County food-access profile · New Hampshire
Rockingham County, NH
Rockingham 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.
- 43.0%
- low-access pop.
- 7
- food-desert tracts
- 3.3%
- on SNAP
- 319K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
43.0% of Rockingham County residents live in a low-access area, and 7 of its 64 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 38
- low-access tracts
- 15K
- food-desert residents
- 3.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 4.8%
- 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).
Rockingham County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 43.0% is well above the national share. 38 of the county's 64 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 127,074 people. 7 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 15,371 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 Rockingham County compares nationally
Rockingham County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 43.0% low-access share outpaces 90% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #316 most-affected nationwide.
Rockingham County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 64 census tracts in Rockingham County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Rockingham County vs. other New Hampshire counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New Hampshire
- Rockingham
Rockingham County, NH
43 % low-access
- Belknap 11.4
Belknap County, NH
11.4 % low-access
- Carroll 1.5
Carroll County, NH
1.5 % low-access
- Cheshire
Cheshire County, NH
19.3 % low-access
- Coos 16.9
Coos County, NH
16.9 % low-access
- Grafton 10.5
Grafton County, NH
10.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 64 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 295,223 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 38 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 7 |
| Low-Access Population | 127,074 |
| Low-Access Share | 43.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 15,371 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 319,082 |
| Median Household Income | $118,331 |
| Poverty Rate | 4.8%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,216 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 3.3%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.8% |
About 3.3% of Rockingham County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 43.0% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 3.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,216 households here.
- 3.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 7 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 Rockingham County
well above the national share
7 of Rockingham County's 64 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.9% of all its tracts.
A further 31 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 38.
An estimated 127,074 residents, roughly 43.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 15,371 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 26 tracts (40.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Rockingham County
Rockingham County has 179 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 83 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 83
- 108 general store, newton
- 7 eleven (33233a) 33233a, derry
- 7 eleven inc 37392h, londonderry
- 7-eleven 16157 p, salem
- 7-eleven 30292j, londonderry
- 7-eleven 32498c, raymond
- 7-eleven 37359h, salem
- a & m junction market, newton
- a&m sandown market, sandown
- alltown northwood 775, northwood
- alltown fresh auburn 642, auburn
- big apple 1078, portsmouth
- circle k 4707267, newfields
- circle k 4707212, raymond
- cumberland farms 5409, derry
- cabot street market, portsmouth
- candia first stop, candia
- catalano's market llc, seabrook
- cer's patriots, hampton
- circle k 4707206, epping
- circle k 4707209, northwood
- circle k 4707223, north hampton
- circle k 4707228, newmarket
- circle k 4707231, seabrook
- circle k 4707232, stratham
- circle k 4707234, derry
- circle k 4707235, portsmouth
- circle k 4707238, salem
- circle k 4707265, stratham
- circle k 4707266, hampstead
- cityline market, salem
- convenience plus londonderry c10, londonderry
- cumberland farms 5404, greenland
- cumberland farms 5442, portsmouth
- cumberland farms 5443, newington
- cumberland farms 5444, epping
- cumberland farms 5544, salem
- cumberland farms, inc 5545, plaistow
- deep meadow variety, exeter
- danville market, danville
- deerfield mart llc, deerfield
- derry convenience, derry
- dino mart, newmarket
- down town convenience store 1, raymond
- energy north 2219, salem
- epping xtra mart 10023, epping
- gibbs 2103, derry
- gibbs 2180, exeter
- grab and go llc, newmarket
- hampstead xtra mart 10026, hampstead
- ishu corp - on the border convenience store, seabrook
- kevs country strore inc., salem
- l & m variety, newmarket
- laabh llc, portsmouth
- mobil 2422, portsmouth
- mobil 2457, raymond
- mr gas plus, raymond
- nouria 101 1 center street 1132, raymond
- nouria 119 plaistow road 1130, plaistow
- nouria 126 route 125 1117, kingston
- nouria 135 south broadway 1188, salem
- nouria 137 first new hampshire turnpike 1129, northwood
- nouria 158 epping road 1170, exeter
- nouria 174 rockingham rd 1194, londonderry
- nouria 19 rockingham rd 1250, windham
- nouria 304 sandown road 1268, east hampstead
- nouria 37 birch street 1111, derry
- nouria 51 old manchester rd 1254, raymond
- nouria 786 us highway 1 bypass 1131, portsmouth
- nouria 903 londonderry turnpike 1167, auburn
- o'brien's general store, inc, seabrook
- plaistow mini express llc, plaistow
- portsmouth mobil, portsmouth
- rebel 896, londonderry
- richardson's market, portsmouth
- rowes corner market, newton
- rt 107 beverages, seabrook
- rusty lantern market 0180, north hampton
- rusty lantern market 0663, seabrook
- seasons corner market 303, salem
- speedway 1957, hampton
- speedway 1959, derry
- ta greenland 211, greenland
Combination Grocery/Other · 40
- bhagwati corp, exeter
- cvs pharmacy 1004, salem
- cvs pharmacy 164, windham
- cvs pharmacy 2420, londonderry
- cvs pharmacy 500, stratham
- cvs pharmacy 503, seabrook
- cvs pharmacy 5153, epping
- cvs pharmacy 5862, salem
- cvs pharmacy 593, derry
- cvs pharmacy 6596, hampton
- cvs pharmacy 846, portsmouth
- cvs pharmacy inc 181, plaistow
- dollar tree 3201, raymond
- dollar tree 3491, exeter
- dollar tree 3654, plaistow
- dollar general 16773, raymond
- dollar general 25268, derry
- dollar general 31804, newmarket
- dollar general 31805, raymond
- dollar tree 1891, derry
- dollar tree 3877, salem
- dollar tree 3992, seabrook
- dollar tree 4007, north hampton
- dollar tree 4203, portsmouth
- dollar tree 5720, epping
- dollar tree 7968, londonderry
- india bazaar, portsmouth
- ocean state job lot 407, portsmouth
- ocean state job lot 410, derry
- ocean state job lot 414, seabrook
- ocean state job lot 415, stratham
- ocean state job lot 416, salem
- shyer's lobster pounds, inc, salem
- walgreens 03103, exeter
- walgreens 03174, hampton
- walgreens 09178, londonderry
- walgreens 09250, epping
- walgreens 10378, e hampstead
- walgreens 11225, raymond
- walgreens 15464, plaistow
Super Store · 34
- bj's wholesale club 17, salem
- bj's wholesale club 62, portsmouth
- bj's wholesale club, inc. 381, seabrook
- hannaford food & drug 8160, northwood
- hannaford supermarket 8149, portsmouth
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8016, derry
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8120, raymond
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8185, londonderry
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8190, e hampstead
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8319, hampton
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8435, exeter
- market basket 21, portsmouth
- market basket 25, plaistow
- market basket 26, stratham
- market basket 30, seabrook
- market basket 31, salem
- market basket 41, seabrook
- market basket 56, portsmouth
- market basket 42, londonderry
- market basket 6, salem
- market basket 63, epping
- market basket 84, salem
- mckinnons market & super butcher shop, salem
- mckinnons market & super butcher shop 004, portsmouth
- target 1186, salem
- target 2530, greenland
- walmart 1753, derry
- walmart 1762, seabrook
- walmart 1930, plaistow
- walmart 2130, portsmouth
- walmart 2398, newington
- walmart supercenter 2142, salem
- walmart supercenter 3535, epping
- whole foods market 10778, portsmouth
Supermarket · 14
- aldi 73092, newington
- aldi 73093 73093, derry
- aldi 73094, seabrook
- aldi 73097, plaistow
- aldi 73098, salem
- mr. steer meats, londonderry
- newberry farms, newmarket
- shaw's supermarket 3483, derry
- shaw's supermarket 3669, plaistow
- shaw's supermarket 4512, north hampton
- shaw's supermarket 484, londonderry
- shaw's supermarket 621, stratham
- shaw's supermarket 686, windham
- trader joe's 520, newington
Farmers' Market · 5
- candia farmers market, candia
- derry homegrown farm & artisan market, inc, derry
- exeter farmers market, stratham
- portsmouth farmers' market, portsmouth
- salem nh farmers market, salem
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- los seafood & oriental mkt, portsmouth
Military Commissary · 1
- portsmouth naval shpyd commissary 2035, portsmouth nsy
Small Grocery Store · 1
- brookvale mercantile, inc., brentwood
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New Hampshire
Compare Rockingham County vs Belknap County → · All New Hampshire counties →
Food access nationally, New Hampshire in context
Rockingham County sits inside New Hampshire (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 Rockingham County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Rockingham County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Rockingham County? ▼
Is Rockingham County a food desert? ▼
What share of Rockingham 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.