County food-access profile · Massachusetts
Hampshire County, MA
Hampshire County 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.
- 46.5%
- low-access pop.
- 12
- food-desert tracts
- 12.5%
- on SNAP
- 162K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
46.5% of Hampshire County residents live in a low-access area, and 12 of its 36 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 21
- low-access tracts
- 20K
- food-desert residents
- 7.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.3%
- 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).
Hampshire County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 46.5% is well above the national share. 21 of the county's 36 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 73,487 people. 12 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 19,753 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 Hampshire County compares nationally
Hampshire County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 46.5% low-access share outpaces 92% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #255 most-affected nationwide.
Hampshire County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 36 census tracts in Hampshire County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Hampshire County vs. other Massachusetts counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Massachusetts
- Hampshire
Hampshire County, MA
46.5 % low-access
- Barnstable
Barnstable County, MA
51 % low-access
- Berkshire
Berkshire County, MA
30.9 % low-access
- Bristol
Bristol County, MA
26.4 % low-access
- Dukes
Dukes County, MA
32.2 % low-access
- Essex
Essex County, MA
30.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 36 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 158,080 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 21 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 12 |
| Low-Access Population | 73,487 |
| Low-Access Share | 46.5%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 19,753 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 162,028 |
| Median Household Income | $87,001 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,776 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.5%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.4%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 14.3% |
About 12.5% of Hampshire County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 46.5% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,776 households here.
- 7.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 12 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 Hampshire County
well above the national share
12 of Hampshire County's 36 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 33.3% of all its tracts.
A further 9 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 21.
An estimated 73,487 residents, roughly 46.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 19,753 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (41.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Hampshire County
Hampshire County has 114 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 46 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 46
- 7-eleven 15405b, south hadley
- 7-eleven 22397h, easthampton
- aster & pine market, amherst
- b & d variety, huntington
- bp, ware
- big y express 112, south hadley
- big y express 92, hadley
- brookside mart inc, ware
- bruso liquor mart, ware
- cumberland farms 0129, florence
- cumberland farms 0145, northampton
- cumberland farms 6617, amherst
- cumberland farms 6704, amherst
- cumberland farms 6718, south hadley
- convenience plus 3711, northampton
- corners grocery and cafe, worthington
- cumberland farms 0186, hadley
- cumberland farms 6698, granby
- cumberland farms 6714, williamsburg
- cumberland farms 6749, ware
- cumberland farms 6764, easthampton
- cumberland farms, inc 0198, southampton
- cushman market and cafe llc, amherst
- d.e.p. ram corporation, belchertown
- diamond food store, belchertown
- hartfield market/naxog inc, hatfield
- hatfield center store, hatfield
- king st convenience & smoke, northampton
- mobil 1215, hadley
- mobil south hadley 1, south hadley
- mocks convenience, northampton
- pride 603, hadley
- pride 605, easthampton
- pride 607, belchertown
- pride 611, northampton
- pride 612, hadley
- pump in market, northampton
- sisters convenience store and deli, west hatfield
- speedway 2419, amherst
- stop and go, south hadley
- stop n save, southampton
- sunoco gas station, leeds
- union mart, easthampton
- vjs convenience no, south hadley
- ware package store, ware
- zee mart, northampton
Combination Grocery/Other · 24
- big e's foodland inc, easthampton
- cvs 1095, amherst
- cvs pharmacy 1111, ware
- cvs pharmacy 1230, belchertown
- cvs pharmacy 1893, northampton
- cvs pharmacy 2025, easthampton
- cvs pharmacy 818, amherst
- cvs pharmacy 447, northampton
- cvs pharmacy 704, northampton
- cvs pharmacy 7111, granby
- corsello butcheria, easthampton
- dollar general 19923, south hadley
- dollartree 9148, northampton
- delaney's market, south hadley
- dollar general 20007, granby
- dollar general 22130, ware
- dollar tree 1052, hadley
- dollar tree 2050, ware
- family dollar 9219, easthampton
- family dollar 9262, belchertown
- trans world food market, hadley
- walgreens 10058, southampton
- walgreens 10128, ware
- walgreens 11998, northampton
Super Store · 13
- atkins fruit bowl inc, amherst
- big y supermarkets 07, northampton
- big y supermarkets 11, southampton
- big y supermarkets 21, ware
- big y supermarkets 46, amherst
- big y supermarkets 50, south hadley
- river valley co-op, easthampton
- river valley market, northampton
- target 1839, hadley
- walmart 2683, hadley
- walmart 2901, northampton
- walmart supercenter 2386, ware
- whole foods market 10012, hadley
Small Grocery Store · 7
- birds store, florence
- cooper's dairyland of northampton, inc., florence
- hilltown mobile market, worthington
- neighbor food dairy mart, amherst
- old creamery co-op, cummington
- oliver's farmstand, goshen
- state street fruit store, northampton
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 73023, hadley
- aldi 73026, northampton
- stop & shop 435, belchertown
- stop & shop 787, northampton
- stop & shop 95, hadley
- trader joe's 512, hadley
Farmers' Market · 5
- belchertown farmers and artisans market 46-5562936, belchertown
- easthampton farmers, easthampton
- farmers' market south hadley, south hadley
- northampton farmers market, northampton
- northhampton tuesday farmers market, northampton
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- laflamme's garden center, inc, granby
- mill valley milk store, hadley
- moltenbreys market, huntington
- mom's house chinese food market, amherst
- shree manki inc.dba checkers general store and de, belchertown
Large Grocery Store · 3
- deals & steals, northampton
- pure food market, inc., southampton
- williamsburg market inc, williamsburg
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 2
- farmers world-ware, ware
- wanczyk produce, hadley
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- hatfield beef co, hatfield
- sutter meats, northampton
Delivery Route · 1
- amherst mobile market inc, amherst
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Massachusetts
Compare Hampshire County vs Barnstable County → · All Massachusetts counties →
Food access nationally, Massachusetts in context
Hampshire County sits inside Massachusetts (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 Hampshire County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Hampshire County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Hampshire County? ▼
Is Hampshire County a food desert? ▼
What share of Hampshire 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.