Signature · 6 LILA tracts (30% of tracts)

Nevada County, CA

Nevada County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 6 LILA tracts (30% of the book) alongside 34.8% low-access.

34.8%
low-access pop.
6
food-desert tracts
8.1%
on SNAP
102K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 CA

USDA FARA access plate

County Nevada County, CA

LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE

  • LA-ELEVATED 34.8% low-access
  • ABOVE-NATIONAL +12.7 pts vs US
  • LILA-CLUSTER 6 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-LIGHT 8.1% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 4.2% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-DENSE 30% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Del Norte County ( -0.4 pts)

Upper-band low-access

Nevada County sits in the upper national band (34.8%, #601 of 3,079) with 6 LILA tracts.

#601
national by low-access %
#6
in CA
10
low-access tracts
9K
food-desert residents

Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.

Signature read: 6 LILA tracts (30% of tracts) .

How Nevada County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Nevada County's 34.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 81% of them and ranked #602 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Nevada County's elevated USDA tier split

20 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 6 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Nevada County, CA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 10 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 4 limited, 6 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 20 tracts evaluated. 10 tracts adequate (50.0%) 4 tracts limited (20.0%) 6 tracts severe / food desert (30.0%) Adequate 50% Limited 20% Severe 30% Food-access tier distribution: Nevada County, CA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Nevada County has 10 urban and 10 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.

Nevada County vs nearby high low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in California, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

FARA 2019 · elevated low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Nevada County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts20
Atlas Population (2010 basis)98,764
Low-Access Tracts10
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)6
Low-Access Population34,333
Low-Access Share34.8%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population8,507

ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Nevada County
IndicatorValue
Population102,481
Median Household Income$89,882
Poverty Rate11.0%below the national average
SNAP Households3,454
SNAP Participation Rate8.1%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.2%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.5%

Thick SNAP store book in Nevada County

Nevada County has 64 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 30 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 30

  • 7 eleven 16965 c, truckee
  • 7 eleven 24548c 24548c, truckee
  • 7-eleven 42034h, penn valley
  • alta sierra market, grass valley
  • arco ampm 83675, grass valley
  • bonanza market, nevada city
  • brighton street grocery, grass valley
  • cedar ridge country store, cedar ridge
  • cedar ridge y market, grass valley
  • chicago park store, grass valley
  • combie deli & spirits, auburn
  • express liquor & deli, grass valley
  • grass valley chevron, grass valley
  • h & s energy products 3065, auburn
  • h&s energy products, llc 3063, truckee
  • harmony ridge market, nevada city
  • long's bottle shop, grass valley
  • main street chevron, grass valley
  • oak super market inc, grass valley
  • penn valley shell 22, penn valley
  • quik stop market 550107, grass valley
  • rainbow market, nevada city
  • rebel 0207, truckee
  • ridge cafe, north san juan
  • rocket #5428 5428, grass valley
  • speedway 4458, grass valley
  • super mart inc 5502, grass valley
  • the corner store, grass valley
  • toms sierra co., dba sierra energy 3, north san juan
  • washington general store, washington

Combination Grocery/Other · 8

  • cvs pharmacy 9155, grass valley
  • cvs pharmacy 9174, truckee
  • combie market beer & wine, auburn
  • dollar general 15010, grass valley
  • dollar general 16348, penn valley
  • dollar tree 2260, grass valley
  • master's market, nevada city
  • walgreens 10881, grass valley

Supermarket · 8

  • holiday market 37, penn valley
  • raley's 213, grass valley
  • raley's o.n.e. market 125, truckee
  • safeway 111, grass valley
  • safeway 1266, truckee
  • safeway 2842, grass valley
  • save mart 608, grass valley
  • save mart 627, truckee

Super Store · 7

  • briarpatch food co-op, grass valley
  • grass valley grocery outlet, grass valley
  • grocery outlet of truckee, truckee
  • new moon natural foods, truckee
  • s p d market, nevada city
  • spd market grass valley, inc., grass valley
  • target store t2891, grass valley

Farmers' Market · 3

  • nevada city farmers market, nevada city
  • nevada county certified growers mkt-nevada city, grass valley
  • western gateway farmers market, penn valley

Large Grocery Store · 3

  • california organics, nevada city
  • mother truckers, nevada city
  • natural selection, grass valley

Bakery Specialty · 2

  • papa muphys #092 pm092, grass valley
  • papa murphy's pizza 72, grass valley

Small Grocery Store · 2

  • el barrio mexican market, grass valley
  • mi pueblito market, truckee

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • penn valley market, penn valley

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).

Other Counties in California

One of 57 counties in California, 6 are shown here.

Compare Nevada County vs Alameda County → · All California counties →

Counties near Nevada County's elevated low-access or SNAP band

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Nevada County, both outside California so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside CA (34.8% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside CA (8.1% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Nevada County inside a higher low-access state context

Nevada County sits inside California (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 Nevada County, CA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 06057. 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.