PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Virginia

Franklin city, VA

Franklin city sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

63.5%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
28.5%
on SNAP
8K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 VA

The food-access picture

63.5% of Franklin city residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 2 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

2
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents
9.1%
households, no vehicle
19.3%
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).

Franklin city carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 63.5% is well above the national share. 2 of the county's 2 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 5,450 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,354 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 Franklin city compares nationally

Franklin city sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 63.5% low-access share outpaces 96% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #119 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Franklin city: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 2 census tracts in Franklin city, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Franklin city, VA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 0 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 0 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 2 tracts evaluated. 2 tracts severe / food desert (100.0%) Adequate 0% Limited 0% Severe 100% Food-access tier distribution: Franklin city, VA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Franklin city vs. other Virginia counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Virginia

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

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Franklin city
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts2
Atlas Population (2010 basis)8,582
Low-Access Tracts2
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population5,450
Low-Access Share63.5%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population2,354

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Franklin city
IndicatorValue
Population8,250
Median Household Income$63,245
Poverty Rate19.3%above the national average
SNAP Households983
SNAP Participation Rate28.5%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle9.1%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.6%
SNAP participation in Franklin city 28.5%

About 28.5% of Franklin city households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 63.5% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 28.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 983 households here.
  • 9.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 2 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 Franklin city

well above the national share

2 of Franklin city's 2 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 100.0% of all its tracts.

An estimated 5,450 residents, roughly 63.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 2,354 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

SNAP retailers in Franklin city

Franklin city has 69 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 36 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 36

  • 619 market & produce, rocky mount
  • a e i food stores, rocky mount
  • balakrishna inc (c-mart), rocky mount
  • buzz in market, wirtz
  • cannadays sav-a-bit, inc, boones mill
  • food mart 2, hardy
  • franklin slip-in 180, franklin
  • junction mart, hardy
  • l & m convenience mart, henry
  • love's travel stop 560, franklin
  • lucky two, rocky mount
  • m and l mart, henry
  • minute market, glade hill
  • metro express 2, boones mill
  • metro express 8, rocky mount
  • mitchell's community store, rocky mount
  • murphy usa 7626, rocky mount
  • naviha llc, penhook
  • new dixie mart #215 #215, franklin
  • one stop shop, rocky mount
  • one stop shop, rocky mount
  • park & shop llc 8, franklin
  • pit stop market and deli, rocky mount
  • r & b market, franklin
  • raven's country store, rocky mount
  • redwood express market, glade hill
  • riverside minute market, rocky mount
  • sago's, penhook
  • shady beauty & dollar, franklin
  • sheetz 329, rocky mount
  • sheetz 632, rocky mount
  • stop in food stores 8059, rocky mount
  • stop in food stores 8204, wirtz
  • the crooked road mart, inc, ferrum
  • wawa store 8683, franklin
  • whistle stop, union hall

Combination Grocery/Other · 19

  • cvs 4175, hardy
  • cvs 7565, rocky mount
  • cvs pharmacy 3544, rocky mount
  • dollar general 18758, rocky mount
  • dollar general 12485, ferrum
  • dollar general 1386, moneta
  • dollar general 14810, union hall
  • dollar general 15834, rocky mount
  • dollar general 16674, moneta
  • dollar general 17748, rocky mount
  • dollar general 312, franklin
  • dollar general 9366, rocky mount
  • dollar tree 1065, franklin
  • dollar tree 5515, rocky mountain
  • family dollar 10041, wirtz
  • family dollar 542, franklin
  • redwood community farmers market, glade hill
  • rocky mount lifestyle health center, rocky mount
  • walgreens 11986, franklin

Super Store · 5

  • kroger 399, hardy
  • kroger 199, hardy
  • kroger 347, rocky mount
  • walmart 2705, franklin
  • walmart supercenter 2337, rocky mount

Farmers' Market · 3

  • city of franklin farmers market, franklin
  • dorothy r. cundiff rocky mount farmers market, rocky mount
  • ferrum farmers market, ferrum

Medium Grocery Store · 3

  • ferrum minute market, ferrum
  • glade hill minute market, glade hill
  • penhook minute market, penhook

Supermarket · 2

  • food lion 386, rocky mount
  • food lion 405, franklin

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • 40 west food fare, rocky mount

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Virginia

Accomack County
2.2% low-access · 12.5% SNAP
Albemarle County
11.9% low-access · 4.6% SNAP
Alexandria city
0.0% low-access · 5.1% SNAP
Alleghany County
16.4% low-access · 8.1% SNAP
Amelia County
16.5% low-access · 13.4% SNAP
Amherst County
11.3% low-access · 10.5% SNAP

Compare Franklin city vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →

Food access nationally, Virginia in context

Franklin city sits inside Virginia (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Franklin city has low food access? ▼
63.5% of residents in Franklin city, VA 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 Franklin city? ▼
28.5% of households in Franklin city receive SNAP, covering 983 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Franklin city? ▼
The poverty rate in Franklin city, VA is 19.3%, with a median household income of $63,245 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Franklin city a food desert? ▼
2 of Franklin city's 2 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 Franklin city households lack a vehicle? ▼
9.1% of households in Franklin city have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.