Where does Esmeralda County rank for food access?

According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019), Esmeralda County ranks #68 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #1 of 17 counties in NV, the same sort as the worst-food-deserts ranking. See /methodology#corpus-placement.

What share of Esmeralda County has low food access?

97.2% of residents in Esmeralda County, NV 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 Esmeralda County?

27.8% of households in Esmeralda County receive SNAP, covering 140 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).

What is the poverty rate in Esmeralda County?

The poverty rate in Esmeralda County, NV is 12.4%, with a median household income of $41,715 (Census ACS 2024).

Is Esmeralda County a food desert?

1 of Esmeralda County's 1 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 Esmeralda County households lack a vehicle?

22.9% of households in Esmeralda County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.

Signature · 27.8% SNAP (100th pct in NV)

Esmeralda County, NV

Esmeralda County stands out on SNAP (27.8%, +15.7 pts vs U.S.) with 97.2% low-access from USDA FARA 2019.

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

97.2%
low-access pop.: 1
food-desert tracts: 27.8%
on SNAP: 1K
residents (ACS 2024)

USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 NV

USDA FARA access plate

County Esmeralda County, NV

LA-SEVERE · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-DENSE

LA-SEVERE 97.2% low-access
ABOVE-NATIONAL +75.1 pts vs US
LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
SNAP-HEAVY 27.8% SNAP
VEH-GAP 22.9% no vehicle
DENSITY-DENSE 100% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Mineral County ( -4.6 pts)

Upper-band low-access

Esmeralda County sits in the upper national band (97.2%, #68 of 3,079) with 1 LILA tracts.

#68
national by low-access %: #1
in NV: 1
low-access tracts: 342
food-desert residents

Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.

Signature read: 27.8% SNAP (100th pct in NV) (+15.7 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .

How Esmeralda County compares nationally

Esmeralda County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 97.2% low-access share outpaces 98% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #69 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Esmeralda County's elevated USDA tier split

1 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.

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

By USDA urbanicity classification, Esmeralda County has 0 urban and 1 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.

Esmeralda

97.2
Mineral

92.6
Nye

87.1
White Pine

54.5
Lincoln

52.6
Storey

0.4

FARA 2019 · elevated low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Esmeralda County
Indicator	Value
Census Tracts	1
Atlas Population (2010 basis)	783
Low-Access Tracts	1
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)	1
Low-Access Population	761
Low-Access Share	97.2%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population	342

ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Esmeralda County
Indicator	Value
Population	1,028
Median Household Income	$41,715
Poverty Rate	12.4%below the national average
SNAP Households	140
SNAP Participation Rate	27.8%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle	22.9%well above the national average
Group-Quarters Population	0.6%

Other Counties in Nevada

One of 16 counties in Nevada, 6 are shown here.

Carson City

14.3% low-access · 10.3% SNAP

Churchill County

18.9% low-access · 10.6% SNAP

Clark County

19.0% low-access · 13.6% SNAP

Douglas County

50.1% low-access · 5.6% SNAP

Elko County

16.1% low-access · 9.1% SNAP

Eureka County

46.8% low-access · 2.6% SNAP

Compare Esmeralda County vs Carson City → · All Nevada counties →

Esmeralda County inside a higher low-access state context

Esmeralda County sits inside Nevada (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 Esmeralda County, NV are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 32009. 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.