County food-access profile · Florida
Hernando County, FL
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Hernando 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).
- 34.4%
- low-access pop.
- 12
- food-desert tracts
- 12.4%
- on SNAP
- 207K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
34.4% of Hernando County residents live in a low-access area, and 12 of its 44 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 25
- low-access tracts
- 21K
- food-desert residents
- 4.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.7%
- 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 Hernando County's low-access share at 34.4%, above the national share. 25 of the county's 44 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 59,430 people. 12 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 21,319 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 Hernando County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Hernando County's 34.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 79% of them and ranked #646 most-affected nationwide.
Hernando County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 44 census tracts in Hernando County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Hernando County vs. other Florida counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Florida
- Hernando
Hernando County, FL
34.4 % low-access
- Alachua 19.2
Alachua County, FL
19.2 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, FL
55.6 % low-access
- Bay
Bay County, FL
31.5 % low-access
- Bradford 1.1
Bradford County, FL
1.1 % low-access
- Brevard
Brevard County, FL
41.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 44 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 172,778 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 25 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 12 |
| Low-Access Population | 59,430 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 21,319 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 207,018 |
| Median Household Income | $66,058 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 10,208 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
About 12.4% of Hernando County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 34.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 10,208 households here.
- 4.5% 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 Hernando County
above the national share
12 of Hernando County's 44 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 27.3% of all its tracts.
A further 13 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 25.
An estimated 59,430 residents, roughly 34.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 21,319 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 19 tracts (43.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Hernando County
Hernando County has 140 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 52 locations (37% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 52
- 7 eleven 38836, weeki wachee
- 7-eleven 32718 a, spring hill
- 7-eleven 32791a, spring hill
- 7-eleven 32859a, brooksville
- 7-eleven 35369a, brooksville
- 7-eleven 38418a, spring hill
- 7-eleven 41950h, brooksville
- 7-eleven store #38419a, spring hill
- 7-eleven, inc. 38750j, brooksville
- 7-eleven 24069, spring hill
- 7-eleven 38986a, brooksville
- 7-eleven 40331a, brooksville
- 7-eleven 41588a, brooksville
- 7-eleven store #40330b #40330b, spring hill
- ama mart inc, brooksville
- bp gas, weeki wachee
- breakwater marathon, spring hill
- broad street bp, brooksville
- circle k 2705992, spring hill
- circle k 2707484, spring hill
- circle k 2707485, spring hill
- circle k 2707486, spring hill
- circle k 2707508, brooksville
- country express, brooksville
- camp a wylie, weeki wachee
- campers mini mart, brooksville
- circle k 2726288, brooksville
- circle k 9218, spring hill
- daltona food & beverage inc, spring hill
- durray petroleum llc, brooksville
- etroz mart, weeki wachee
- gasia, brooksville
- great treat#1, spring hill
- howell mart, brooksville
- jefferson marathon, brooksville
- jefferson marathon, brooksville
- murphy usa 6845, brooksville
- quickcheck, dade city
- race trac 109, brooksville
- race trac 2587, brooksville
- rebel 828, masaryktown
- snack king mart & deli, brooksville
- speedway 6441, spring hill
- speedway 6530, brooksville
- speedway 6531, brooksville
- speedway 6533, spring hill
- speedway 6534, spring hill
- spring hill shell, spring hill
- spring hill shell, spring hill
- stop n go spring hill, spring hill
- wawa 5184, brooksville
- wawa 5259, brooksville
Combination Grocery/Other · 47
- cvs pharmacy 1812, brooksville
- cvs pharmacy 3528, brooksville
- cvs pharmacy 3746, spring hill
- cvs pharmacy 3758, weeki wachee
- cvs pharmacy 8380, spring hill
- dollar general 1332, brooksville
- dollar general 13910, masaryktown
- dollar general 13928, brooksville
- dollar general 19461, spring hill
- dollar general 2433, brooksville
- dollar general 2762, brooksville
- dollar general 4447, spring hill
- dollar general 9149, weeki wachee
- dollar general 11479, brooksville
- dollar general 14944, weeki wachee
- dollar general 15787, dade city
- dollar general 16766, hernando beach
- dollar general 17073, spring hill
- dollar general 17868, spring hill
- dollar general 20682, spring hill
- dollar general 21730, brooksville
- dollar general 22353, brooksville
- dollar general 23226, spring hill
- dollar general 23405, brooksville
- dollar general 25691, brooksville
- dollar general 4341, spring hill
- dollar tree 2357, brooksville
- dollar tree 405, brooksville
- dollar tree 4498, spring hill
- dollar tree 5196, spring hill
- dollar tree 6866, spring hill
- dollar tree 786, spring hill
- family dollar 10135, brooksville
- family dollar 11307, spring hill
- family dollar 9299, spring hill
- family dollar store 10724, spring hill
- family dollar store 6969, spring hill
- walgreen 07916, brooksville
- walgreens 05858, spring hill
- walgreens 6540, brooksville
- walgreens 02192, spring hill
- walgreens 04289, spring hill
- walgreens 12103, weeki wachee
- walgreens 12391, spring hill
- walgreens 16262, spring hill
- walgreens 7733, spring hill
- wholesome harvest market, spring hill
Supermarket · 19
- aldi 74046, brooksville
- aldi 74066, spring hill
- hl asian market, spring hill
- publix 0457, spring hill
- publix 0813, spring hill
- publix 1132, brooksville
- publix 1198, weeki wachee
- publix 1282, spring hill
- publix 630, spring hill
- publix super markets 1871, spring hill
- save a lot 30005, brooksville
- save a lot 30020, spring hill
- save a lot 30029, brooksville
- sprouts farmers market 661, brooksville
- winn dixie 0702, brooksville
- winn dixie 0708, spring hill
- winn dixie 652, brooksville
- winn dixie 711, spring hill
- winn-dixie 750, weeki wachee
Super Store · 9
- bj's wholesale club 238, brooksville
- sam's club 4818, brooksville
- target store t-919, spring hill
- target store 2489, brooksville
- walmart 1213, brooksville
- walmart neighborhood market 6207, spring hill
- walmart s/c 3526, brooksville
- walmart s/c 967, spring hill
- winn-dixie 2484, spring hill
Small Grocery Store · 5
- brooksville natural foods, inc, brooksville
- fiesta foods market 1, spring hill
- la plazita llc, spring hill
- latinos meat market and deli, spring hill
- market menocal, spring hill
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- el frezco supermarket n/a, spring hill
- eneida's meat market, spring hill
- miguels latin market, spring hill
Seafood Specialty · 2
- aripeka stone crab company, spring hill
- trader bay seafood company llc, hernando beach
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- dj produce gift & things, weeki wachee
Large Grocery Store · 1
- murphy's market, inc., spring hill
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- hart's meat market, brooksville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Florida
Compare Hernando County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →
Food access nationally, Florida in context
Hernando County sits inside Florida (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 Hernando County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Hernando County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Hernando County? ▼
Is Hernando County a food desert? ▼
What share of Hernando 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.