County food-access profile · New York
Jefferson County, NY
Jefferson 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.
- 15.2%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 15.8%
- on SNAP
- 115K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
15.2% of Jefferson County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
- 9.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.7%
- 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).
Jefferson County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 15.2% per the USDA Atlas. 6 of the county's 25 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 17,712 residents who live far from a supermarket. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,820 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 Jefferson County compares nationally
Jefferson County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 15.2% low-access share that beats 33% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,113).
Jefferson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 25 census tracts in Jefferson County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Jefferson County vs. other New York counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New York
- Jefferson
Jefferson County, NY
15.2 % low-access
- Albany
Albany County, NY
31.4 % low-access
- Allegany 3.9
Allegany County, NY
3.9 % low-access
- Bronx 0.6
Bronx County, NY
0.6 % low-access
- Broome
Broome County, NY
16.4 % low-access
- Cattaraugus 7.9
Cattaraugus County, NY
7.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 25 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 116,229 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 17,712 |
| Low-Access Share | 15.2%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,820 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 115,040 |
| Median Household Income | $66,301 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.7%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,529 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.8%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.7%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.2% |
About 15.8% of Jefferson County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 15.2% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,529 households here.
- 9.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Jefferson County
near the national share
5 of Jefferson County's 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 20.0% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 17,712 residents, roughly 15.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 6,820 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 19 tracts (76.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Jefferson County
Jefferson County has 113 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 48 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 48
- 115 carthage inc, carthage
- 7-eleven 40210h, watertown
- 7-eleven 40486, watertown
- 7-eleven 40488, adams center
- 7-eleven 40490, chaumont
- 7-eleven 40492, watertown
- 7-eleven 40496, watertown
- 7-eleven 40498, evans mills
- 7-eleven 40501, sackets harbor
- 7-eleven 40503, watertown
- adams center market, adams center
- adirondack foothills, natural bridge
- aujla corner convenience no, watertown
- byrne dairy coffeen st. 60, watertown
- circle k 4707627, watertown
- circle k 4707629, carthage
- fastrac eg llc 500222, watertown
- fastrac eg llc 500224, watertown
- franklin st investments inc-franklin st dairy&mkt, watertown
- freeway grocery llc, adams
- gagan inc, watertown
- gsg mini marts inc - sunoco, watertown
- joe's kwik mart 491, watertown
- love's travel stop 870, watertown
- martin's country store (philadelphia), philadelphia
- mirabito adams 136, adams
- mirabito watertown 137, watertown
- parkway express canton, canton
- stewart's shop #344, brownville
- stewart's shop 438, carthage
- stewart's shop 436, watertown
- stewart's shops 113, watertown
- stewart's shops 582, clayton
- stewarts shop 399, adams
- stewarts shop 428, black river
- stewarts shop 429, philadelphia
- stewarts shop 433, watertown
- stewarts shop 437, carthage
- stewarts shop 441, watertown
- stewarts shop 442, evans mills
- sunoco gas station, watertown
- tasty deli & convenience incorporated, sackets harbor
- thermart llc - woodland market, theresa
- valero mill street, watertown
- watertown expressway corp., watertown
- watertown valero, watertown
- whitecaps market, redwood
- wny theresa inc, theresa
Combination Grocery/Other · 35
- adams cheese shop, adams
- dollar tree 1406, watertown
- dollartree 9020, watertown
- dollar general 11222, chaumont
- dollar general 12614, watertown
- dollar general 16606, theresa
- dollar general 19585, cape vincent
- dollar general 19591, alexandria bay
- dollar general 22520, dexter
- dollar general 22995, carthage
- dollar general 23538, ellisburg
- dollar general 30022, carthage
- dollar general 30023, henderson
- dollar general 6375, adams
- dollar general 6904, black river
- dollar general 8676, watertown
- dollar general 8700, carthage
- dollar general 9086, philadelphia
- dollar general 9496, watertown
- dollar general store 17286, sackets harbor
- dollar tree 3635, evans mills
- family dollar 8227, alexandria bay
- family dollar store 2327, west carthage
- family dollar store 3876, watertown
- family dollar store 4065, watertown
- family dollar store 7323, clayton
- kinney drugs, clayton
- kinney drugs 06, carthage
- kinney drugs 13, watertown
- kinney drugs 15, watertown
- kinney drugs 30, watertown
- kinney drugs 4, adams
- kinney drugs 42, alexandria bay
- ss grocery store inc, alexandria bay
- walgreens 10219, watertown
Supermarket · 10
- aldi 65014, watertown
- aldi 65027, carthage
- aldi 65028, evans mills
- grand union 19492, watertown
- price chopper 102, watertown
- piggly wiggly 19493, watertown
- price chopper 024, w carthage
- price chopper 241, alexandria bay
- tops markets 596, adams
- watertown save-a-lot 45064, watertown
Medium Grocery Store · 6
- aubrey's inn & shopping center, cape vincent
- alteris italian american market, watertown
- carthage market corp, carthage
- dexter market, dexter
- sharp's bulk foods, belleville
- the cheese store of northern ny, watertown
Super Store · 6
- clayton shurfine, clayton
- hannaford supermarket 8175, watertown
- sam's club 6539, watertown
- target 2253, watertown
- walmart 1871, watertown
- walmart supercenter 5497, evans mills
Small Grocery Store · 5
- asian market, llc, watertown
- general store of watertown inc, watertown
- hunner's market, clayton
- stony creek country store, carthage
- the mustard seed natural foods, watertown
Farmers' Market · 1
- watertown farm & craft market, watertown
Large Grocery Store · 1
- chaumont market, chaumont
Military Commissary · 1
- fort drum commissary 2115, fort drum
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New York
Compare Jefferson County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →
Food access nationally, New York in context
Jefferson County sits inside New York (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 Jefferson County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Jefferson County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Jefferson County? ▼
Is Jefferson County a food desert? ▼
What share of Jefferson 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.