PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · New York

Livingston County, NY

Livingston 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.

18.0%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
10.4%
on SNAP
61K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 NY

The food-access picture

18.0% of Livingston County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

5
low-access tracts
3K
food-desert residents
5.8%
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).

Livingston County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 18.0% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 15 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 11,761 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,557 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 Livingston County compares nationally

Livingston County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 18.0% low-access share that beats 41% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,863).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Livingston County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 15 census tracts in Livingston 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 Livingston County, NY USDA-defined food-access tiers: 10 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 15 tracts evaluated. 10 tracts adequate (66.7%) 3 tracts limited (20.0%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (13.3%) Adequate 67% Limited 20% Severe 13% Food-access tier distribution: Livingston County, NY
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Livingston County vs. other New York counties

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

% 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 Livingston County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts15
Atlas Population (2010 basis)65,393
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population11,761
Low-Access Share18.0%below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population2,557

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Livingston County
IndicatorValue
Population61,498
Median Household Income$74,001
Poverty Rate11.1%below the national average
SNAP Households2,552
SNAP Participation Rate10.4%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.8%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population8.3%
SNAP participation in Livingston County 10.4%

About 10.4% of Livingston County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 18.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 10.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,552 households here.
  • 5.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 2 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 Livingston County

near the national share

2 of Livingston County's 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 13.3% of all its tracts.

A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.

An estimated 11,761 residents, roughly 18.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 2,557 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 10 tracts (66.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Livingston County

Livingston County has 47 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 19 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 19

  • 7 eleven 35082h, livonia
  • 7 eleven 35089h, nunda
  • 7 eleven 35114h, dansville
  • 7 eleven 35118h, hemlock
  • 7 eleven 35120h, leicester
  • 7-eleven 35124h, geneseo
  • avon mobil quicklee's 1, avon
  • byrne dairy geneseo 29, geneseo
  • crosby's 40030, caledonia
  • dansville village mart, dansville
  • jas convenience corp, leicester
  • kwik fill 113, mount morris
  • kwik fill 147, mount morris
  • p & h stores inc - mt morris c-store, mount morris
  • piffard petro inc., piffard
  • q&a letchworth country store incorporated, mount morris
  • quicklee's 2, geneseo
  • quicklee's 24, dalton
  • travelcenters of america 208, dansville

Combination Grocery/Other · 18

  • cvs pharmacy inc 232, avon
  • cvs pharmacy 5072, dansville
  • dollartree 9462, mount morris
  • dollar general 06318, caledonia
  • dollar general 22852, hemlock
  • dollar general 5897, lima
  • dollar general 6160, retsof
  • dollar general 6217, dansville
  • dollar general 6456, mount morris
  • dollar general 6959, livonia
  • dollar general 8191, avon
  • dollar general 8393, nunda
  • dollar general store 16318, springwater
  • dollar tree 0273, geneseo
  • dollar tree 4773, dansville
  • family dollar store 3707, dansville
  • ocean state job lot 518, dansville
  • walgreens 19766, dansville

Supermarket · 8

  • aldi 65095, geneseo
  • caledonia marketplace inc, caledonia
  • dansville save a lot 45092, dansville
  • shurfine food center, nunda
  • tops markets 431, avon
  • tops markets 520, dansville
  • west's shurfine food mart, livonia
  • wegmans 26, geneseo

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • whiteman meat processing, dansville

Super Store · 1

  • walmart supercenter 1966, geneseo

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in New York

Albany County
31.4% low-access · 11.0% SNAP
Allegany County
3.9% low-access · 15.9% SNAP
Bronx County
0.6% low-access · 38.6% SNAP
Broome County
16.4% low-access · 15.4% SNAP
Cattaraugus County
7.9% low-access · 18.0% SNAP
Cayuga County
3.3% low-access · 14.8% SNAP

Compare Livingston County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →

Food access nationally, New York in context

Livingston County sits inside New York (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 Livingston County has low food access? ▼
18.0% of residents in Livingston County, NY 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 Livingston County? ▼
10.4% of households in Livingston County receive SNAP, covering 2,552 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Livingston County? ▼
The poverty rate in Livingston County, NY is 11.1%, with a median household income of $74,001 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Livingston County a food desert? ▼
2 of Livingston County's 15 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 Livingston County households lack a vehicle? ▼
5.8% of households in Livingston 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.