PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · West Virginia

Preston County, WV

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Preston 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).

24.9%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
17.2%
on SNAP
34K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 WV

The food-access picture

24.9% of Preston County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

5
low-access tracts
3K
food-desert residents
5.7%
households, no vehicle
13.8%
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 Preston County's low-access share at 24.9%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 8 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 8,344 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,396 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 Preston County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Preston County's 24.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 58% of them and ranked #1,304 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Preston County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 8 census tracts in Preston 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 Preston County, WV USDA-defined food-access tiers: 3 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 8 tracts evaluated. 3 tracts adequate (37.5%) 2 tracts limited (25.0%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (37.5%) Adequate 38% Limited 25% Severe 38% Food-access tier distribution: Preston County, WV
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Preston County vs. other West Virginia counties

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

% 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 Preston County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts8
Atlas Population (2010 basis)33,520
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population8,344
Low-Access Share24.9%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,396

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Preston County
IndicatorValue
Population34,160
Median Household Income$61,880
Poverty Rate13.8%near the national average
SNAP Households2,207
SNAP Participation Rate17.2%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.7%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population11.1%
SNAP participation in Preston County 17.2%

About 17.2% of Preston County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 24.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 17.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,207 households here.
  • 5.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 3 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 Preston County

above the national share

3 of Preston County's 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 37.5% of all its tracts.

A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.

An estimated 8,344 residents, roughly 24.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 3,396 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 3 tracts (37.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Preston County

Preston County has 38 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 20 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 20

  • 4704004.0 4004, masontown
  • 4704016.0 4016, kingwood
  • bfs foods 10, bruceton mills
  • bfs foods 11, masontown
  • bfs foods 40, terra alta
  • bfs foods 60, kingwood
  • bfs foods 61, kingwood
  • bfs foods 72, bruceton mills
  • cheat river general store, rowlesburg
  • cool springs park, rowlesburg
  • deerwood service center, aurora
  • lenox store, albright
  • mountaineer mart - terra alta 131, terra alta
  • par mar store 150, kingwood
  • par mar store 178, reedsville
  • par mar store 218, terra alta
  • the point convenience, albright
  • the roberts family store, kingwood
  • tunnelton quick stop, tunnelton
  • w w service center llc, tunnelton

Combination Grocery/Other · 12

  • dollar general 17364, aurora
  • dollar general 20762, albright
  • dollar general 3539, kingwood
  • dollar general 8515, terra alta
  • dollar general 9146, reedsville
  • dollar tree 3936, kingwood
  • family dollar 11709, tunnelton
  • family dollar 13545, terra alta
  • family dollar store 7262, bruceton mills
  • reedsville shop n save, reedsville
  • terra alta shop n save, terra alta
  • walgreens 19666, kingwood

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • lec farm & garden market, kingwood
  • streets store, masontown

Small Grocery Store · 2

  • haines farming & meat processing, llc, bruceton mills
  • no 4 store, tunnelton

Super Store · 2

  • kingwood shop n save express, kingwood
  • walmart 4372, kingwood

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in West Virginia

Barbour County
11.4% low-access · 19.5% SNAP
Berkeley County
38.8% low-access · 11.6% SNAP
Boone County
6.6% low-access · 22.0% SNAP
Braxton County
18.3% low-access · 22.0% SNAP
Brooke County
16.9% low-access · 14.1% SNAP
Cabell County
8.3% low-access · 16.7% SNAP

Compare Preston County vs Barbour County → · All West Virginia counties →

Food access nationally, West Virginia in context

Preston County sits inside West Virginia (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 Preston County has low food access? ▼
24.9% of residents in Preston County, WV 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 Preston County? ▼
17.2% of households in Preston County receive SNAP, covering 2,207 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Preston County? ▼
The poverty rate in Preston County, WV is 13.8%, with a median household income of $61,880 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Preston County a food desert? ▼
3 of Preston County's 8 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 Preston County households lack a vehicle? ▼
5.7% of households in Preston 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.