County food-access profile · Rhode Island
Newport County, RI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Newport 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).
- 33.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 8.2%
- on SNAP
- 85K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
33.5% of Newport County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 7.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.5%
- 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 Newport County's low-access share at 33.5%, above the national share. 10 of the county's 22 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 27,758 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 Newport County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Newport County's 33.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 77% of them and ranked #708 most-affected nationwide.
Newport County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 22 census tracts in Newport County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Newport County vs. other Rhode Island counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Rhode Island
- Newport
Newport County, RI
33.5 % low-access
- Bristol
Bristol County, RI
56 % low-access
- Kent
Kent County, RI
32.2 % low-access
- Providence 15.9
Providence County, RI
15.9 % low-access
- Washington
Washington County, RI
31.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 22 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 82,888 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 27,758 |
| Low-Access Share | 33.5%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,850 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 84,657 |
| Median Household Income | $103,514 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.5%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,030 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.2%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.6% |
About 8.2% of Newport County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 33.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,030 households here.
- 7.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $103,514 with a 8.5% 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 Newport County
above the national share
A further 10 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 27,758 residents, roughly 33.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,850 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (54.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Newport County
Newport County has 50 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 22 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 22
- 7-eleven 23880d 23880d, newport
- 7-eleven 32746b, middletown
- ch charles 5 & 10 store, newport
- cumberland farms 1121, tiverton
- cumberland farms 1150, newport
- cumberland farms 1237, portsmouth
- colbea enterprises llc 48, newport
- colbea enterprises llc 49, newport
- colbea enterprises llc 50, middletown
- cumberland farms 1108, jamestown
- cumberland farms 1218, portsmouth
- cumberland farms 1264, middletown
- cumberland farms 1303, portsmouth
- cumberland farms 1304, middletown
- dailystop, tiverton
- freeboi meat market inc, middletown
- joe's kwik mart 5011, middletown
- joe's kwik mart 5014, tiverton
- melville xtra mart 10070, portsmouth
- north tiverton news, tiverton
- patriot petroleum, portsmouth
- step by step convenience inc, tiverton
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- cvs pharmacy 1086, tiverton
- cvs pharmacy 2358, portsmouth
- cvs pharmacy 355, newport
- cvs pharmacy 493, middletown
- dollar general 17935, tiverton
- dollar tree 3156, middletown
- dollar general 15751, tiverton
- dollar general store 15979, portsmouth
- dollar tree 8526, newport
- ocean state job lot 114, middletown
- walgreens 03000, middletown
- walgreens 19470, tiverton
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 73046, middletown
- mcquade's mkt, jamestown
- shaw's supermarket 1442, middletown
- stop & shop 701, newport
- stop & shop 708, middletown
- stop & shop 731, newport
- toms market of tiverton inc, tiverton
Super Store · 4
- a market - newport, newport
- bj's wholesale club 306, middletown
- clements marketplace inc, portsmouth
- walmart 2885, newport
Small Grocery Store · 2
- broadway mini mart, newport
- leo's market & restaurant, newport
Farmers' Market · 1
- aquidneck growers market, newport
Large Grocery Store · 1
- green grocer, portsmouth
Military Commissary · 1
- newport ns commissary 2227, newport
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Rhode Island
Compare Newport County vs Bristol County → · All Rhode Island counties →
Food access nationally, Rhode Island in context
Newport County sits inside Rhode Island (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 Newport County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Newport County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Newport County? ▼
Is Newport County a food desert? ▼
What share of Newport 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.