County food-access profile · Vermont
Rutland County, VT
Rutland County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 18.1%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 10.7%
- on SNAP
- 60K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
18.1% of Rutland County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 6.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.8%
- 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).
Rutland County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 18.1% per the USDA Atlas. 7 of the county's 20 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 11,171 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,030 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 Rutland County compares nationally
Rutland County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 18.1% low-access share that beats 41% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,854).
Rutland County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Rutland County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Rutland County vs. other Vermont counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Vermont
- Rutland
Rutland County, VT
18.1 % low-access
- Addison 6.2
Addison County, VT
6.2 % low-access
- Bennington 8.2
Bennington County, VT
8.2 % low-access
- Caledonia 5.8
Caledonia County, VT
5.8 % low-access
- Chittenden
Chittenden County, VT
13.9 % low-access
- Essex
Essex County, VT
28.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 61,642 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 11,171 |
| Low-Access Share | 18.1%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,030 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 60,425 |
| Median Household Income | $68,616 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,710 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.4% |
About 10.7% of Rutland County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 18.1% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,710 households here.
- 6.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Rutland County
near the national share
2 of Rutland County's 20 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.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 11,171 residents, roughly 18.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,030 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 13 tracts (65.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Rutland County
Rutland County has 73 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 44 locations (60% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 44
- beejj inc, bomoseen
- benson general store inc, benson
- beverage king, bomoseen
- circle k 4707403, rutland
- cumberland farms 8004, rutland
- champlain farms 130, brandon
- champlain farms 275, pittsford
- crossman's general store, middletown springs
- cumberland farms 8009, wallingford
- el maha general trading corp, rutland
- g & g market, rutland
- green mountain market #102 102, brandon
- green mountain market 101, rutland
- green mountain market 103 103, brandon
- green mountain market 104 104, bomoseen
- jiffy mart 458, west rutland
- jiffy mart 680, fair haven
- jiffy mart 683, rutland
- jiffy mart 689, east wallingford
- jolley 538, rutland
- jolley 540, rutland
- killington deli and marketplace llc, killington
- kwik mart, rutland
- leicester convenience store, leicester
- midway station 550, rutland
- poultney irving 625, poultney
- shrewsbury cooperatve at pierce's store2658 northu, cuttingsville
- stewarts shop 190, fair haven
- stewarts shop 194, rutland
- stewarts shop 196, rutland
- stewarts shop 198, west rutland
- sandri 283, west rutland
- stewarts shop 191, poultney
- suleman enteprises inc, center rutland
- tenneybrok poultney 650, poultney
- tenneybrook castleton 750, castleton
- tenneybrook fairhaven 300, fair haven
- tennybrook mall 400, rutland
- the wallingford village market, wallingford
- union street grocery, brandon
- wallingford citgo 850, wallingford
- west st corner, rutland
- west street mobil 900, rutland
- wooden barrel country store, chittenden
Combination Grocery/Other · 14
- cvs pharmacy 673, rutland
- dollar general 16871, castleton
- dollar general 11654, rutland
- dollar general 11660, fair haven
- dollar general 15225, rutland
- dollar general 22903, pittsford
- dollar general 25617, poultney
- dollar tree 2232, rutland
- family dollar 8798, wallingford
- ocean state job lot 427, rutland
- walgreens 01756, rutland
- walgreens 10333, brandon
- walgreens 18278, west rutland
- walgreens 18354, fair haven
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 73031, rutland
- grand union 19498, rutland
- market 32 by price chopper 122, west rutland
- market 32 by price chopper 131, rutland
- shaw's supermarket 1323, poultney
- shaw's supermarket 1324, fair haven
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- discount foods of rutland, rutland
- kamuda's country market, pittsford
- pruniers market, bomoseen
- rutland area food co-op, rutland
- tenney brook market, rutland
Super Store · 3
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8306, rutland
- hannaford supermarket 8409, brandon
- walmart 2530, rutland
Farmers' Market · 1
- the vermont farmers market, inc. fm, rutland
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Vermont
Compare Rutland County vs Addison County → · All Vermont counties →
Food access nationally, Vermont in context
Rutland County sits inside Vermont (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 Rutland County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Rutland County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Rutland County? ▼
Is Rutland County a food desert? ▼
What share of Rutland 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.