Signature · 24.3% SNAP (98th pct in CA)
Lake County, CA
Lake County stands out on SNAP (24.3%, +12.2 pts vs U.S.) with 4.2% low-access from USDA FARA 2019.
- 4.2%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 24.3%
- on SNAP
- 68K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Lake County, CA
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-ADEQUATE 4.2% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -17.9 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 24.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 7% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Plumas County (+ 2.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Lake County lands in the lower national band (4.2%, #2,853 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,853
- national by low-access %
- #56
- in CA
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 24.3% SNAP (98th pct in CA) (+12.2 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Lake County compares nationally
Food access in Lake County compares favorably nationally: its 4.2% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 9% of them (rank #2,859).
Lake County's lower-band USDA tier split
15 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Lake County has 5 urban and 10 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Lake County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in California, not a full county-board reprint
- Sierra
Sierra 88.2%
88.2 % low-access
- Alameda 8.1
Alameda 8.1%
8.1 % low-access
- Los Angeles 6.5
Los Angeles 6.5%
6.5 % low-access
- Plumas 6.3
Plumas 6.3%
6.3 % low-access
- Lake 4.2
Lake 4.2%
4.2 % low-access
- San Francisco 0.6
San Francisco 0.6%
0.6 % low-access
- Amador 0.2
Amador 0.2%
0.2 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 15 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 64,665 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,701 |
| Low-Access Share | 4.2%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,222 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 68,152 |
| Median Household Income | $60,621 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.0%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,553 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 24.3%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Lake County
Lake County has 70 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 35 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 35
- 3 brothers travel plaza, upper lake
- arco ampm, clearlake
- fast & easy mart 48, upperlake
- food gas go, clearlake oaks
- gas & food stop, clearlake
- gaytan family market, clearlake
- golden gate petroleum 12, lakeport
- h&s energy products 3006, lucerne
- h&s energy products llc 3003, clearlake oaks
- h&s energy products llc 3004, lower lake
- h&s energy products llc 3005, lakeport
- h&s energy products llc 3007, lakeport
- h&s energy products llc 3008, lakeport
- h&s energy products, llc 3009, nice
- hidden valley inc dba hidden valley food mart, middletown
- j s express market, clearlake
- john's market & deli, kelseyville
- js market, lower lake
- kool & kash market, clearlake
- kit corner market, kelseyville
- la fiesta market, lakeport
- lakeport express, lakeport
- lakeport shell, lakeport
- loch lomond market, middletown
- marina gas mart, nice
- middletown food n gas, middletown
- mt.konocti gas mart, kelseyville
- noble market & liquor, middletown
- park view market, clearlake
- redwood market 290, lakeport
- rotten robbie 65, lakeport
- soda bay market, kelseyville
- spring valley's pantry, clearlake oaks
- time to shop, clearlake
- valero - lakeshore dr, clearlake
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- cvs pharmacy 9943, lakeport
- dollar general 15238, nice
- dollar general 15401, clearlake oaks
- dollar general 18303, lakeport
- dollar tree 1242, lakeport
- dollar tree 4447, clearlake
- hardester's market #1, middletown
- la monarca market 2 llc, kelseyville
Supermarket · 7
- braitos riviera foods, kelseyville
- grocery outlet of hidden valley lake 409, middletown
- hardester's cobb market, cobb
- hardester's hidden valley market, hidden valley lake
- la monarca market, lower lake
- safeway 983, lakeport
- safeway 984, clearlake
Farmers' Market · 6
- clearlake certified farmer's market, clearlake
- cobb community farmers market, cobb
- hidden valley farmers market, middletown
- middletown farmers market 17-21-3, middletown
- saturday morning market at the mercantile, lakeport
- tuesday market at liberty park, lakeport
Super Store · 6
- bruno's shop smart 73, lakeport
- clearlake grocery outlet 110, clearlake
- foods etc., clearlake
- lakeport grocery outlet, lakeport
- mar-val's sentry market, nice
- walmart 1979, clearlake
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- kelseyville food count, kelseyville
- nylander's red & white store, clearlake oaks
- upper lake grocery, upper lake
Bakery Specialty · 2
- cecil's take n bake pizza, clearlake
- papa murphy's pizza ca238, lakeport
Large Grocery Store · 2
- lake view market, lucerne
- super chavez market, clearlake
Small Grocery Store · 1
- baby prime nutrition, clearlake
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in California
One of 57 counties in California, 6 are shown here.
Compare Lake County vs Alameda County → · All California counties →
Counties near Lake County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Lake County (24.3%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside California.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside CA (4.2% here).
- Winston County, AL · 4.2% low-access
- Winston County, AL · 4.2% low-access
- Pickens County, AL · 4.2% low-access
- Pickens County, AL · 4.2% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside CA (24.3% here).
- St. Francis County, AR · 24.3% SNAP
- St. Francis County, AR · 24.3% SNAP
- Vance County, NC · 24.3% SNAP
- Vance County, NC · 24.3% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Lake County inside a lower low-access state context
Lake County sits inside California (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Lake County, CA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 06033. 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.