County food-access profile · New Mexico
Sandoval County, NM
Sandoval 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.
- 53.1%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 13.8%
- on SNAP
- 154K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
53.1% of Sandoval County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 27 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 21
- low-access tracts
- 24K
- food-desert residents
- 3.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.0%
- 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).
Sandoval County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 53.1% is well above the national share. 21 of the county's 27 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 69,866 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 24,236 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 Sandoval County compares nationally
Sandoval County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 53.1% low-access share outpaces 94% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #173 most-affected nationwide.
Sandoval County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 27 census tracts in Sandoval County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Sandoval County vs. other New Mexico counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New Mexico
- Sandoval
Sandoval County, NM
53.1 % low-access
- Bernalillo 19.4
Bernalillo County, NM
19.4 % low-access
- Catron
Catron County, NM
100 % low-access
- Chaves 28.2
Chaves County, NM
28.2 % low-access
- Cibola 39.3
Cibola County, NM
39.3 % low-access
- Colfax 28.5
Colfax County, NM
28.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 27 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 131,561 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 21 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 69,866 |
| Low-Access Share | 53.1%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 24,236 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 153,604 |
| Median Household Income | $86,636 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.0%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,867 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.8%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.6% |
About 13.8% of Sandoval County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 53.1% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,867 households here.
- 3.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Sandoval County
well above the national share
4 of Sandoval County's 27 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.8% of all its tracts.
A further 17 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 21.
An estimated 69,866 residents, roughly 53.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 24,236 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (22.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Sandoval County
Sandoval County has 72 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 35 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 35
- 7-eleven 721, rio rancho
- allsup's 102429, cuba
- allsups 216, bernalillo
- allsups 342, rio rancho
- amandas jemez mountain country store, jemez springs
- bernalillo feed & conoco, bernalillo
- bernalillo chevron, bernalillo
- black mesa travel center, algodones
- claras trading post, cuba
- chaco trade center, cuba
- circle k 2706276, rio rancho
- circle k 2708945, cuba
- circle k 2741217, bernalillo
- circle k 2741220, rio rancho
- dk 724, rio rancho
- good 2 go store 306, rio rancho
- good 2 go store 308, rio rancho
- kewa gas llc, santo domingo pueblo
- market street express 921, rio rancho
- murphy express 8648, bernalillo
- murphy express 8911, rio rancho
- red mesa express 520, cuba
- red mesa express 526, counselor
- regina mercantile inc, regina
- speedway 8922, rio rancho
- speedway 8927, bernalillo
- speedway 8928, rio rancho
- speedway 9114, rio rancho
- speedway 9118, rio rancho
- speedway 9119, rio rancho
- speedway 9513, cuba
- speedway 9614, san ysidro
- speedway 9739, bernalillo
- t & s mainstream bait shop, pena blanca
- walatowa convenience store, jemez pueblo
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 7552, rio rancho
- dollar general 10614, rio rancho
- dollar general 18690, rio rancho
- dollar general 17822, san ysidro
- dollar general 21685, cuba
- dollar general 5731, bernalillo
- dollar tree 2823, rio rancho
- dollar tree 3690, rio rancho
- dollar tree 6682, rio rancho
- family dollar 12191, algodones
- family dollar store 5389, bernalillo
- family dollar store 6191, cuba
- walgreens 2026, bernalillo
- walgreens 12270, rio rancho
- walgreens 4187, rio rancho
- walgreens 5158, rio rancho
- walgreens 5732, rio rancho
Super Store · 5
- smiths 413, rio rancho
- target store 1117, rio rancho
- walmart neighborhood market 3517, rio rancho
- walmart supercenter 3732, rio rancho
- walmart supercenter 3731, bernalillo
Supermarket · 5
- albertson's 923, rio rancho
- albertsons 903, rio rancho
- market street 921, rio rancho
- sprouts farmers market 710, rio rancho
- vitamin cottage natural food markets inc u037, rio rancho
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- el paisano market, rio rancho
- rio rancho meats, rio rancho
- the merc, placitas
Large Grocery Store · 2
- mickeys saveway market, cuba
- t & t supermart, bernalillo
Small Grocery Store · 2
- daniel's store, santo domingo pueblo
- latitudes 1, rio rancho
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys nm035, rio rancho
Farmers' Market · 1
- bernalillo farmers market, bernalillo
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- fresh for less, bernalillo
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New Mexico
Compare Sandoval County vs Bernalillo County → · All New Mexico counties →
Food access nationally, New Mexico in context
Sandoval County sits inside New Mexico (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 Sandoval County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Sandoval County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Sandoval County? ▼
Is Sandoval County a food desert? ▼
What share of Sandoval 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.