County food-access profile · Pennsylvania
Mercer County, PA
Mercer 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.
- 18.2%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 17.4%
- on SNAP
- 109K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
18.2% of Mercer County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 30 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 9.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.2%
- 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).
Mercer County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 18.2% per the USDA Atlas. 9 of the county's 30 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 21,225 residents who live far from a supermarket. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,173 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 Mercer County compares nationally
Mercer County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 18.2% low-access share that beats 41% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,843).
Mercer County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 30 census tracts in Mercer County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Mercer County vs. other Pennsylvania counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Pennsylvania
- Mercer
Mercer County, PA
18.2 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, PA
15.9 % low-access
- Allegheny
Allegheny County, PA
26.4 % low-access
- Armstrong 5.2
Armstrong County, PA
5.2 % low-access
- Beaver
Beaver County, PA
32.5 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, PA
22.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 30 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 116,638 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 21,225 |
| Low-Access Share | 18.2%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,173 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 109,257 |
| Median Household Income | $59,976 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.2%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 8,100 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.4%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.6%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.1% |
About 17.4% of Mercer County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 18.2% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 17.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 8,100 households here.
- 9.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Mercer County
near the national share
6 of Mercer County's 30 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 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.
An estimated 21,225 residents, roughly 18.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,173 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 21 tracts (70.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Mercer County
Mercer County has 98 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 40 locations (41% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 40
- abu food llc, farrell
- adam's market llc, sharon
- all star mart, llc, jamestown
- bfs foods 50, grove city
- circle k 4704229, hermitage
- city food market, sharon
- country fair 44, grove city
- country fair 62, greenville
- country fair 9, sharon
- country fair 92, mercer
- country fair 93, grove city
- dev's standard market, wheatland
- dhiman #2, sharpsville
- dollar days of sharon llc, sharon
- farrell speed check, farrell
- getgo 3014, hermitage
- kristyak's korner, sandy lake
- kwik one, greenville
- last minit mart, jamestown
- luxx convenience, farrell
- m & b mercer llc, greenville
- mercer mart, mercer
- mercer speed check, mercer
- petroplus, sharpsville
- sabers market and deli, farrell
- sheetz 136, mercer
- sheetz 139, greenville
- sheetz 188, transfer
- sheetz 202, hermitage
- sheetz 298, grove city
- sheetz 299, grove city
- sheetz 382, hermitage
- speedway 2907, hermitage
- speedway 2923, sharon
- standard market of sharon llc 1, sharon
- tic toc food mart #107, hermitage
- truth 9, sharon
- us fuel corp, west middlesex
- valley fuel, farrell
- veados, greenville
Combination Grocery/Other · 38
- dollar general 18430, mercer
- dollar general 19034, greenville
- dollar general 4940, grove city
- dollar general 7641, hermitage
- dollar general 8289, stoneboro
- dollar general 8316, sharon
- dollar general 8429, mercer
- dollar tree 0047, hermitage
- dollar general 10324, new wilmington
- dollar general 11460, west middlesex
- dollar general 12262, greenville
- dollar general 12790, jamestown
- dollar general 14900, hadley
- dollar general 17753, jackson center
- dollar general 20298, volant
- dollar general 20611, grove city
- dollar general 21289, hermitage
- dollar general 22589, sharpsville
- dollar general 23024, farrell
- dollar general 23150, hermitage
- dollar general 23355, mercer
- dollar general 24821, sharon
- dollar general 25353, mercer
- dollar general 30215, greenville
- dollar general 30279, greenville
- dollar general 8394, farrell
- dollar general store 16619, hermitage
- dollar tree 1482, greenville
- dollar tree 2582, grove city
- dollar tree 9657, sharon
- fairview swiss cheese, fredonia
- family dollar store 1090, farrell
- family dollar store 2102, sharon
- family dollar store 3159, mercer
- family dollar store 7500, transfer
- family dollar store 7738, greenville
- rxxpress health mart pharmacy, grove city
- walgreens 09776, hermitage
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 44004 44004, greenville
- aldi 69043, grove city
- aldi 77063 77063, hermitage
- golden dawn 67799931, farrell
- mckean's 576, sandy lake
- sharon save-a-lot 24570, sharon
- walt's, mercer
Super Store · 6
- d'onofrio's inc., hermitage
- grove city county market, grove city
- giant eagle 4012, hermitage
- walmart 2008, grove city
- walmart supercenter 1568, hermitage
- walmart supercenter 2674, greenville
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- howard & son meatpacking, mercer
- m & l market llc, sandy lake
- m&m discount grocery, greenville
- palumbo's meat market, west middlesex
- yoder's shopwise discount grocery llc, sandy lake
Large Grocery Store · 1
- shenango valley meat & poultry, sharon
Seafood Specialty · 1
- great depths seafood, sharpsville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Pennsylvania
Compare Mercer County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →
Food access nationally, Pennsylvania in context
Mercer County sits inside Pennsylvania (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 Mercer County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Mercer County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Mercer County? ▼
Is Mercer County a food desert? ▼
What share of Mercer 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.