County food-access profile · New Jersey
Passaic County, NJ
Passaic 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.
- 15.2%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 19.0%
- on SNAP
- 521K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
15.2% of Passaic County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 100 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 30
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 13.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.0%
- 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).
Passaic County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 15.2% per the USDA Atlas. 30 of the county's 100 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 76,285 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,151 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 Passaic County compares nationally
Passaic County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 15.2% low-access share that beats 33% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,113).
Passaic County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 100 census tracts in Passaic County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Passaic County vs. other New Jersey counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New Jersey
- Passaic
Passaic County, NJ
15.2 % low-access
- Atlantic
Atlantic County, NJ
30.1 % low-access
- Bergen 10.3
Bergen County, NJ
10.3 % low-access
- Burlington
Burlington County, NJ
36.3 % low-access
- Camden
Camden County, NJ
20 % low-access
- Cape May
Cape May County, NJ
32.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 100 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 501,226 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 30 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 76,285 |
| Low-Access Share | 15.2%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,151 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 521,012 |
| Median Household Income | $87,522 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.0%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 34,016 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.0%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 13.9%well above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.7% |
About 19.0% of Passaic County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 15.2% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 19.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 34,016 households here.
- 13.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Passaic County
near the national share
1 of Passaic County's 100 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 1.0% of all its tracts.
A further 29 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 30.
An estimated 76,285 residents, roughly 15.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,151 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 70 tracts (70.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Passaic County
Passaic County has 493 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 135 locations (27% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 135
- 22 food market, passaic
- 3 r deli market, paterson
- 3 vidas grocery & deli, clifton
- 431 mcbride convenience discount store corp, paterson
- 7 days, wayne
- 7 eleven 2415 37718a, paterson
- 7-eleven inc f 11463e, woodland park
- 7-eleven inc f 32949d, clifton
- 7-eleven inc f 39042a, bloomingdale
- 7-eleven inc f 39049, clifton
- 7-eleven store 11456c, haskell
- 7-eleven store 39776a, wayne
- 7-eleven store #11435e 11435e, little falls
- 7-eleven store #25906b 25906b, hawthorne
- 7-eleven store #37190b, paterson
- 7-eleven store #38157a 38157a, clifton
- 7-eleven store #41739a, passaic
- 7-eleven store 2412-39252b 39252b, paterson
- 7-eleven store 39202b, wayne
- 7-eleven store 41165a, clifton
- 777 food store, prospect park
- 99 cents plus quick shop, paterson
- acevedo convenience store llc, passaic
- alexander grocery store inc, paterson
- angel's wine & liquor grocery, paterson
- aranxa mini market, paterson
- athenia food mart, clifton
- b and r mini market, haledon
- belmont grocery and halal meat llc, haledon
- bonnet grocery store, paterson
- brothers petroleum llc, paterson
- cc grocery & deli, paterson
- carisma liquors & groceries, llc, paterson
- chamberlain mini mart, paterson
- cidenia mini market 1, passaic
- cj1 mini market llc, paterson
- clifton deli and grocery, clifton
- cruz mini market, paterson
- d ahora grocery, paterson
- d'mirian grocery, passaic
- dani gaby grocery, passaic
- danis mini market llc, paterson
- dew drop 1, paterson
- dollar variety and discount store, paterson
- dulcemente peru, paterson
- el tepeyac grocery, passaic
- easter grocery & food market llc, paterson
- edmarys mini market llc, paterson
- el centro grocery store, paterson
- el llano deli & grocery, paterson
- el paisa grocery and deli, passaic
- el primo mini market, passaic
- emilio's mini market l.l.c, clifton
- eny deli & grill corp 7184501424, pattrson
- family mini-mart, hawthorne
- fast stop mini market, paterson
- fatima deli grocery llc, paterson
- food mart & deli, pompton lakes
- foxx bodega deli & grocery, passaic
- freddie's corner, woodland park
- general deli grocery store, paterson
- getty deli and grocery, paterson
- gichia llc, clifton
- grab and go grocery and deli 1, paterson
- haledon mart, haledon
- heredia supermarket llc, passaic
- hewitt exxon tiger mart, hewitt
- highland minimarket, paterson
- infinity food market llc, paterson
- ingrid grocery, passaic
- international minimarket corp, passaic
- isaias mini market, passaic
- j&s liquours, llc, paterson
- je deli grocery llc, paterson
- jennly mini market 3 llc, paterson
- jennys mini market 2, paterson
- jho deli grocery, passaic
- johnny minimarket llc, paterson
- jr 1 minimarket llc, passaic
- julio's grocery, paterson
- king's deli, haskell
- krauszer's 281, clifton
- l & d corner stop deli & grocery, paterson
- lilis grocery, paterson
- la hispana mini market, passaic
- los hermanos mini market, passaic
- lubesinas market & deli, clifton
- lucky 7 deli & convenience store inc, ringwood
- lucky quick stop llc, paterson
- m & j liquors, paterson
- m and p mini market, passaic
- maranatha grocery & deli, passaic
- maya grocery, paterson
- mcbrides convenience llc, woodland park
- mi gente minimarket llc, paterson
- mill street grocery, paterson
- morelos minimarket, passaic
- new boli deli grocery llc, paterson
- new jersey deli and grocery ii, paterson
- new life, passaic
- new paulino meat market, paterson
- nickymania store llc, paterson
- nieves grocery & deli, paterson
- noah marketplace, paterson
- orange grocery & deli limited liability company, paterson
- passaic mini mart inc, passaic
- passaic petroleum llc 36, passaic
- paterson 111 llc n/a, paterson
- people choice market ii, clifton
- people's deli, paterson
- polmart, clifton
- r and f mini market, passaic
- river mini market 2, paterson
- riverside mini market 2 llc, paterson
- rushi enterprises inc, clifton
- sabanetero grocery, paterson
- scissor 99c & grocery, paterson
- seven days convenience store & deli llc, paterson
- sofia deli & grocery co, paterson
- speedy mart, passaic
- speedys grub and go, paterson
- star sunoco, hawthorne
- tavarez deli grocery llc, paterson
- tenares deli market corportion, paterson
- tiger mart, paterson
- totowa food, totowa
- us united llc, paterson
- union food store, totowa
- uniware, paterson
- vasquez minimarket, paterson
- victoria minimarket llc, paterson
- vip grocery and deli, prospect park
- waj grocery and deli, paterson
- wawa store 8487, wayne
- zapata grocery, paterson
Combination Grocery/Other · 77
- 46 farmers market, co, totowa
- al-amin grocery, paterson
- alis garden center, paterson
- cosmos mini mart, paterson
- cvs pharmacy 1929, clifton
- cvs pharmacy 2835, wayne
- cvs pharmacy 655, wayne
- cvs pharmacy 715, wayne
- cvs pharmacy 2577, wayne
- cvs pharmacy 2724, passaic
- cvs pharmacy 2967, haskell
- cvs pharmacy 514, totowa
- cvs pharmacy 6064, clifton
- cvs pharmacy 6065, clifton
- cvs pharmacy 7915, ringwood
- dollar general 14619, ringwood
- dollar tree 3101, clifton
- dollar tree 4683, paterson
- dollartree 9410, passaic
- dollartree 9949, wayne
- dinho produce farm llc, paterson
- dollar general 11809, clifton
- dollar general 12935, paterson
- dollar general 20570, passaic
- dollar general 21122, hewitt
- dollar general 21812, clifton
- dollar general 24805, bloomingdale
- dollar general 31076, paterson
- dollar tree 1696, clifton
- dollar tree 3104, hawthorne
- dollar tree 3568, clifton
- dollar tree 4666, clifton
- dollar tree 6151, wayne
- dollar tree 7382, passaic
- dollar tree 7486, wayne
- dollar tree 7958, passaic
- dollar tree 8593, clifton
- dollar tree 9704, woodland park
- family dollar 10341, paterson
- family dollar 11985, paterson
- family dollar 12416, passaic
- family dollar 12632, hawthorne
- family dollar 12708, paterson
- family dollar 4314, passaic
- family dollar 8522, paterson
- family dollar 8645, clifton
- family dollar store 10330, paterson
- giant lot trading llc, paterson
- h&m food market, clifton
- new fish market inc., paterson
- nilkanth llc, passaic
- pol store international inc, passaic
- quick chek food stores 021, bloomingdale
- quick chek food stores 028, little falls
- quick chek food stores 031, wanaque
- quick chek food stores 039, passaic
- quick chek food stores 128, clifton
- quick chek corporation 148, wayne
- quick chek food stores 026, totowa
- quickchek 167, wayne
- quickchek 197, totowa
- quickchek 110, wayne
- shukriya super market halal meat, paterson
- sultan halal, paterson
- walgreens 06382, clifton
- walgreens 04162, clifton
- walgreens 05005, paterson
- walgreens 11357, clifton
- walgreens 11507, west milford
- walgreens 12792, paterson
- walgreens 13083, haledon
- walgreens 13719, wayne
- walgreens 13863, little falls
- walgreens 18306, hawthorne
- walgreens 19184, passaic
- walgreens 19467, wayne
- walgreens 5332, passaic
Large Grocery Store · 18
- ak market, paterson
- al baik halal meats, paterson
- am liquors, paterson
- baraka halal grocery llc, paterson
- bravo supermarket, paterson
- el bodegon, passaic
- el especial supermarket, passaic
- empire meats market, paterson
- fattals bakery inc, paterson
- india bazaar, totowa
- international meat market, paterson
- kb food plaza, passaic
- la mia meats market llc, passaic
- mennellas poultry co, paterson
- plaza mexico, passaic
- soulberry natural market spring lake 2, spring lake
- town supermarket & halal meat, paterson
- vela -ber market, passaic
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 15
- a & b poultry llc, paterson
- al helal inc, paterson
- bereket meat market, clifton
- bismillah live poultry, paterson
- brothers quality halal meat, paterson
- bym poultry llc, paterson
- clifton halal live poultry inc, clifton
- global country meats, paterson
- medinah halal meats, paterson
- paterson halal meat and live poultry, paterson
- rahma's poultry, passaic
- sanchez live poultry market, passaic
- superior halal meat market llc, paterson
- us poultry, passaic
- zemzem poultry & livestock inc, paterson
Farmers' Market · 2
- the west milford farmers market, west milford
- wayne farmer's market, wayne
Bakery Specialty · 1
- baladna bakery, paterson
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- the harvest, prospect park
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- a better market llc, paterson
Showing 250 of 493 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New Jersey
Compare Passaic County vs Atlantic County → · All New Jersey counties →
Food access nationally, New Jersey in context
Passaic County sits inside New Jersey (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 Passaic County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Passaic County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Passaic County? ▼
Is Passaic County a food desert? ▼
What share of Passaic 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.