PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Virginia

Isle of Wight County, VA

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Isle of Wight 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).

26.2%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
7.6%
on SNAP
40K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 VA

The food-access picture

26.2% of Isle of Wight County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.

3
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents
4.2%
households, no vehicle
6.8%
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 Isle of Wight County's low-access share at 26.2%, above the national share. 3 of the county's 8 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 9,247 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.

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 Isle of Wight County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Isle of Wight County's 26.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 62% of them and ranked #1,203 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Isle of Wight County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 8 census tracts in Isle of Wight 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 Isle of Wight County, VA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 5 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 8 tracts evaluated. 5 tracts adequate (62.5%) 3 tracts limited (37.5%) Adequate 63% Limited 38% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Isle of Wight County, VA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Isle of Wight County vs. other Virginia counties

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

% 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 Isle of Wight County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts8
Atlas Population (2010 basis)35,270
Low-Access Tracts3
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population9,247
Low-Access Share26.2%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,575

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Isle of Wight County
IndicatorValue
Population39,974
Median Household Income$95,241
Poverty Rate6.8%well below the national average
SNAP Households1,193
SNAP Participation Rate7.6%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.2%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.7%
SNAP participation in Isle of Wight County 7.6%

About 7.6% of Isle of Wight County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 26.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 7.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,193 households here.
  • 4.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • Median household income is $95,241 with a 6.8% poverty rate.

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 Isle of Wight County

above the national share

A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.

An estimated 9,247 residents, roughly 26.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 1,575 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 5 tracts (62.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Isle of Wight County

Isle of Wight County has 29 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 12 locations (41% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 12

  • 7-eleven, inc. 19380j, franklin
  • 7-eleven, inc. 37229h, smithfield
  • 7-eleven 34729b, smithfield
  • 7-eleven 37552a, carrollton
  • bradshaws country store, carrsville
  • carrolton mart, carrollton
  • chill stop #16, smithfield
  • raceway carrollton, carrollton
  • royal farms 130, smithfield
  • royal farms 448, carrollton
  • rushmere food mart, smithfield
  • zuni food mart, zuni

Combination Grocery/Other · 11

  • cvs pharmacy 4063, smithfield
  • cvs/pharmacy 10991, windsor
  • dollartree 9413, carrollton
  • dollar general 15191, smithfield
  • dollar general 15725, smithfield
  • dollar general 17037, carrollton
  • dollar general 3014, smithfield
  • dollar general 9360, windsor
  • dollar tree 2755, smithfield
  • family dollar store 6046, smithfield
  • family dollar store 6257, windsor

Supermarket · 4

  • food lion 1592, windsor
  • food lion 2562, carrollton
  • food lion 849, smithfield
  • publix north carolina lp 2025, carrollton

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • jeb's market, carrollton

Super Store · 1

  • kroger 575, smithfield

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Virginia

Accomack County
2.2% low-access · 12.5% SNAP
Albemarle County
11.9% low-access · 4.6% SNAP
Alexandria city
0.0% low-access · 5.1% SNAP
Alleghany County
16.4% low-access · 8.1% SNAP
Amelia County
16.5% low-access · 13.4% SNAP
Amherst County
11.3% low-access · 10.5% SNAP

Compare Isle of Wight County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →

Food access nationally, Virginia in context

Isle of Wight County sits inside Virginia (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 Isle of Wight County has low food access? ▼
26.2% of residents in Isle of Wight County, VA 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 Isle of Wight County? ▼
7.6% of households in Isle of Wight County receive SNAP, covering 1,193 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Isle of Wight County? ▼
The poverty rate in Isle of Wight County, VA is 6.8%, with a median household income of $95,241 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Isle of Wight County a food desert? ▼
0 of Isle of Wight County's 8 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). No tracts here meet both conditions in the 2019 Atlas.
What share of Isle of Wight County households lack a vehicle? ▼
4.2% of households in Isle of Wight 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.