County food-access profile · New York
Ontario County, NY
Ontario 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.
- 9.9%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 8.6%
- on SNAP
- 113K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
9.9% of Ontario County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 6.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.0%
- 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).
Ontario County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.9% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 25 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 10,674 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,288 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 Ontario County compares nationally
Ontario County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.9% low-access share that beats 20% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,493).
Ontario County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 25 census tracts in Ontario County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Ontario County vs. other New York counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New York
- Ontario 9.9
Ontario County, NY
9.9 % 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 | 25 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 107,931 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 10,674 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.9%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,288 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 112,625 |
| Median Household Income | $82,324 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.0%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,174 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.8% |
About 8.6% of Ontario County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 9.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,174 households here.
- 6.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Ontario County
near the national share
2 of Ontario County's 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 8.0% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 10,674 residents, roughly 9.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,288 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 21 tracts (84.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Ontario County
Ontario County has 70 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 28 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 28
- 7 eleven 35085h, w bloomfield
- 7 eleven store #40209 40209, canandaigua
- 7 eleven store 35080a, farmington
- 7-eleven 35081j, honeoye
- 7-eleven 35515h, phelps
- byrne dairy canandaigua 122, canandaigua
- byrne dairy farmington 127, farmington
- byrne dairy geneva 52, geneva
- byrne dairy hopewell 150, canandaigua
- byrne dairy phelps 115, phelps
- crosby's 40059, naples
- crosby's 40070, canandaigua
- dandy mini mart 73, canandaigua
- east lake store, canandaigua
- fastrac eg llc 500220, geneva
- hopewell market, canandaigua
- joe's kwik mart 465, farmington
- momberger's deli, llc, geneva
- main st quick stop inc., canandaigua
- pick quick, geneva
- pit stop convenience stores 11, geneva
- speedway 7740, canandaigua
- speedway 9907, shortsville
- speedway 9920, phelps
- speedway 9921, canandaigua
- speedway 9922, geneva
- speedway 9963, victor
- speedway 9966, geneva
Combination Grocery/Other · 19
- cvs 1925, farmington
- cvs pharmacy 5073, honeoye
- dollar general 14405, geneva
- dollartree 1413, canandaigua
- dollar general 10079, honeoye
- dollar general 10552, naples
- dollar general 11107, manchester
- dollar general 11122, clifton springs
- dollar general 15283, bloomfield
- dollar general 20442, bloomfield
- dollar general 24607, farmington
- dollar general 8308, canandaigua
- dollar tree 1984, geneva
- dollar tree 399, victor
- dollar tree 6829, farmington
- family dollar 9089, phelps
- genecco produce, canandaigua
- walgreens 10380, canandaigua
- walgreens 10697, geneva
Supermarket · 9
- aldi 65012, canandaigua
- aldi 65048, farmington
- bliss shopwise, manchester
- tops markets 432, canandaigua
- tops markets 433, clifton springs
- tops markets 435, farmington
- west's shurfine food mart, honeoye
- wegmans 11, canandaigua
- wegmans 74, geneva
Super Store · 6
- bj's wholesale club 116, victor
- rennoldson's market, naples
- target 1156, victor
- walmart 1731, geneva
- walmart supercenter 1673, canandaigua
- walmart supercenter 2785, victor
Farmers' Market · 2
- geneva farmers market nafmnp, geneva
- phelps farmer's market, phelps
Large Grocery Store · 2
- bloomfield big m, bloomfield
- joseph's wayside market, naples
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- blueprint geneva, inc., geneva
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- arnold farms, rushville
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- bostrom farms llc/bostrom farms llc, stanley
Small Grocery Store · 1
- sweet acres creamery, geneva
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New York
Compare Ontario County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →
Food access nationally, New York in context
Ontario 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 Ontario County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Ontario County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Ontario County? ▼
Is Ontario County a food desert? ▼
What share of Ontario 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.