Signature · 2.9% low-access (7th pct)
Essex County, NY
Essex County lands in the lower national band on low-access (2.9%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 2.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 10.5%
- on SNAP
- 37K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Essex County, NY
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 2.9% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -19.2 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 10.5% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Cayuga County (+ 0.4 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Essex County lands in the lower national band (2.9%, #2,919 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,919
- national by low-access %
- #55
- in NY
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 259
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 2.9% low-access (7th pct) (-19.2 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Essex County compares nationally
Food access in Essex County compares favorably nationally: its 2.9% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 7% of them (rank #2,919).
Essex County's lower-band USDA tier split
13 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 13 of Essex County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Essex County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in New York, not a full county-board reprint
- Putnam
Putnam 53.6%
53.6 % low-access
- Sullivan 4.6
Sullivan 4.6%
4.6 % low-access
- Chenango 4.1
Chenango 4.1%
4.1 % low-access
- Allegany 3.9
Allegany 3.9%
3.9 % low-access
- Cayuga 3.3
Cayuga 3.3%
3.3 % low-access
- Essex 2.9
Essex 2.9%
2.9 % low-access
- Kings 0
Kings 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 39,370 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,127 |
| Low-Access Share | 2.9%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 259 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 36,973 |
| Median Household Income | $71,661 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,711 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.4%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.2% |
Thick SNAP store book in Essex County
Essex County has 44 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 19 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
18 towns share the 44 authorized stores; Lake Placid holds 23% of them. 13 of the 18 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Willsboro, Port Henry, Au Sable Forks, Bloomingdale, Crown Point, Keene and 7 more.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Placid | 10 | 3 |
| Ticonderoga | 7 | 1 |
| Elizabethtown | 5 | 1 |
| Saranac Lake | 3 | 1 |
| Schroon Lake | 3 | 1 |
| Willsboro | 3 | none |
| Port Henry | 2 | none |
| Au Sable Forks | 1 | none |
| Bloomingdale | 1 | none |
| Crown Point | 1 | none |
Top 10 of 18 towns by store count.
Convenience Store · 19
- 5 eleven deli mart, crown point
- adirondack corner store llc, lake placid
- boyea's grocery & deli, moriah center
- fusion market, saranac lake
- khushi mart inc, willsboro
- little supermarket, wilmington
- mugal trading inc, mineville
- stewart's shop 148, ticonderoga
- stewart's shop 227, lake placid
- stewarts shop 236, schroon lake
- stewarts shop 256, au sable forks
- stewart's shop 359, lake placid
- stewart's shops 103, port henry
- stewarts shop 160, elizabethtown
- stewarts shop 303, keene
- sullivans store, olmstedville
- tennybrook westport 950, westport
- us gas & food mart inc, ticonderoga
- village meat market, willsboro
Combination Grocery/Other · 13
- dollar general 18555, port henry
- dollar tree 2903, saranac lake
- dollar general 10970, schroon lake
- dollar general 22214, bloomingdale
- dollar general 24203, willsboro
- dollar general 25167, moriah
- dollar tree 2454, ticonderoga
- family dollar 10959, lake placid
- family dollar 7998, elizabethtown
- kinney drugs 76, elizabethtown
- kinney drugs 95, lake placid
- walgreens 18030, ticonderoga
- walgreens 18157, lake placid
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 77018 77018, saranac lake
- price chopper lake placid 180, lake placid
- tops markets 710, elizabethtown
- tops markets 719, schroon lake
Farmers' Market · 2
- high peaks farmers market lp, lake placid
- wild work farm, keene valley
Small Grocery Store · 2
- craigardan farmstore, elizabethtown
- ticonderoga natural foods, ticonderoga
Super Store · 2
- hannaford supermarket 8413, lake placid
- walmart supercenter 2424, ticonderoga
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- marinellis meat market, ticonderoga
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- green goddess foods llc, lake placid
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in New York
One of 61 counties in New York, 6 are shown here.
Compare Essex County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →
Counties near Essex County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Essex County, both outside New York so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NY (2.9% here).
- Swain County, NC · 2.9% low-access
- Tillamook County, OR · 2.9% low-access
- Saluda County, SC · 2.9% low-access
- McDowell County, NC · 2.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NY (10.5% here).
- Knox County, OH · 10.5% SNAP
- Washoe County, NV · 10.5% SNAP
- Washington County, OR · 10.5% SNAP
- Ray County, MO · 10.5% 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.
New York among Middle Atlantic states
New York ranks 3rd of 3 Middle Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (12.0%). Essex County, at 2.9%, runs 9.1 pts below the New York rate.
- New Jersey 23.8%
- Pennsylvania 21.4%
- New York 12.0%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 .
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 Essex County, NY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 36031. 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.