County food-access profile · Virginia
Fairfax County, VA
Fairfax County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 18.0%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 4.3%
- on SNAP
- 1.1M
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
18.0% of Fairfax County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 257 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 92
- low-access tracts
- 17K
- food-desert residents
- 4.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 5.9%
- 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).
Fairfax County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 18.0% per the USDA Atlas. 92 of the county's 257 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 195,194 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 16,977 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 Fairfax County compares nationally
Fairfax County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 18.0% low-access share that beats 41% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,863).
Fairfax County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 257 census tracts in Fairfax County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Fairfax County vs. other Virginia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Virginia
- Fairfax
Fairfax County, VA
18 % low-access
- Accomack 2.2
Accomack County, VA
2.2 % low-access
- Albemarle
Albemarle County, VA
11.9 % low-access
- Alexandria city 0
Alexandria city, VA
0 % low-access
- Alleghany
Alleghany County, VA
16.4 % low-access
- Amelia
Amelia County, VA
16.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 257 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 1,081,726 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 92 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 195,194 |
| Low-Access Share | 18.0%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 16,977 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,147,837 |
| Median Household Income | $153,637 |
| Poverty Rate | 5.9%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 17,970 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.3%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 4.3% of Fairfax County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 18.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 4.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 17,970 households here.
- 4.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Fairfax County
near the national share
3 of Fairfax County's 257 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 1.2% of all its tracts.
A further 89 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 92.
An estimated 195,194 residents, roughly 18.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 16,977 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 165 tracts (64.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
Other Counties in Virginia
Compare Fairfax County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Food access nationally, Virginia in context
Fairfax County sits inside Virginia (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 Fairfax County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Fairfax County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Fairfax County? ▼
Is Fairfax County a food desert? ▼
What share of Fairfax 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.