
- sutter center market, coloma
- vineyard market, cameron park
- vp racing fuels, placerville
- worton's market, georgetown
Supermarket · 18
- bel air 515, cameron park
- fork lift-cameron park 21, cameron park
- holiday market 57, placerville
- holiday market 62, cool
- holiday market 65, south lake tahoe
- nugget market 9, el dorado hills
- raley's 127, south lake tahoe
- raley's 422, placerville
- raley's o.n.e. market 424, el dorado hills
- safeway 1618, cameron park
- safeway 1724, placerville
- safeway 1824, south lake tahoe
- safeway 1825, pollock pines
- safeway 0748, el dorado hills
- safeway 2683, el dorado hills
- safeway 5809, el dorado hills
- save mart 614, placerville
- save mart 615, placerville
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- cvs pharmacy 3009, cameron park
- cvs pharmacy 3909, el dorado hills
- cvs pharmacy 6793, cameron park
- cvs pharmacy 9184, placerville
- cvs pharmacy 9376, south lake tahoe
- cvs pharmacy 9490, pollock pines
- cvs pharmacy 9713, south lake tahoe
- dollartree 10684, placerville
- dollartree 10778, cameron park
- dollar general 21281, cool
- dollar general 22942, somerset
- dollar tree 1244, placerville
- dollar tree 4242, cameron park
- family dollar store 10709, pollock pines
- overland meat and seafood company, south lake tahoe
- south lake tahoe grocery outlet, south lake tahoe
- walgreens 12840, el dorado hills
Super Store · 10
- grocery outlet cameron park 491, cameron park
- grocery outlet of placerville 103, placerville
- mar-val food #6, georgetown
- smart & final 787, south lake tahoe
- target store t-2270, el dorado hills
- target store t3355, placerville
- target store t3452, south lake tahoe
- walmart 2418, placerville
- west placerville grocery outlet 583, placerville
- whole foods market 10703, south lake tahoe
Farmers' Market · 6
- cameron park certified farmers market nafmnp, cameron park
- main street farmers' market, placerville
- people's mountain market, garden valley
- placerville certified farmers market, placerville
- placerville community farmers' market, placerville
- south lake tahoe certified farmers market nafmnp, south lake tahoe
Bakery Specialty · 5
- papa murphys 48, cameron park
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza ca226, el dorado hills
- papa murphy's take n bake pizza inc ca064, placerville
- pollock pines papa murphy's pizza, pollock pines
- the local take and bake pizzeria 1, garden valley
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- la mexicana tahoe market llc, south lake tahoe
- mi pueblo meat market, south lake tahoe
- placerville food co-op, placerville
- santa maria taqueria, meat y groceris, placerville
Large Grocery Store · 2
- grass roots natural foods, south lake tahoe
- kings meats, diamond springs
Small Grocery Store · 2
- busy spot market, diamond springs
- nina's market, cameron park
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in California
Compare El Dorado County vs Alameda County → · All California counties →
Food access nationally, California in context
El Dorado County sits inside California (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 El Dorado County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in El Dorado County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in El Dorado County? ▼
Is El Dorado County a food desert? ▼
What share of El Dorado 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.