Signature · 3 LILA tracts (75% of tracts)
Rockbridge County, VA
Rockbridge County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 3 LILA tracts (75% of the book) alongside 20.0% low-access.
- 20.0%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 11.1%
- on SNAP
- 23K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Rockbridge County, VA
LA-ELEVATED · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 20.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -2.1 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 11.1% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 75% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Lynchburg city (+ 0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Rockbridge County ranks #1,689 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #58 of 123 counties in VA (20.0% low-access; 3 food-desert tracts).
- #1,689
- national by low-access %
- #58
- in VA
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 3 LILA tracts (75% of tracts) .
How Rockbridge County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Rockbridge County's 20.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 46% of them and ranked #1,689 most-affected nationwide.
Rockbridge County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
All 4 of Rockbridge County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Rockbridge County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Virginia, not a full county-board reprint
- Highland
Highland 99.7%
99.7 % low-access
- Rappahannock 20.5
Rappahannock 20.5%
20.5 % low-access
- Montgomery 20.2
Montgomery 20.2%
20.2 % low-access
- Lynchburg city 20.1
Lynchburg city 20.1%
20.1 % low-access
- Rockbridge 20
Rockbridge 20%
20 % low-access
- Bland 19.5
Bland 19.5%
19.5 % low-access
- Dickenson 0
Dickenson 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 22,307 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,456 |
| Low-Access Share | 20.0%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,627 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 22,531 |
| Median Household Income | $65,469 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.5%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,061 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.1%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.3% |
SNAP retailers in Rockbridge County
Rockbridge County has 23 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 16 locations (70% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
8 towns share the 23 authorized stores; Lexington holds 35% of them. 7 of the 8 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Raphine, Fairfield, Natural Bridge, Glasgow, Buena Vista, Goshen and 1 more.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Lexington | 8 | 2 |
| Raphine | 4 | none |
| Fairfield | 3 | none |
| Natural Bridge | 3 | none |
| Glasgow | 2 | none |
| Buena Vista | 1 | none |
| Goshen | 1 | none |
| Natural Bridge Station | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 16
- bp shop, raphine
- country store and cafe, natural bridge station
- dottie's country store, fairfield
- fairfield bp, fairfield
- fancy hill food mart, natural bridge
- glasgow grocery express inc, glasgow
- hunter hill 7-eleven 309615, lexington
- lexington pit stop 543, lexington
- midland trail pit stop 556, lexington
- natural bridge foodmart, natural bridge
- petro raphine 427, raphine
- pilot travel center 4649, raphine
- stop in food stores 8046, natural bridge
- smiley's fuel city / smiley's bbq, raphine
- ta lexington 428, lexington
- timber ridge pit stop 557, lexington
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- cvs pharmacy 5514, buena vista
- dollar general 2563, goshen
- dollar general 25783, fairfield
- dollar general 6395, glasgow
- dollar tree 272, lexington
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 1335, lexington
Supermarket · 1
- food lion 774, lexington
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Virginia
One of 132 counties in Virginia, 6 are shown here.
Compare Rockbridge County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Nationwide peers for Rockbridge County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Rockbridge County, both outside Virginia so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside VA (20.0% here).
- Goshen County, WY · 20.0% low-access
- Camden County, NJ · 20.0% low-access
- Olmsted County, MN · 20.0% low-access
- Montgomery County, MD · 20.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside VA (11.1% here).
- Wood County, TX · 11.1% SNAP
- Taylor County, TX · 11.1% SNAP
- Hill County, TX · 11.1% SNAP
- Eau Claire County, WI · 11.1% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Virginia among South Atlantic states
Virginia ranks 8th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (20.4%). Rockbridge County, at 20.0%, runs 0.4 pts below the Virginia rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Rockbridge County, VA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 51163. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.