County food-access profile · New York
Montgomery County, NY
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Montgomery 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).
- 37.9%
- low-access pop.
- 8
- food-desert tracts
- 15.4%
- on SNAP
- 50K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
37.9% of Montgomery County residents live in a low-access area, and 8 of its 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 11.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.6%
- 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 Montgomery County's low-access share at 37.9%, above the national share. 9 of the county's 16 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 19,057 people. 8 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,225 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 Montgomery County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Montgomery County's 37.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 84% of them and ranked #491 most-affected nationwide.
Montgomery County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 16 census tracts in Montgomery County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Montgomery County vs. other New York counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New York
- Montgomery
Montgomery County, NY
37.9 % low-access
- Albany
Albany County, NY
31.4 % low-access
- Allegany 3.9
Allegany County, NY
3.9 % low-access
- Bronx 0.6
Bronx County, NY
0.6 % low-access
- Broome
Broome County, NY
16.4 % low-access
- Cattaraugus 7.9
Cattaraugus County, NY
7.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 16 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 50,219 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 8 |
| Low-Access Population | 19,057 |
| Low-Access Share | 37.9%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,225 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 49,528 |
| Median Household Income | $64,943 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.6%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,014 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.4%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 11.4%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.6% |
About 15.4% of Montgomery County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 37.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,014 households here.
- 11.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 8 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 Montgomery County
above the national share
8 of Montgomery County's 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 50.0% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.
An estimated 19,057 residents, roughly 37.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,225 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 7 tracts (43.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Montgomery County
Montgomery County has 61 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 34 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 34
- 5 corners mobile inc, amsterdam
- 7 days convenience store, amsterdam
- betty beavers, canajoharie
- citgo gas station, saint johnsville
- citgo gas station, palatine bridge
- cumberland farms 1684, fonda
- fastrac eg llc 500264, amsterdam
- fastrac eg llc 500272, amsterdam
- glsm inc, amsterdam
- joes deli & grocery inc., amsterdam
- memon enterprises inc, amsterdam
- mini kwik inc, amsterdam
- mobil 300 inc., amsterdam
- monte grab n go deli & smokeshop, saint johnsville
- nelliston trading inc, nelliston
- pilot 1317, fultonville
- quick gas mart inc/sunoco, canajoharie
- stewart's shop 106, st johnsville
- stewart's shop 118, fort plain
- stewart's shop 146, fonda
- stewart's shop 233, amsterdam
- stewarts shop 116, esperance
- stewarts shop 319, fort johnson
- scotland farms country store, fonda
- speedway 7591, amsterdam
- stewart's shop 348, west charlton
- stewart's shops 254, amsterdam
- stewart's shops 478, fort plain
- stewarts shop 102, hagaman
- stewarts shop 169, palatine bridge
- stewarts shop 266, amsterdam
- stewarts shop 445, amsterdam
- valley view mini mart, amsterdam
- what a bargain grocery inc., amsterdam
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- dollar general 18503, amsterdam
- dollar general 10765, st johnsville
- dollar general 16215, esperance
- dollar general 30759, ephratah
- dollar general 7422, fonda
- dollar general 8623, palatine bridge
- dollar general 9357, amsterdam
- dollar tree 1412, amsterdam
- family dollar 3624, fort plain
- kinney drugs 25, saint johnsville
- walgreens 10747, amsterdam
- walgreens 17492, palatine bridge
Super Store · 4
- hannaford food & drug 8363, amsterdam
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8255, esperance
- target 2461, amsterdam
- walmart 2146, amsterdam
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 65237, amsterdam
- market 32 price chopper 139, amsterdam
- price chopper palatine bridge 164, palatine bridge
- southern tier grocery inc/save a lot, fort plain
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- dutch country market, fort plain
- el caribe market, llc, amsterdam
- shults family farm, canajoharie
Small Grocery Store · 3
- amsterdam deli grocery, amsterdam
- mi isla market llc, amsterdam
- plain food cooperative inc, fort plain
Farmers' Market · 1
- market on the mohawk nafmnp, amsterdam
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New York
Compare Montgomery County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →
Food access nationally, New York in context
Montgomery County sits inside New York (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 Montgomery County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Montgomery County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Montgomery County? ▼
Is Montgomery County a food desert? ▼
What share of Montgomery 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.