Signature · 46 SNAP-authorized stores
Salem County, NJ
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Salem 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).
- 20.8%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 12.5%
- on SNAP
- 65K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Salem County, NJ
LA-ELEVATED · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 20.8% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -1.3 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 5 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 12.5% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 9.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 21% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Hunterdon County ( -0.4 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Salem County ranks #1,621 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #14 of 21 counties in NJ (20.8% low-access; 5 food-desert tracts).
- #1,621
- national by low-access %
- #14
- in NJ
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- 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: 46 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Salem County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Salem County's 20.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 48% of them and ranked #1,622 most-affected nationwide.
Salem County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
24 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 5 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Salem County has 13 urban and 11 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Salem County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in New Jersey, not a full county-board reprint
- Ocean
Ocean 43.6%
43.6 % low-access
- Middlesex
Middlesex 25%
25 % low-access
- Salem
Salem 20.8%
20.8 % low-access
- Hunterdon
Hunterdon 20.4%
20.4 % low-access
- Camden
Camden 20%
20 % low-access
- Passaic 15.2
Passaic 15.2%
15.2 % low-access
- Hudson 0.7
Hudson 0.7%
0.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 24 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 66,083 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 13,760 |
| Low-Access Share | 20.8%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,569 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 65,275 |
| Median Household Income | $79,960 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,099 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.5%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.6%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.1% |
Thick SNAP store book in Salem County
Salem County has 46 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 21 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 21
- big boy deli inc 1, salem
- bns market, salem
- canton country store, salem
- heritage's dairy store 27, woodstown
- heritage's dairy store 34, elmer
- har govind corp, elmer
- jashjot convenience, salem
- n and j petroleum llc circle k, penns grove
- pennsgroove food mart, penns grove
- pilot travel center 253, carney's point
- pilot travel center 688, carney's point
- riggins, salem
- scarpazi's one stop deli, penns grove
- speed mart, penns grove
- sunoco, pilesgrove
- sunoco food mart, elmer
- wawa 446, elmer
- wawa 8332, pennsville
- wawa food market 459, woodstown
- wawa store 8466, penns grove
- wawa store 8711, pennsville
Combination Grocery/Other · 11
- dollar general 13182, penns grove
- dollar general 15742, salem
- dollar general 18268, elmer
- dollar general 22909, elmer
- dollar general 6950, pennsville
- dollar general 8717, woodstown
- dollar tree 1643, pennsville
- dollar tree 5782, pennsville
- family dollar store 1385, penns grove
- family dollar store 7174, salem
- walgreens 11027, pennsville
Supermarket · 4
- acme 2995, pennsville
- acme 3920, woodstown
- elmer iga, elmer
- save a lot 21638, pennsville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- burlington beef, monroeville
- everyday gourmet entrees limited liability company, elmer
- niblocks fresh meats, salem
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- lapp's dutch market, penns grove
- laurel market 2, penns grove
- tienda ramirez, penns grove
Large Grocery Store · 2
- carneys point farmers market, penns grove
- joes butcher shop, norma
Seafood Specialty · 1
- marty's crabs, bridgeton
Super Store · 1
- walmart 2041, pennsville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in New Jersey
One of 20 counties in New Jersey, 6 are shown here.
Compare Salem County vs Atlantic County → · All New Jersey counties →
Nationwide peers for Salem County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Salem County, both outside New Jersey so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NJ (20.8% here).
- Scotland County, NC · 20.8% low-access
- Scotland County, NC · 20.8% low-access
- Ramsey County, MN · 20.8% low-access
- Ramsey County, MN · 20.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NJ (12.5% here).
- Lewis County, NY · 12.5% SNAP
- Lewis County, NY · 12.5% SNAP
- Benton County, MO · 12.5% SNAP
- Benton County, MO · 12.5% 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.
Food access nationally, New Jersey in context
Salem County sits inside New Jersey (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Salem County, NJ are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 34033. 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.