PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Pennsylvania

Perry County, PA

Most of Perry County sits within reach of a supermarket, better than most U.S. counties. This profile covers who, if anyone, qualifies as a food desert here, plus the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).

6.3%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
10.6%
on SNAP
46K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 PA

The food-access picture

6.3% of Perry County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

1
low-access tracts
1K
food-desert residents
5.7%
households, no vehicle
8.0%
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).

By the USDA's measure, Perry County fares better than most: just 6.3% of residents live in a low-access tract, below the national share. Still, 1 of the county's 10 tracts meet that threshold, covering about 2,877 people who live far from a supermarket, and 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,050 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 Perry County compares nationally

Food access in Perry County compares favorably nationally: its 6.3% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 12% of them (rank #2,746).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Perry County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 10 census tracts in Perry County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Perry County, PA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 9 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 0 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 10 tracts evaluated. 9 tracts adequate (90.0%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (10.0%) Adequate 90% Limited 0% Severe 10% Food-access tier distribution: Perry County, PA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Perry County vs. other Pennsylvania counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Pennsylvania

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

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Perry County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts10
Atlas Population (2010 basis)45,969
Low-Access Tracts1
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population2,877
Low-Access Share6.3%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,050

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Perry County
IndicatorValue
Population46,239
Median Household Income$79,444
Poverty Rate8.0%well below the national average
SNAP Households1,934
SNAP Participation Rate10.6%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.7%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.0%
SNAP participation in Perry County 10.6%

About 10.6% of Perry County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 6.3% of residents are low-access, below the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 10.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,934 households here.
  • 5.7% 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 Perry County

below the national share

1 of Perry County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.0% of all its tracts.

An estimated 2,877 residents, roughly 6.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 1,050 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 9 tracts (90.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Perry County

Perry County has 36 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 14 locations (39% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 14

  • aplus 40454, duncannon
  • duncannon food market, duncannon
  • joe's kwik mart 1036, marysville
  • landisburg mart, landisburg
  • liberty travel plaza - duncannon, duncannon
  • new bloomfield mart, new bloomfield
  • nilkanth penn llc, duncannon
  • pds convience llc, loysville
  • perry petroleum place inc., liverpool
  • radhe krup inc, shermans dale
  • sharar's grocery, newport
  • sd quickstop, shermans dale
  • sheetz 288, duncannon
  • us fuel, newport

Combination Grocery/Other · 13

  • dollar general 4632, marysville
  • dollar general 8897, newport
  • dollar general 15642, landisburg
  • dollar general 19690, duncannon
  • dollar general 22052, liverpool
  • dollar general 22638, newport
  • dollar general 6315, duncannon
  • dollar general 8311, shermans dale
  • dollar general store 16440, new bloomfield
  • dollar tree 8093, new bloomfield
  • family dollar 11302, loysville
  • food plus, shermans dale
  • people's provisions, elliottsburg

Medium Grocery Store · 4

  • butcher's farm market, newport
  • blain market llc, blain
  • skyline bargains, newport
  • stoney ridge foods, loysville

Super Store · 2

  • karns quality foods, new bloomfield
  • karns quality foods 444, duncannon

Supermarket · 2

  • giant food store 6100, newport
  • weis markets 20, newport

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • fersters meat market, new bloomfield

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Pennsylvania

Adams County
15.9% low-access · 8.2% SNAP
Allegheny County
26.4% low-access · 13.0% SNAP
Armstrong County
5.2% low-access · 15.6% SNAP
Beaver County
32.5% low-access · 13.8% SNAP
Bedford County
22.7% low-access · 15.8% SNAP
Berks County
17.5% low-access · 13.9% SNAP

Compare Perry County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →

Food access nationally, Pennsylvania in context

Perry County sits inside Pennsylvania (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Perry County has low food access? ▼
6.3% of residents in Perry County, PA live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Perry County? ▼
10.6% of households in Perry County receive SNAP, covering 1,934 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Perry County? ▼
The poverty rate in Perry County, PA is 8.0%, with a median household income of $79,444 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Perry County a food desert? ▼
1 of Perry County's 10 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Perry County households lack a vehicle? ▼
5.7% of households in Perry County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.