County food-access profile · Colorado
Pueblo County, CO
Pueblo County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 41.6%
- low-access pop.
- 22
- food-desert tracts
- 19.7%
- on SNAP
- 169K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
41.6% of Pueblo County residents live in a low-access area, and 22 of its 54 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 33
- low-access tracts
- 27K
- food-desert residents
- 6.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.6%
- 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).
Pueblo County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 41.6% is well above the national share. 33 of the county's 54 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 66,121 people. 22 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 27,276 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 Pueblo County compares nationally
Pueblo County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 41.6% low-access share outpaces 89% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #351 most-affected nationwide.
Pueblo County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 54 census tracts in Pueblo County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Pueblo County vs. other Colorado counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Colorado
- Pueblo
Pueblo County, CO
41.6 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, CO
17.9 % low-access
- Alamosa
Alamosa County, CO
27.7 % low-access
- Arapahoe 13.6
Arapahoe County, CO
13.6 % low-access
- Archuleta
Archuleta County, CO
40.9 % low-access
- Baca
Baca County, CO
25.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 54 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 159,063 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 33 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 22 |
| Low-Access Population | 66,121 |
| Low-Access Share | 41.6%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 27,276 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 169,356 |
| Median Household Income | $64,010 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.6%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 13,495 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.7%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.3% |
About 19.7% of Pueblo County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 41.6% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 19.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 13,495 households here.
- 6.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 22 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 Pueblo County
well above the national share
22 of Pueblo County's 54 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 40.7% of all its tracts.
A further 11 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 33.
An estimated 66,121 residents, roughly 41.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 27,276 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 21 tracts (38.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Pueblo County
Pueblo County has 118 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 62 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 62
- 7-eleven, pueblo
- 7-eleven 13111s, pueblo
- 7-eleven 17127, pueblo
- 7-eleven 19169, pueblo
- 7-eleven 20638j, pueblo
- 7-eleven, inc. 32990j, pueblo
- alta 3104, pueblo
- alta 3106, pueblo
- alta 3107, pueblo
- alta 3109, pueblo
- alta 3113, pueblo
- alta 6040, pueblo
- alta 6135, pueblo
- alta 6143, pueblo
- baguni mart, pueblo
- circle k 2706999, pueblo
- circle k 2709514, pueblo
- circle k 2741171, pueblo
- circle k 2744062, pueblo
- diamond shamrock corner store 2744138, pueblo
- figaro's general store, boone
- jr's country store 201, pueblo
- jr's country store 205, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750002, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750008, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750014, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750015, avondale
- loaf n jug 750024, colorado city
- loaf n jug 750025, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750028, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750034, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750035, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750037, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750038, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750052, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750065, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750067, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750070, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750071, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750073, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750074, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750075, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750078, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750079, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750082, pueblo west
- loaf n jug 750084, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750085, pueblo west
- loaf n jug 750086, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750087, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750093, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750202, pueblo
- loaf n jug 750203, pueblo
- love's travel stop 226, pueblo
- maks at pueblo, pueblo
- maverik, inc 734, pueblo
- maverik, inc 751, pueblo
- murphy usa 7967, pueblo
- peppers & petals, pueblo
- pueblo west kwik stop inc., pueblo
- sinclair baxter rd, pueblo
- sonoras meat market & restaurant, pueblo
- ta pueblo, pueblo
Combination Grocery/Other · 28
- dollar general 13637, pueblo
- dollartree 9628, pueblo
- dollar general 10606, pueblo
- dollar general 10971, pueblo
- dollar general 11132, pueblo
- dollar general 11547, pueblo
- dollar general 11829, pueblo
- dollar general 19538, pueblo
- dollar general 20750, pueblo
- dollar general 20879, pueblo west
- dollar general 21096, pueblo west
- dollar tree 2671, pueblo
- dollar tree 2675, pueblo
- dollar tree 3140, pueblo
- dollar tree 4595, pueblo
- family dollar 2600, pueblo
- family dollar 2626, pueblo
- family dollar 7137, pueblo
- family dollar 7472, pueblo
- family dollar 8338, colorado city
- family dollar 8707, pueblo
- family dollar 9160, pueblo
- gaglianos italian market, pueblo
- walgreens 04721, pueblo
- walgreens 05642, pueblo
- walgreens 06283, pueblo
- walgreens 09568, pueblo
- walgreens 09569, pueblo west
Super Store · 9
- albertsons 816, pueblo
- king soopers 12, pueblo
- king soopers 43, pueblo
- sam's club 6549, pueblo
- target stores t- 0618, pueblo
- walmart 1001, pueblo
- walmart neighborhood market 5828, pueblo
- walmart sc 3382, pueblo west
- walmart sc 842, pueblo
Supermarket · 6
- mesa lagrees, pueblo
- safeway 1760, pueblo
- safeway 3729, pueblo
- save a lot 23844, pueblo
- valley grocery market, colorado city
- vitamin cottage natural food markets inc u017, pueblo
Bakery Specialty · 3
- papa murphy's take & bake pizza co 019, pueblo
- papa murphy's take & bake pizza co 058, pueblo
- zoelsmanns bakery, pueblo
Large Grocery Store · 3
- double j markets inc 1, pueblo
- el rodeo meat market, pueblo
- franks meat market, pueblo
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- beulah general store, beulah
- mauro farms, pueblo
- sonoras meat market & restaurant, pueblo
Farmers' Market · 2
- eastside pueblo farmers market, pueblo
- pueblo farmers market, pueblo
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- pueblo bounty and yield, pueblo
Small Grocery Store · 1
- super market gonzalez 1, pueblo
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Colorado
Compare Pueblo County vs Adams County → · All Colorado counties →
Food access nationally, Colorado in context
Pueblo County sits inside Colorado (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 Pueblo County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Pueblo County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Pueblo County? ▼
Is Pueblo County a food desert? ▼
What share of Pueblo 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.