Signature · 98 SNAP-authorized stores
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)
USDA FARA access plate
County Mercer County, PA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 18.2% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -3.9 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 6 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 17.4% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 9.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Susquehanna County ( -0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Mercer County ranks #1,840 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #32 of 67 counties in PA (18.2% low-access; 6 food-desert tracts).
- #1,840
- national by low-access %
- #32
- in PA
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 98 SNAP-authorized stores .
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
30 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 6 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Mercer County has 16 urban and 14 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.
Mercer County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Pennsylvania, not a full county-board reprint
- Chester
Chester 45.1%
45.1 % low-access
- Lawrence
Lawrence 18.5%
18.5 % low-access
- Union
Union 18.4%
18.4 % low-access
- Mercer
Mercer 18.2%
18.2 % low-access
- Susquehanna
Susquehanna 18.1%
18.1 % low-access
- Berks 17.5
Berks 17.5%
17.5 % low-access
- Wyoming 0.9
Wyoming 0.9%
0.9 % 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 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| 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% |
Thick SNAP store book 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 stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Pennsylvania
One of 66 counties in Pennsylvania, 6 are shown here.
Compare Mercer County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →
Nationwide peers for Mercer County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Mercer County, both outside Pennsylvania so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside PA (18.2% here).
- Hoke County, NC · 18.2% low-access
- Hoke County, NC · 18.2% low-access
- Oneida County, NY · 18.2% low-access
- Oneida County, NY · 18.2% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside PA (17.4% here).
- Reeves County, TX · 17.4% SNAP
- Reeves County, TX · 17.4% SNAP
- Union County, IA · 17.4% SNAP
- Union County, IA · 17.4% 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.
Food access nationally, Pennsylvania in context
Mercer County sits inside Pennsylvania (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 Mercer County, PA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 42085. 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.