County food-access profile · California
Imperial County, CA
Imperial County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 17.6%
- low-access pop.
- 9
- food-desert tracts
- 28.7%
- on SNAP
- 180K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
17.6% of Imperial County residents live in a low-access area, and 9 of its 31 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 13
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
- 6.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.5%
- 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).
Imperial County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 17.6% per the USDA Atlas. 13 of the county's 31 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 30,789 residents who live far from a supermarket. 9 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 13,349 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 Imperial County compares nationally
Imperial County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.6% low-access share that beats 39% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,907).
Imperial County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 31 census tracts in Imperial County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Imperial County vs. other California counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in California
- Imperial 17.6
Imperial County, CA
17.6 % low-access
- Alameda 8.1
Alameda County, CA
8.1 % low-access
- Alpine
Alpine County, CA
57 % low-access
- Amador 0.2
Amador County, CA
0.2 % low-access
- Butte 19.1
Butte County, CA
19.1 % low-access
- Calaveras 14.7
Calaveras County, CA
14.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 31 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 174,528 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 13 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 9 |
| Low-Access Population | 30,789 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.6%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 13,349 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 180,202 |
| Median Household Income | $57,681 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.5%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 14,225 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 28.7%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.0% |
About 28.7% of Imperial County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 17.6% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 28.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 14,225 households here.
- 6.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 9 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 Imperial County
near the national share
9 of Imperial County's 31 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 29.0% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 13.
An estimated 30,789 residents, roughly 17.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 13,349 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 18 tracts (58.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Imperial County
Imperial County has 136 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 66 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 66
- 5 brothers fuel stop, calexico
- 7-eleven store 21028b, el centro
- 7-eleven 21836j, el centro
- 7-eleven 22906d, holtville
- 7-eleven 23229, brawley
- 7-eleven 24811k, el centro
- 7-eleven 26684m, el centro
- 7-eleven 32300k, calexico
- 7-eleven 36027a, calexico
- 7-eleven 46679, calexico
- 7-eleven, inc. 23409j, calexico
- 7-eleven 34656b, calexico
- 76 market, el centro
- arco am/pm, calexico
- arco am pm, brawley
- arco ampm, heber
- arco ampm 42316, imperial
- aten express, imperial
- borderview arco, calexico
- brawley fuel and food #2, brawley
- brawley fuel and food 565, brawley
- brawley liquor, brawley
- circle a food store, brawley
- calexico fuel and food, calexico
- calipatria queen market inc, calipatria
- chevron 6844, el centro
- circle k #9506 2709506, el centro
- circle k #9508 2709508, calipatria
- circle k 2721391, heber
- circle k el centro, el centro
- circle k gas station, calexico
- circle k stores 2709283, brawley
- el centro arco am pm, el centro
- el centro convenience, el centro
- el centro fuel and food, el centro
- el centro fuel and food #2 570, el centro
- fillco mini mart, brawley
- h&m fuel inc, imperial
- imperial valley arco am pm, el centro
- javier's liquor, brawley
- johnnys liquor, westmorland
- keys bargain, imperial
- love's travel stop 749, westmorland
- maverik, inc 729, el centro
- niland soco mini mart, niland
- ocotillo chevron 1, ocotillo
- partyland & loveland, brawley
- patriot gas, el centro
- pilot travel center 1132, brawley
- prime fuel & mini mart, brawley
- rocket #1443 1443, heber
- san luis market, thermal
- shell #6847 6847, holtville
- shell 59042, el centro
- shell 6845, el centro
- speedway 4346, calexico
- speedway 5150, calexico
- super 99 & party store, el centro
- the c b stop, inc., calexico
- the chow, niland
- union food market, holtville
- wake liqour 2, el centro
- wake market, el centro
- western liquor, brawley
- westmorland truck stop, westmorland
- whitteds liquor 0101459, brawley
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- cvs pharmacy 10931, el centro
- cvs/pharmacy 11141, calexico
- dollartree 10641, calexico
- dollar general 20942, calexico
- dollar general 21428, holtville
- dollar general 21879, thermal
- dollar general 23460, brawley
- dollar general 25442, westmorland
- dollar general store 17010, calipatria
- dollar tree 2850, calexico
- dollar tree 3061, brawley
- dollar tree 3748, el centro
- dollar tree 3752, el centro
- family dollar 10238, brawley
- family dollar 12116, calexico
- family dollar 9258, el centro
- family dollar 9291, salton city
- family dollar store 10434, holtville
- mayo's candy shop, el centro
- walgreens 06856, el centro
Medium Grocery Store · 18
- antonio meat market 1, el centro
- california mayoreo y menudeo, calexico
- el sol market, imperial
- el sol market, west morland
- el sol market, el centro
- el sol market, el centro
- el sol market # 2, brawley
- euclid market, el centro
- garcia market, brawley
- kennedy's market 1, heber
- la colmena produce & meat, brawley
- los compadres market, el centro
- mother earth nutrition, brawley
- mother earth nutrition, calexico
- pico's golden market, el centro
- seeley market, seeley
- the new college view market, brawley
- yeyas market, niland
Super Store · 12
- cardenas 23, el centro
- cardenas 34, calexico
- costco wholesale 121, el centro
- dollar general market 14455, el centro
- food 4 less 774, el centro
- food 4 less 781, calexico
- grocery outlet of el centro 486, el centro
- smart & final 798, el centro
- target store t-1816, el centro
- walmart 1555, el centro
- walmart 1859, calexico
- walmart 5335, brawley
Supermarket · 12
- aldi 79075, calexico
- aldi 79081, el centro
- calexico market inc, calexico
- california super market, calexico
- del sol, holtville
- el sol meat market, inc., calexico
- el sol meat market inc., calexico
- grocery outlet 502, brawley
- mother's nutritional center mnc 249, brawley
- mother's nutritional center mnc 250, calexico
- vons 1767, brawley
- vons 2406, el centro
Small Grocery Store · 4
- brawley meat market, brawley
- lorenzo's gas station & mini mart, thermal
- tonys market, calexico
- west shores market, thermal
Large Grocery Store · 3
- california market, calexico
- kennedys karne, el centro
- state foods supermarket, calipatria
Military Commissary · 1
- el centro commissary 1908, el centro
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in California
Compare Imperial County vs Alameda County → · All California counties →
Food access nationally, California in context
Imperial County sits inside California (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 Imperial County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Imperial County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Imperial County? ▼
Is Imperial County a food desert? ▼
What share of Imperial 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.