Signature · 1 LILA tracts (100% of tracts)
Highland County, VA
Highland County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (100% of the book) alongside 99.7% low-access.
- 99.7%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 8.1%
- on SNAP
- 2K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Highland County, VA
LA-SEVERE · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-SEVERE 99.7% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +77.6 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.1% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.1% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 100% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Buena Vista city ( -3.8 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Highland County sits in the upper national band (99.7%, #53 of 3,079) with 1 LILA tracts.
- #53
- national by low-access %
- #1
- in VA
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 800
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 1 LILA tracts (100% of tracts) .
How Highland County compares nationally
Highland County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 99.7% low-access share outpaces 98% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #53 most-affected nationwide.
Highland County's elevated USDA tier split
1 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
All 1 of Highland 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.
Highland County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Virginia, not a full county-board reprint
- Highland
Highland 99.7%
99.7 % low-access
- Buena Vista c…
Buena Vista c… 95.9%
95.9 % low-access
- Poquoson city
Poquoson city 65%
65 % low-access
- Franklin city
Franklin city 63.5%
63.5 % low-access
- Cumberland
Cumberland 55.5%
55.5 % low-access
- Dickenson 0
Dickenson 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 1 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 2,321 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,313 |
| Low-Access Share | 99.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 800 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,296 |
| Median Household Income | $65,625 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 81 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.1%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.1%below the national average |
SNAP retailers in Highland County
Highland County has 6 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 2 locations (33% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 6 authorized stores; Monterey holds 67% of them. None of the towns has a supermarket or large/medium grocery on the SNAP list.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Monterey | 4 | none |
| Blue Grass | 1 | none |
| Mc Dowell | 1 | none |
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollar general 6391, monterey
- family dollar 12771, monterey
Convenience Store · 2
- blue grass mercantile, blue grass
- mountain oasis, mc dowell
Farmers' Market · 1
- highland county farmers market, monterey
Small Grocery Store · 1
- highland roots market 1, monterey
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Virginia
One of 132 counties in Virginia, 6 are shown here.
Compare Highland County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Virginia among South Atlantic states
Virginia ranks 8th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (20.4%). Highland County, at 99.7%, runs 79.3 pts above the 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 Highland County, VA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 51091. 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.