PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Florida

Indian River County, FL

Indian River County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

45.7%
low-access pop.
4
food-desert tracts
7.5%
on SNAP
167K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 FL

The food-access picture

45.7% of Indian River County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 29 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

19
low-access tracts
18K
food-desert residents
4.6%
households, no vehicle
11.1%
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).

Indian River County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 45.7% is well above the national share. 19 of the county's 29 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 63,012 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 18,467 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 Indian River County compares nationally

Indian River County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 45.7% low-access share outpaces 91% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #272 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Indian River County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 29 census tracts in Indian River County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Indian River County, FL USDA-defined food-access tiers: 10 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 15 limited, 4 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 29 tracts evaluated. 10 tracts adequate (34.5%) 15 tracts limited (51.7%) 4 tracts severe / food desert (13.8%) Adequate 34% Limited 52% Severe 14% Food-access tier distribution: Indian River County, FL
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Indian River County vs. other Florida counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Florida

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Indian River County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts29
Atlas Population (2010 basis)138,028
Low-Access Tracts19
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)4
Low-Access Population63,012
Low-Access Share45.7%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population18,467

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Indian River County
IndicatorValue
Population166,936
Median Household Income$73,491
Poverty Rate11.1%below the national average
SNAP Households5,342
SNAP Participation Rate7.5%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.6%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.0%
SNAP participation in Indian River County 7.5%

About 7.5% of Indian River County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 45.7% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 7.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,342 households here.
  • 4.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 4 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 Indian River County

well above the national share

4 of Indian River County's 29 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 13.8% of all its tracts.

A further 15 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 19.

An estimated 63,012 residents, roughly 45.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 18,467 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 10 tracts (34.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Indian River County

Indian River County has 103 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 47 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 47

  • 4 point market, vero beach
  • 7 eleven 17204a, vero beach
  • 7 eleven store 41872a, vero beach
  • 7-eleven 10386j, vero beach
  • 7-eleven 25616a, vero beach
  • 7-eleven 41860a, vero beach
  • 7-eleven store #10379b 10379b, vero beach
  • 7-eleven store #39534a 39534a, vero beach
  • 7-eleven store 40348b, sebastian
  • airport mobil, vero beach
  • bp food mart, vero beach
  • cumberland farms 9690, sebastian
  • chevron food mart, vero beach
  • chevron mart, vero beach
  • cumberland farms 9762, vero beach
  • cumberland farms 9763, vero beach
  • cumberland farms 9771, vero beach
  • e-z stop food mart, vero beach
  • fellsmere chevron, fellsmere
  • giant 212, sebastian
  • grocery express, vero beach
  • haris food mart, vero beach
  • kwik stop, vero beach
  • mobil, vero beach
  • murphy express 8878, vero beach
  • new star asian market inc, vero beach
  • oslo petroleum inc bp 6890727, vero beach
  • pick n move 2, vero beach
  • racetrac 2484, fellsmere
  • racetrac 2586, vero beach
  • railroad citgo 823, vero beach
  • smith food mart, vero beach
  • south county discount beverage, vero beach
  • speedway 6408, vero beach
  • speedway 6588, sebastian
  • sunoco food mart, vero beach
  • sunshine food mart, vero beach
  • ta vero beach 197, vero beach
  • the vero market & smoke shop, vero beach
  • treveno colleys grocery, vero beach
  • vero beach sunoco 01, vero beach
  • verobasso quick mart, vero beach
  • wabasso food, vero beach
  • wabasso chevron, sebastian
  • wawa 5201, vero beach
  • wawa 5202, vero beach
  • wawa store 5395, vero beach

Combination Grocery/Other · 33

  • big c produce inc, fellsmere
  • cvs pharmacy 5522, vera bch
  • cvs pharmacy 7883, vero beach
  • cvs pharmacy 7894, vero beach
  • cvs pharmacy 3216, vero beach
  • cvs pharmacy 3429, vero beach
  • cvs pharmacy 584, vero beach
  • dollar general 13817, fellsmere
  • dollar general 14284, sebastian
  • dollar general 1480, sebastian
  • dollar general 1518, vero beach
  • dollar general 18214, sebastian
  • dollar general 14658, vero beach
  • dollar general 16714, vero beach
  • dollar general 16960, vero beach
  • dollar general 21042, vero beach
  • dollar general 22724, vero beach
  • dollar tree 1901, sebastian
  • dollar tree 620, vero beach
  • dollar tree 6433, vero beach
  • dollar tree 6787, vero beach
  • dollar tree 838, vero beach
  • family dollar 11055, vero beach
  • family dollar store 4275, sebastian
  • oriental market llc, vero beach
  • walgreens 04619, sebastian
  • walgreens 06991, sebastian
  • walgreens 1127, vero beach
  • walgreens 11737, vero beach
  • walgreens 3607, vero beach
  • walgreens 3608, vero beach
  • walgreens 4248, sebastian
  • walgreens 4642, vero beach

Supermarket · 11

  • garcia plaza bakery, fellsmere
  • publix 0240, vero beach
  • publix 0284, vero beach
  • publix 0287, sebastian
  • publix 0385, vero beach
  • publix 0772, sebastian
  • publix 0898, vero beach
  • publix 1035, sebastian
  • publix 1150, vero beach
  • publix 1374, vero beach
  • the fresh market 115, vero beach

Super Store · 5

  • sam's club 6520, vero beach
  • target store t-1050, vero beach
  • walmart 1068, sebastian
  • walmart 4546, vero beach
  • walmart 931, vero beach

Medium Grocery Store · 3

  • azteca mexican store ii, fellsmere
  • fellsmere grocery, fellsmere
  • mi pueblo meat market, fellsmere

Small Grocery Store · 2

  • g&p mexicana, vero beach
  • zicos, vero beach

Food Buying Co-op · 1

  • united against poverty, vero beach

Seafood Specialty · 1

  • ocean blue fresh fish llc, vero beach

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Florida

Alachua County
19.2% low-access · 9.2% SNAP
Baker County
55.6% low-access · 16.7% SNAP
Bay County
31.5% low-access · 12.6% SNAP
Bradford County
1.1% low-access · 17.3% SNAP
Brevard County
41.8% low-access · 9.4% SNAP
Broward County
9.4% low-access · 13.2% SNAP

Compare Indian River County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →

Food access nationally, Florida in context

Indian River County sits inside Florida (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Indian River County has low food access? ▼
45.7% of residents in Indian River County, FL live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Indian River County? ▼
7.5% of households in Indian River County receive SNAP, covering 5,342 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Indian River County? ▼
The poverty rate in Indian River County, FL is 11.1%, with a median household income of $73,491 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Indian River County a food desert? ▼
4 of Indian River County's 29 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Indian River County households lack a vehicle? ▼
4.6% of households in Indian River County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.