Signature · 14.7% SNAP (19th pct in WV)
Hampshire County, WV
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Hampshire County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 28.1%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 14.7%
- on SNAP
- 23K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Hampshire County, WV
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 28.1% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +6.0 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Wayne County (+ 0.3 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Hampshire County ranks #1,076 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #13 of 52 counties in WV (28.1% low-access; 1 food-desert tracts).
- #1,076
- national by low-access %
- #13
- in WV
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 14.7% SNAP (19th pct in WV) (+2.6 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Hampshire County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Hampshire County's 28.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,076 most-affected nationwide.
Hampshire County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
All 5 of Hampshire County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Hampshire County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in West Virginia, not a full county-board reprint
- Gilmer
Gilmer 81.6%
81.6 % low-access
- Wood 29.8
Wood 29.8%
29.8 % low-access
- Jefferson 28.5
Jefferson 28.5%
28.5 % low-access
- Wayne 28.4
Wayne 28.4%
28.4 % low-access
- Hampshire 28.1
Hampshire 28.1%
28.1 % low-access
- Kanawha 27.7
Kanawha 27.7%
27.7 % low-access
- Pleasants 0
Pleasants 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 23,964 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,723 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.1%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,371 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 23,465 |
| Median Household Income | $63,116 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.1%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,272 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.7%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.4% |
SNAP retailers in Hampshire County
Hampshire County has 25 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 11 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
9 towns share the 25 authorized stores; Romney holds 32% of them. 7 of the 9 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Augusta, Capon Bridge, Slanesville, Bloomery, Paw Paw, Rio and 1 more.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Romney | 8 | 1 |
| Augusta | 5 | none |
| Capon Bridge | 3 | none |
| Springfield | 3 | 1 |
| Slanesville | 2 | none |
| Bloomery | 1 | none |
| Paw Paw | 1 | none |
| Rio | 1 | none |
| Shanks | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 11
- 7-eleven 16924, romney
- capon valley market, capon bridge
- fryes flat liberty, augusta
- lfr convenience store, paw paw
- omps grocery 1404, bloomery
- romney liberty, romney
- slanesville general, slanesville
- sheetz 180, romney
- the country store, springfield
- the rio general store, rio
- xpress stop, augusta
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- cvs pharmacy 5961, romney
- dolar general store 16135, springfield
- dollar general 16075, augusta
- dollar general 17931, slanesville
- dollar general 5721, capon bridge
- dollar general 6149, romney
- family dollar store 1892, romney
- family dollar store 5531, romney
- family dollar store 7092, capon bridge
- wayne's meats, shanks
Farmers' Market · 1
- from the wind farm, augusta
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- mcdaniel farms llc, augusta
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- t&s market, springfield
Supermarket · 1
- food lion 820, romney
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in West Virginia
One of 54 counties in West Virginia, 6 are shown here.
Compare Hampshire County vs Barbour County → · All West Virginia counties →
Nationwide peers for Hampshire County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Hampshire County (14.7%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside West Virginia.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside WV (28.1% here).
- Glacier County, MT · 28.1% low-access
- Livingston Parish, LA · 28.1% low-access
- Allen Parish, LA · 28.1% low-access
- Marshall County, IA · 28.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside WV (14.7% here).
- Lincoln County, WA · 14.7% SNAP
- Jones County, TX · 14.7% SNAP
- Cherokee County, TX · 14.7% SNAP
- Swain County, NC · 14.7% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
West Virginia among South Atlantic states
West Virginia ranks 7th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (21.3%). Hampshire County, at 28.1%, runs 6.8 pts above the West Virginia rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Hampshire County, WV are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 54027. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.