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 2019 Census ACS 2024 NY

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 #2,923).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Essex County's lower-band USDA tier split

13 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .

Food access tier distribution for Essex County, NY USDA-defined food-access tiers: 12 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 13 tracts evaluated. 12 tracts adequate (92.3%) 1 tracts limited (7.7%) Adequate 92% Limited 8% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Essex County, NY
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Essex County has 0 urban and 13 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.

Essex County vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in New York, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Essex County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts13
Atlas Population (2010 basis)39,370
Low-Access Tracts1
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population1,127
Low-Access Share2.9%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population259

ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Essex County
IndicatorValue
Population36,973
Median Household Income$71,661
Poverty Rate11.2%below the national average
SNAP Households1,711
SNAP Participation Rate10.5%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle7.4%near the national average
Group-Quarters Population6.2%

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.

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).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside NY (10.5% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Essex County inside a lower low-access state context

Essex County sits inside New York (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 .

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.