County food-access profile · New York
Otsego County, NY
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Otsego 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).
- 34.2%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 9.9%
- on SNAP
- 60K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
34.2% of Otsego County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
- 7.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.5%
- 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 Otsego County's low-access share at 34.2%, above the national share. 10 of the county's 17 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 21,295 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,620 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 Otsego County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Otsego County's 34.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 79% of them and ranked #656 most-affected nationwide.
Otsego County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 17 census tracts in Otsego County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Otsego County vs. other New York counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New York
- Otsego
Otsego County, NY
34.2 % 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 | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 62,259 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 21,295 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,620 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 60,108 |
| Median Household Income | $68,885 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,285 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.9%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 9.6% |
About 9.9% of Otsego County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 34.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,285 households here.
- 7.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Otsego County
above the national share
6 of Otsego County's 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 35.3% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 21,295 residents, roughly 34.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 6,620 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 7 tracts (41.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Otsego County
Otsego County has 69 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 40 locations (58% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 40
- apple express, oneonta
- apple express #2, oneonta
- apple food stores, milford
- apple mart, cooperstown
- apple mart inc 4, worcester
- bob's roseboom country store, roseboom
- cherry valley market, cherry valley
- daddy al's bread & food discount, oneonta
- east oneonta country store 11, oneonta
- ez food mart, oneonta
- glacne petroleum llc, schuyler lake
- hometown deli and grocery, oneonta
- kwik fill 347, unadilla
- kwik fill 348, oneonta
- mirabito 133 - laurens, oneonta
- mirabito 134 - goodyear lake, oneonta
- ny food mart, oneonta
- oneonta country store 30, oneonta
- quickway 21, morris
- quickway 22, hartwick
- quickway 23, schenevus
- quickway 24, cherry valley
- quickway 38, unadilla
- quickway 39, oneonta
- quickway 69, oneonta
- quickway 70, oneonta
- quickway 71, west oneonta
- quickway 73, otego
- smileys quick stop 3, unadilla
- speedway 7695, oneonta
- speedway 7696, oneonta
- speedway 7697, oneonta
- speedway 9918, richfield springs
- spike pizza & grocery llc, edmeston
- stewart's shops 179, oneonta
- stewarts shop 163 163, richfield springs
- stewarts shop 232, oneonta
- stewarts shop 241, cooperstown
- stewarts shop 351, worcester
- united food market inc., oneonta
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- cvs pharmacy 5034, cooperstown
- dollar general 10652, oneonta
- dollar general 10942, richfield springs
- dollar general 14992, otego
- dollar general 14993, cooperstown
- dollar general 17580, edmeston
- dollar general 17787, worcester
- dollar general 20258, milford
- dollar general 21671, laurens
- dollar general store 17655, morris
- dollar tree 1496, oneonta
- family dollar 12179, unadilla
- family dollar 3489, oneonta
- fly creek cider mill & orchard, inc., fly creek
- kinney drugs 45, richfield springs
- new york's butcher brothers llc, cooperstown
- walgreens 11747, oneonta
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 65065, oneonta
- grand union 19488, cooperstown
- price chopper 134, oneonta
- price chopper cooperstown 235, cooperstown
- price chopper richfield springs 210, richfield springs
Super Store · 3
- bj's wholesale club 303, oneonta
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8328, oneonta
- walmart supercenter 2262, oneonta
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- cooperstown natural foods, cooperstown
- green earth, oneonta
Farmers' Market · 1
- cooperstown farmers market, cooperstown
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- trinity meat company store, hartwick
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New York
Compare Otsego County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →
Food access nationally, New York in context
Otsego 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 Otsego County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Otsego County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Otsego County? ▼
Is Otsego County a food desert? ▼
What share of Otsego 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.