County food-access profile · Virginia
Hampton city, VA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Hampton city 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).
- 25.0%
- low-access pop.
- 7
- food-desert tracts
- 16.1%
- on SNAP
- 138K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
25.0% of Hampton city residents live in a low-access area, and 7 of its 33 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 15
- low-access tracts
- 10K
- food-desert residents
- 7.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.7%
- 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).
USDA data puts Hampton city's low-access share at 25.0%, above the national share. 15 of the county's 33 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 34,293 people. 7 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,628 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 Hampton city compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Hampton city's 25.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 59% of them and ranked #1,296 most-affected nationwide.
Hampton city: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 33 census tracts in Hampton city, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Hampton city vs. other Virginia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Virginia
- Hampton city
Hampton city, VA
25 % 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 | 33 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 137,436 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 15 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 7 |
| Low-Access Population | 34,293 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.0%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,628 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 137,557 |
| Median Household Income | $69,621 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 9,340 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.1%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.6%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.7% |
About 16.1% of Hampton city households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 25.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 9,340 households here.
- 7.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 7 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 Hampton city
above the national share
7 of Hampton city's 33 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 21.2% of all its tracts.
A further 8 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 15.
An estimated 34,293 residents, roughly 25.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,628 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 18 tracts (54.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Hampton city
Hampton city has 116 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 66 locations (57% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 66
- 1st stop, hampton
- 24/7 tobacco & grocery, hampton
- 7 eleven 18359j, hampton
- 7 eleven 33693j, hampton
- 7 eleven 34306j, hampton
- 7-eleven 41995h, hampton
- 7-eleven inc 16556h, hampton
- 7-eleven 10826j, hampton
- 7-eleven 10829j, hampton
- 7-eleven 10832j, hampton
- 7-eleven 10862j, hampton
- 7-eleven 22686k, hampton
- 7-eleven 23363b, hampton
- 7-eleven 25097j, hampton
- 7-eleven 35498j, hampton
- 7-eleven 37153a, hampton
- 7-eleven inc 34311h, hampton
- 7-eleven inc f 15104a, hampton
- 7-eleven inc f 17697a, hampton
- 7-eleven inc f 26050a, hampton
- 7-eleven inc f 27837a, hampton
- 7-eleven inc f 34308a, hampton
- 7-eleven inc f 34312a, hampton
- 7-eleven, inc. 22756j, hampton
- 7-eleven, inc. 34310j, hampton
- 7-eleven #42249a 42249a, hampton
- aberdeen food mart, hampton
- all in convenience store, hampton
- chickpea mart, hampton
- chill stop #11, hampton
- chill stop #12, hampton
- come and go, hampton
- ez food mart 1, hampton
- ez pick, hampton
- get n go, hampton
- hampton food mart, hampton
- hampton oriental market, hampton
- happy shopper, hampton
- happy shopper 21, hampton
- hardy cash pit stop 569, hampton
- little sue #12, hampton
- love food mart 7, hampton
- love food mart 8, hampton
- m&t market, hampton
- mercury pit stop 568, hampton
- murphy usa 7560, hampton
- pembroke sunoco, hampton
- quick stop, hampton
- raceway 6799, hampton
- red eye deli & convenience, hampton
- royal farms 531, hampton
- sant corporation, hampton
- shreeji food mart, hampton
- speedy mart, hampton
- star express food mart, hampton
- star food mart, hampton
- stop & go, hampton
- stop-n-go, hampton
- tinee giant 605, hampton
- tinee giant citgo 171, hampton
- todd lane grocery, hampton
- toms food mart 1, hampton
- triple 7, hampton
- wawa 8629, hampton
- wawa 8642, hampton
- whats up, hampton
Combination Grocery/Other · 25
- best of british, hampton
- cvs 5796, hampton
- cvs 5911, hampton
- cvs pharmacy 2315, hampton
- dollartree 8164, hampton
- dollartree 8803, hampton
- dollar general 14653, hampton
- dollar general 14795, hampton
- dollar general 19316, hampton
- dollar general 22814, hampton
- dollar general 2292, hampton
- dollar general 24677, hampton
- dollar tree 1016, hampton
- dollar tree 130, hampton
- dollar tree 794, hampton
- dollar tree 8043, hampton
- dollar tree 8542, hampton
- family dollar store 444, hampton
- family dollar store 4481, hampton
- family dollar store 4593, hampton
- family dollar store 478, hampton
- family dollar store 550, hampton
- walgreens 05878, hampton
- walgreens 4617, hampton
- walgreens 11572, hampton
Supermarket · 8
- aldi 80026, hampton
- food lion 1299, hampton
- food lion 1450, hampton
- food lion 1504, hampton
- food lion 2237, hampton
- food lion 2605, hampton
- food lion 466, hampton
- food lion 555, hampton
Super Store · 7
- b js wholesale club 186, hampton
- harris teeter 460, hampton
- kroger 543, hampton
- lidl 1050, hampton
- target store 2501, hampton
- walmart neighborhood market 3156, hampton
- walmart supercenter 1631, hampton
Seafood Specialty · 4
- buckroe bait & tackle & seafood, hampton
- fisherman's seafood market, hampton
- henry's seafood market, hampton
- the seafood market, hampton
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- al balad fresh market, hampton
- swami food store, hampton
Small Grocery Store · 2
- como en casa latin store, hampton
- ez halal meat, hampton
Farmers' Market · 1
- buckroe farmers market, hampton
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- uncle nick's premium meats, hampton
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Virginia
Compare Hampton city vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Food access nationally, Virginia in context
Hampton city 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 Hampton city has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Hampton city? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Hampton city? ▼
Is Hampton city a food desert? ▼
What share of Hampton city 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.