County food-access profile · Florida
Santa Rosa County, FL
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Santa Rosa 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).
- 39.8%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 9.7%
- on SNAP
- 198K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
39.8% of Santa Rosa County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 16
- low-access tracts
- 14K
- food-desert residents
- 3.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.8%
- 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).
USDA data puts Santa Rosa County's low-access share at 39.8%, above the national share. 16 of the county's 25 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 60,276 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 14,398 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 Santa Rosa County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Santa Rosa County's 39.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 87% of them and ranked #404 most-affected nationwide.
Santa Rosa County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 25 census tracts in Santa Rosa County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Santa Rosa County vs. other Florida counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Florida
- Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa County, FL
39.8 % low-access
- Alachua 19.2
Alachua County, FL
19.2 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, FL
55.6 % low-access
- Bay
Bay County, FL
31.5 % low-access
- Bradford 1.1
Bradford County, FL
1.1 % low-access
- Brevard
Brevard County, FL
41.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 25 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 151,372 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 16 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 60,276 |
| Low-Access Share | 39.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 14,398 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 198,472 |
| Median Household Income | $91,922 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,071 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.5% |
About 9.7% of Santa Rosa County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 39.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,071 households here.
- 3.4% 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 Santa Rosa County
above the national share
2 of Santa Rosa County's 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 8.0% of all its tracts.
A further 14 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 16.
An estimated 60,276 residents, roughly 39.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 14,398 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (36.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Santa Rosa County
Santa Rosa County has 138 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 58 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 58
- berrydale kwik-mart, jay
- cefco 426, pace
- cefco 427, gulf breeze
- cefco 432, navarre
- cefco 440, navarre
- cefco 442, gulf breeze
- circle k 2704388, gulf breeze
- circle k 2705090, milton
- circle k 2707608, milton
- circle k 2707610, milton
- cefco 413, milton
- circle k 2704968, milton
- circle k 2707747, milton
- circle k 2709084, pace
- circle k store 2709223, milton
- circle k stores 4963, milton
- coldwater country store llc, milton
- day break market d1140, milton
- diyaa food mart 1089, navarre
- exxon fuel express, milton
- farmers market, jay
- flagship food #4 4, gulf breeze
- holley food mart, navarre
- hop in 302, gulf breeze
- love's travel stop 802, milton
- milton exxon, milton
- murphy express 8645, milton
- murphy usa 7409, navarre
- murphy usa 7780, gulf breeze
- quick food mart 6, milton
- quick lane food store, milton
- s food mart three llc, milton
- saikrupa food stores, gulf breeze
- the harold store, milton
- the convenience store 2, gulf breeze
- thumbs up food store, gulf breeze
- tom thumb 900015, milton
- tom thumb 900026, pace
- tom thumb 900028, milton
- tom thumb 900030, pace
- tom thumb 900031, milton
- tom thumb 900032, milton
- tom thumb 900034, pace
- tom thumb 900035, milton
- tom thumb 900038, milton
- tom thumb 900068, milton
- tom thumb 900070, navarre
- tom thumb 900112, navarre
- tom thumb 900122, navarre
- tom thumb 900128, milton
- tom thumb 900131, navarre
- tom thumb 900140, gulf breeze
- tom thumb food sores 900129, navarre
- tom thumb food store 900025, milton
- tom thumb food store 900071, milton
- tom thumb food stores 900124, navarre
- tom thumb food stores 900151, milton
- underwood food mart inc, navarre
Combination Grocery/Other · 48
- cvs pharmacy 5176, gulf breeze
- cvs pharmacy 4155, gulf breeze
- cvs pharmacy 4449, milton
- cvs pharmacy 5248, navarre
- cvs pharmacy 5249, pace
- dollar general 1056, milton
- dollar general 10624, milton
- dollar general 11085, pace
- dollar general 18336, milton
- dollar general 18942, milton
- dollar general 20461, pace
- dollar general 4049, gulf breeze
- dollar general 8405, jay
- dollar general 8432, milton
- dollar general 9534, navarre
- dollartree 8098, navarre
- dollar general 11666, milton
- dollar general 12236, milton
- dollar general 14779, milton
- dollar general 20347, milton
- dollar general 20387, milton
- dollar general 22341, navarre
- dollar general 23091, milton
- dollar general 23685, navarre
- dollar general 24264, gulf breeze
- dollar general 24870, milton
- dollar general 24914, pace
- dollar general 30210, milton
- dollar general 30706, milton
- dollar general 31199, pace
- dollar general store 16641, gulf breeze
- dollar general store 17100, milton
- dollar tree 2838, gulf breeze
- dollar tree 303, pace
- dollar tree 4266, navarre
- dollar tree 6309, milton
- family dollar store 9257, jay
- family dollar 12037, navarre
- family dollar 12404, milton
- family dollar 8261, milton
- family dollar store 3311, pace
- family dollar store 434, milton
- oakes custom meats & catering, milton
- southern traders 3318, milton
- walgreen 09535, navarre
- walgreens 05757, pace
- walgreens 06210, gulf breeze
- walgreens 12300, milton
Supermarket · 15
- aldi 76158, navarre
- aldi 82059, pace
- aldi 82189, milton
- publix 0896, navarre
- publix 1189, gulf breeze
- publix 1225, pace
- pic n sav 326, milton
- piggly wiggly hwy 87 south 26, milton
- publix 1537, gulf breeze
- publix 1572, pace
- publix 1807, milton
- publix super markets, inc. 1835, navarre
- winn dixie 412, gulf breeze
- winn dixie 501, navarre
- winn dixie 507, pace
Super Store · 11
- grocery outlet 7708, pace
- milton pic n sav, milton
- piggly wiggly 594, milton
- target store t-2279, pace
- walmart 2467, pace
- walmart 2983, milton
- walmart 2533, gulf breeze
- walmart 5623, gulf breeze
- walmart neighborhood market 4582, navarre
- walmart supercenter 3439, navarre
- walmart supercenter 990, milton
Seafood Specialty · 2
- navarre seafood market, navarre
- rollos seafood, milton
Large Grocery Store · 1
- greer's 5, jay
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- bypass farmers market and oriental, milton
Military Commissary · 1
- whiting field nas commissary 547, milton
Small Grocery Store · 1
- asian market and souvenirs, navarre
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Florida
Compare Santa Rosa County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →
Food access nationally, Florida in context
Santa Rosa County sits inside Florida (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 Santa Rosa County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Santa Rosa County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Santa Rosa County? ▼
Is Santa Rosa County a food desert? ▼
What share of Santa Rosa 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.