County food-access profile · Pennsylvania
Monroe County, PA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Monroe County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 23.4%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 15.1%
- on SNAP
- 168K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
23.4% of Monroe County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 5.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.7%
- 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).
USDA data puts Monroe County's low-access share at 23.4%, above the national share. 9 of the county's 33 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 39,786 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Monroe County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Monroe County's 23.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 55% of them and ranked #1,413 most-affected nationwide.
Monroe County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 33 census tracts in Monroe County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Monroe County vs. other Pennsylvania counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Pennsylvania
- Monroe
Monroe County, PA
23.4 % 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 | 33 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 169,842 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 39,786 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.4%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,359 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 167,515 |
| Median Household Income | $83,565 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 9,234 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.1%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
About 15.1% of Monroe County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 23.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 9,234 households here.
- 5.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $83,565 with a 10.7% poverty rate.
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 Monroe County
above the national share
A further 9 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.
An estimated 39,786 residents, roughly 23.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,359 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 24 tracts (72.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Monroe County
Monroe County has 124 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 47 locations (38% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 47
- 631 sunoco, east stroudsburg
- 7-eleven store #40176a 40176a, stroudsburg
- a ok market, east stroudsburg
- arv foodmart llc, blakeslee
- aliza inc dba unimart, east stroudsburg
- ann street mini mart, stroudsburg
- atlantic travel center llc, stroudsburg
- brodheadsville sunoco inc, brodheadsville
- corner food mart 1, kunkletown
- country gas and convenience, stroudsburg
- dollar surplus 1177 inc, tennerville
- erimon african & caribbean supermarkt, east stroudsburg
- european market pirin, bartonsville
- exxon gas station, stroudsburg
- food expres tobyhanna inc, pocono pines
- food express monroe inc, tobyhanna
- interstate mini mart 2, blakeslee
- joe's kwik marts, pocono summit
- liberty express tobyhanna 14, tobyhanna
- little asia, mount pocono
- mainstreet stop n go, stroudsburg
- miggys deli and food mart 1, east stroudsburg
- orion markets, swiftwater
- pa halal gyro and meat l.l.c., east stroudsburg
- rout 115 food mart, effort
- sheetz 712, swiftwater
- staner's quick shoppe, mountainhome
- stroudsburg mini mart, stroudsburg
- sunny's express mart, kresgeville
- sunnys food mart, blakeslee
- tatra deli llc, east stroudsburg
- tobyhanna food mart, tobyhanna
- turkey hill minit market 950304, east stroudsburg
- turkey hill minit markets 950214, stroudsburg
- turkey hill minit markets 950221, gilbert
- turkey hill minit markets 950274, tannersville
- uni-mart 306, bartonsville
- unimart, effort
- wawa 112, east stroudsburg
- wawa 116, stroudsburg
- wawa 8162, mt. pocono
- water gap convenience store, delaware water gap
- wawa 8026, east stroudsburg
- wawa food market 159, blakeslee
- wawa food market 197, brodheadsville
- wawa store 8187, tannersville
- wawa store 8199, east stroudsburg
Combination Grocery/Other · 41
- big lots 3066, east stroudsburg
- cvs 3062, effort
- cvs 342, mount pocano
- cvs pharmacy 2002, east stroudsburg
- cvs pharmacy inc 1312, stroudsburg
- cvs pharmcy 1942, tannersville
- cvs pharmacy 1270, cresco
- cvs pharmacy 1309, east stroudsburg
- cvs pharmacy 1320, brodheadsville
- cvs pharmacy 2262, blakeslee
- cvs pharmacy 3998, east stroudsburg
- dollar general 13931, effort
- dollar general 1445, brodheadsville
- dollar general 15067, saylorsburg
- dollar general 7032, mount pocono
- dollartree 10341, tobyhanna
- dollartree 9019, stroudsburg
- dollar general 15066, pocono summit
- dollar general 15957, kresgeville
- dollar general 17349, stroudsburg
- dollar general 19408, tobyhanna
- dollar general 19872, east stroudsburg
- dollar general 20986, blakeslee
- dollar general 22657, cresco
- dollar general 8793, east stroudsburg
- dollar general 9336, blakeslee
- dollar general store 16927, east stroudsburg
- dollar general store 16946, stroudsburg
- dollar tree 1393, bartonsville
- dollar tree 1495, stroudsburg
- dollar tree 5365, gilbert
- dollar tree 5387, mt pocono
- dollar tree 8319, east stroudsburg
- dollar tree 8517, east stroudsburg
- family dollar 12459, brodheadsville
- family dollar 4079, blakeslee
- family dollar 5823, tobyhanna
- family dollar store 7987, mountainhome
- lewis supermarket, cresco
- spice bazaar pa llc, stroudsburg
- walgreens 09878, stroudsburg
Supermarket · 12
- ahart market inc., blakeslee
- aldi 60101, pocono summit
- aldi 85, stroudsburg
- earthlight natural foods, stroudsburg
- giant food store 6455, bartonsville
- giant food store 6504, east stroudsburg
- price chopper 236, east stroudsburg
- weis markets 151, brodheadsville
- weis markets 155, mount pocono
- weis markets 158, e stroudsburg
- weis markets 159, stroudsburg
- weis markets 166, tannersville
Super Store · 9
- b js wholesale club 319, stroudsburg
- c-town supermarket, east stroudsburg
- kinsleys mkt, brodheadsville
- mignosi's super foodtown, east stroudsburg
- shop rite of stroudsburg 433, stroudsburg
- shoprite of mount pocono 416, mount pocono
- target store 1260, stroudsburg
- walmart 2368, e stroudsburg
- walmart supercenter 2365, mount pocono
Farmers' Market · 4
- d and l produce, pocono summit
- klilngel's farm, saylorsburg
- monroe farmer's market, stroudsburg
- monroe farmers market 5702623448, stroudsburg
Small Grocery Store · 4
- cedars grill, stroudsburg
- hughart's meats, saylorsburg
- josie porter farm, stroudsburg
- keyco warehouse outlet, stroudsburg
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- citera family meat market, stroudsburg
- ninth street asian market, llc, east stroudsburg
- zamzam farm market n/a, stroudsburg
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- heckman orchards, effort
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- corona butcher, scotrun
Military Commissary · 1
- tobyhanna commissary 2131, tobyhanna ad
Seafood Specialty · 1
- blue ocean fish market, stroudsburg
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Pennsylvania
Compare Monroe County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →
Food access nationally, Pennsylvania in context
Monroe 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 Monroe County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Monroe County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Monroe County? ▼
Is Monroe County a food desert? ▼
What share of Monroe 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.