County food-access profile · Florida
Sarasota County, FL
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Sarasota 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).
- 32.9%
- low-access pop.
- 9
- food-desert tracts
- 5.2%
- on SNAP
- 460K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
32.9% of Sarasota County residents live in a low-access area, and 9 of its 94 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 47
- low-access tracts
- 27K
- food-desert residents
- 4.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.6%
- 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 Sarasota County's low-access share at 32.9%, above the national share. 47 of the county's 94 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 124,966 people. 9 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 26,981 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 Sarasota County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Sarasota County's 32.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 76% of them and ranked #748 most-affected nationwide.
Sarasota County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 94 census tracts in Sarasota County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Sarasota County vs. other Florida counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Florida
- Sarasota
Sarasota County, FL
32.9 % 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 | 94 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 379,448 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 47 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 9 |
| Low-Access Population | 124,966 |
| Low-Access Share | 32.9%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 26,981 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 459,547 |
| Median Household Income | $83,416 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 11,108 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.2%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
About 5.2% of Sarasota County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 32.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 11,108 households here.
- 4.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 9 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 Sarasota County
above the national share
9 of Sarasota County's 94 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 9.6% of all its tracts.
A further 38 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 47.
An estimated 124,966 residents, roughly 32.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 26,981 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 47 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Sarasota County
Sarasota County has 250 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 94 locations (38% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 94
- 7 eleven 32670a, sarasota
- 7 eleven store 18182b, sarasota
- 7 eleven store 21045b, sarasota
- 7 eleven store 32772b, sarasota
- 7 eleven store 33194b, north port
- 7 eleven store 34863b, venice
- 7-eleven #41309h 41309h, nokomis
- 7-eleven 10305j, sarasota
- 7-eleven 21092a, sarasota
- 7-eleven 24853a, sarasota
- 7-eleven 34837a, sarasota
- 7-eleven 34847j, venice
- 7-eleven 37298j, north port
- 7-eleven 38219a, venice
- 7-eleven store #34830b 34830b, sarasota
- 7-eleven store #38283b 38283b, venice
- 7-eleven store #38665a, venice
- 7-eleven store 10306j, sarasota
- 7-eleven store 36790a, sarasota
- 7-eleven store 39680, sarasota
- 7-eleven #34840b, sarasota
- 7-eleven #40347a, sarasota
- 7-eleven 18075a, sarasota
- 7-eleven 19194a, venice
- 7-eleven 34814a, venice
- 7-eleven 38053a, north port
- 7-eleven 38072a, sarasota
- 7-eleven 38327a, venice
- 7-eleven 40360a, sarasota
- 7-eleven 40361a, sarasota
- 7-eleven store #41854a 41854a, venice
- a&b discount beverages, sarasota
- bee ridge mobil, sarasota
- bobcat mobil mart, north port
- circle k 2704718, englewood
- circle k 2705311, sarasota
- circle k 2707349, venice
- circle k 2707619, north port
- circle k 2707785, sarasota
- circle k 2709761, sarasota
- circle k 2709762, venice
- circle k 2709825, venice
- circle k 7200, nokomis
- circle k 7213, sarasota
- circle k 7323, venice
- circle k 7689, north port
- colorado kangaroo 2658189, sarasota
- day night, sarasota
- desoto road marathon, sarasota
- el chipotle latin market, venice
- faith of sarasota, sarasota
- gulf gate mini mart, sarasota
- international market, sarasota
- j and m food mart, sarasota
- kangaroo shell, sarasota
- kwik stop, sarasota
- lakeside mobil, north port
- lockwood bp inc, sarasota
- moore's grocery, sarasota
- murphy usa 7224, venice
- murphy usa 7328, north port
- murphy usa 7497, osprey
- pinecraft discount market, sarasota
- premier european food, north port
- race trac 126, sarasota
- race trac 208, nokomis
- race trac 2328, sarasota
- race trac 646, venice
- race trac 682, north point
- racetrac 2436, sarasota
- racetrac 2488, venice
- ray's bp, sarasota
- reid's health foods, llc, englewood
- ringling marathon, sarasota
- rosemary convenience store, sarasota
- sams american pantry, nokomis
- shell 686, sarasota
- speedway 6420, nokomis
- speedway 6526, venice
- speedway 6902, sarasota
- speedy mart, sarasota
- star food mart, sarasota
- star mini mart, sarasota
- stop & shop food mart, venice
- suncoast european market, sarasota
- super stop, sarasota
- venice shell, venice
- wawa store 5281, nokomis
- wawa 5216, venice
- wawa 5217, sarasota
- wawa 5225, venice
- wawa 5304, sarasota
- wawa 5312, sarasota
- wawa store 5295, north port
Combination Grocery/Other · 65
- cvs pharmacy 0312, sarasota
- cvs pharmacy 1120, venice
- cvs pharmacy 3958, sarasota
- cvs pharmacy 0319, sarasota
- cvs pharmacy 0368, sarasota
- cvs pharmacy 1013, englewood
- cvs pharmacy 11382, lakewood ranch
- cvs pharmacy 1810, sarasota
- cvs pharmacy 1863, sarasota
- cvs pharmacy 3126, osprey
- cvs pharmacy 3258, north port
- cvs pharmacy 3318, nokomis
- cvs pharmacy 3532, sarasota
- cvs pharmacy 3647, venice
- cvs pharmacy 4266, venice
- cvs pharmacy 4632, sarasota
- cvs pharmacy 5211, sarasota
- dollar general 1453, north port
- dollar general 1490, sarasota
- dollar general 18281, nokomis
- dollar general 9036, englewood
- dollar general 9095, venice
- dollar tree 3045, sarasota
- dollar tree 8281, sarasota
- dollartree 10042, sarasota
- dollartree 9910, englewood
- dollar general 10484, sarasota
- dollar general 11668, venice
- dollar general 12644, sarasota
- dollar general 14581, north port
- dollar general 1537, sarasota
- dollar general 20148, sarasota
- dollar general 24023, north port
- dollar tree 1559, venice
- dollar tree 262, north venice
- dollar tree 4750, sarasota
- dollar tree 4924, sarasota
- dollar tree 4984, venice
- dollar tree 5267, osprey
- dollar tree 7596, sarasota
- dollar tree 7835, sarasota
- dollar tree 7947, north port
- dollar tree 807, sarasota
- family dollar store 2620, sarasota
- osprey produce, north port
- southern steer butcher 501, sarasota
- walgreens 03830, sarasota
- walgreens 02085, sarasota
- walgreens 10145, north port
- walgreens 11487, venice
- walgreens 11787, nokomis
- walgreens 12392, venice
- walgreens 15260, sarasota
- walgreens 21571, sarasota
- walgreens 3264, sarasota
- walgreens 3332, sarasota
- walgreens 3606, sarasota
- walgreens 4033, venice
- walgreens 4979, sarasota
- walgreens 5575, sarasota
- walgreens 5660, sarasota
- walgreens 5859, englewood
- walgreens 6164, north port
- walgreens 7078, venice
- walgreens 9317, north port
Supermarket · 49
- aldi 74152, north port
- aldi 74155, sarasota
- aldi 74159, venice
- aldi 74205, sarasota
- aldi 74251, sarasota
- aldi 77227, venice
- aldi 64, north port
- aldi 74058, nokomis
- aldi 74154, lakewood ranch
- chamberlins 11, sarasota
- earth origins market 14, sarasota
- gordon food service store mp190, sarasota
- la sabrosita, sarasota
- la primavera supermarket, sarasota
- publix 0022, sarasota
- publix 0148, sarasota
- publix 0361, sarasota
- publix 0409, sarasota
- publix 0555, sarasota
- publix 0696, sarasota
- publix 0734, venice
- publix 0737, englewood
- publix 0792, north port
- publix 1023, sarasota
- publix 1180, north port
- publix 1215, venice
- publix 1267, sarasota
- publix 1644, sarasota
- publix 1769, venice
- publix 1781, sarasota
- publix 802, venice
- publix 1287, north port
- publix 1372, sarasota
- publix 1385, sarasota
- publix 1399, sarasota
- publix 1414, nokomis
- publix 1432, longboat key
- publix 1433, nokomis
- publix 1639, osprey
- publix super markets inc 1669, sarasota
- publix super markets, inc. 1683, venice
- publix super markets, inc. 1797, sarasota
- publix super markets, inc. 1882, sarasota
- sarasota food bazaar corp/key food fresh, sarasota
- save a lot 30040, north port
- sprouts farmers market 614, sarasota
- sprouts farmers market 660, sarasota
- sprouts farmers market 669, venice
- trader joe's 761, sarasota
Super Store · 24
- costco wholesale 1123, sarasota
- costco wholesale 1682, venice
- detwiler's farm market, sarasota
- detwiler's farm market 3, sarasota
- detwiler's farm market 5, sarasota
- detwiler's farm market ii, venice
- guerrero food market, inc., sarasota
- hl asian supermarket, sarasota
- sam's club 4772, sarasota
- super bravo, sarasota
- target store 665, sarasota
- target store t-799, sarasota
- target store t-813, venice
- walmart 3066, sarasota
- walmart 7298, sarasota
- walmart neighborhood market 2392, sarasota
- walmart neighborhood market 7221, north port
- walmart s/c 769, venice
- walmart supercenter 3387, north port
- walmart supercenter 5264, osprey
- walmart supercenter 2459, sarasota
- whole foods market 10189, sarasota
- winn-dixie 2400, venice
- winn-dixie 2501, sarasota
Medium Grocery Store · 8
- a taste of europe, sarasota
- international food, north port
- la sabrosura, sarasota
- orange ave meat and grocery, sarasota
- phuoc loc tho, sarasota
- premier european deli 2, north port
- sunflower discount grocery, englewood
- xpress meat market, sarasota
Small Grocery Store · 5
- benh thanh grocery, sarasota
- central mlk grocery, sarasota
- kiev deli, sarasota
- natural european food market, north port
- oriental food & gifts mart, sarasota
Farmers' Market · 3
- newtown farmers market nafmnp, sarasota
- olde englewood village farmers market nafnmp, englewood
- venice farmers market, venice
Large Grocery Store · 1
- sunflower discount grocery sarasota, sarasota
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- the meat house of sarasota, sarasota
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Florida
Compare Sarasota County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →
Food access nationally, Florida in context
Sarasota 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 Sarasota County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Sarasota County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Sarasota County? ▼
Is Sarasota County a food desert? ▼
What share of Sarasota 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.