County food-access profile · New York
Essex County, NY
Most of Essex County sits within reach of a supermarket, better than most U.S. counties. This profile covers who, if anyone, qualifies as a food desert here, plus the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 2.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 10.5%
- on SNAP
- 37K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
2.9% of Essex County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 259
- food-desert residents
- 7.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.2%
- 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).
By the USDA's measure, Essex County fares better than most: just 2.9% of residents live in a low-access tract, below the national share. Still, 1 of the county's 13 tracts meet that threshold, covering about 1,127 people who live far from a supermarket, and none of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 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).
Essex County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 13 census tracts in Essex County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Essex County vs. other New York counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New York
- Essex 2.9
Essex County, NY
2.9 % low-access
- Albany
Albany County, NY
31.4 % low-access
- Allegany 3.9
Allegany County, NY
3.9 % low-access
- Bronx 0.6
Bronx County, NY
0.6 % low-access
- Broome
Broome County, NY
16.4 % low-access
- Cattaraugus 7.9
Cattaraugus County, NY
7.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| 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 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| 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% |
About 10.5% of Essex County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 2.9% of residents are low-access, below the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,711 households here.
- 7.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $71,661 with a 11.2% poverty rate.
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 Essex County
below the national share
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 1.
An estimated 1,127 residents, roughly 2.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 259 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (92.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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 retailers.
Other Counties in New York
Compare Essex County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →
Food access nationally, New York in context
Essex County sits inside New York (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 Essex County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Essex County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Essex County? ▼
Is Essex County a food desert? ▼
What share of Essex 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.