County food-access profile · New Hampshire
Grafton County, NH
Grafton 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.
- 10.5%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 6.4%
- on SNAP
- 92K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
10.5% of Grafton County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 6.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.4%
- 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).
Grafton County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 10.5% per the USDA Atlas. 7 of the county's 19 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 9,348 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,233 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 Grafton County compares nationally
Grafton County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 10.5% low-access share that beats 22% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,457).
Grafton County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 19 census tracts in Grafton County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Grafton County vs. other New Hampshire counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New Hampshire
- Grafton 10.5
Grafton County, NH
10.5 % low-access
- Belknap 11.4
Belknap County, NH
11.4 % low-access
- Carroll 1.5
Carroll County, NH
1.5 % low-access
- Cheshire
Cheshire County, NH
19.3 % low-access
- Coos
Coos County, NH
16.9 % low-access
- Hillsborough
Hillsborough County, NH
32.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 19 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 89,118 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,348 |
| Low-Access Share | 10.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,233 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 92,120 |
| Median Household Income | $88,261 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.4%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,364 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.4%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 7.8% |
About 6.4% of Grafton County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 10.5% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,364 households here.
- 6.3% 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 Grafton County
near the national share
3 of Grafton County's 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 15.8% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 9,348 residents, roughly 10.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,233 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (63.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Grafton County
Grafton County has 83 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 26 locations (31% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 26
- 45 racing mart, ashland
- 7-eleven 37390j, lincoln
- big apple 1090, holderness
- cumberland farms 5505, bristol
- campton cupboard, holderness
- chesley's pizza, campton
- circle k 4707205, bethleham
- circle k 4707218, ashland
- circle k 4707220, holderness
- circle k 4707221, littleton
- circle k 4707245, hanover
- circle k 4707246, west lebanon
- cumberland farms 5414, littleton
- cumberland farms 5446, woodsville
- cumberland farms 5448, littleton
- d & p convenience, woodsville
- energy north 2223, ashland
- energy north 2224, plymouth
- fastop 220, lebanon
- jiffy mart, littleton
- jiffy mart 434, lebanon
- jolley 523, hanover
- jolley 525, west lebanon
- lisbon riverside market 1, lisbon
- newfound country store, bristol
- waynes market 1, north woodstock
Combination Grocery/Other · 23
- bob's shurfine market, ashland
- cvs pharmacy 2229, plymouth
- cvs pharmacy 5938, hanover
- cvs/pharmacy 647, west lebanon
- dollar general 18150, bethlehem
- dollar general 19482, wentworth
- dollar tree 3083, littleton
- dollar tree 3549, plymouth
- dollar general 14355, north haverhill
- dollar general 14877, bristol
- dollar general 15085, ashland
- dollar general 17739, campton
- dollar general store 16061, lisbon
- dollar general store 16772, canaan
- dollar tree 2143, west lebanon
- dollar tree 5930, woodsville
- family dollar 10210, enfield
- family dollar 7756, lincoln
- hanover co-op food store, hanover
- jake's market & deli 3, enfield
- ocean state job lot 404, woodsville
- walgreens 09177, west lebanon
- walgreens 10410, littleton
Super Store · 12
- bj's wholesale club 320, west lebanon
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8248, plymouth
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8266, west lebanon
- hannaford supermarket 8441, bristol
- lebanon coop food store, lebanon
- littleton food co-op, littleton
- market basket 86, plymouth
- target store t3401, west lebanon
- walmart 2138, west lebanon
- walmart 2681, littleton
- walmart supercenter 2758, plymouth
- walmart supercenter 4389, woodsville
Supermarket · 6
- price chopper 004, lincoln
- price chopper lebanon 227, lebanon
- price chopper west lebanon 167, west lebanon
- shaw's supermarket 2535, woodsville
- shaw's supermarket 2601, littleton
- shaw's supermarket 4555, west lebanon
Large Grocery Store · 5
- big papas, littleton
- dhruv, inc., enfield
- franconia market and deli, franconia
- lisbon riverside market llc, lisbon
- porfidos market inc, littleton
Farmers' Market · 4
- canaan farmers and artisans' market 773946, canaan
- lebanon farmers' market, lebanon
- littleton farmers market, littleton
- local foods plymouth, plymouth
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- aldrich general store, north haverhill
- bethlehem village store, bethlehem
- papa z's, canaan
Small Grocery Store · 3
- asian super store llc, lebanon
- monroe country store, monroe
- the healthy rhino, littleton
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- montshire packing llc, north haverhill
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New Hampshire
Compare Grafton County vs Belknap County → · All New Hampshire counties →
Food access nationally, New Hampshire in context
Grafton County sits inside New Hampshire (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 Grafton County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Grafton County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Grafton County? ▼
Is Grafton County a food desert? ▼
What share of Grafton 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.