Signature · 2 LILA tracts (50% of tracts)
Sierra County, NM
Sierra County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 2 LILA tracts (50% of the book) alongside 29.2% low-access.
- 29.2%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 15.9%
- on SNAP
- 12K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Sierra County, NM
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 29.2% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +7.1 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 15.9% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 50% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Colfax County ( -0.7 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Sierra County sits in the upper national band (29.2%, #986 of 3,079) with 2 LILA tracts.
- #986
- national by low-access %
- #23
- in NM
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 2 LILA tracts (50% of tracts) .
How Sierra County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Sierra County's 29.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 69% of them and ranked #986 most-affected nationwide.
Sierra County's elevated USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
Sierra County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (3 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Sierra County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in New Mexico, not a full county-board reprint
- Mora
Mora 100%
100 % low-access
- Santa Fe 30.2
Santa Fe 30.2%
30.2 % low-access
- Sierra 29.2
Sierra 29.2%
29.2 % low-access
- Colfax 28.5
Colfax 28.5%
28.5 % low-access
- Guadalupe 28.5
Guadalupe 28.5%
28.5 % low-access
- Chaves 28.2
Chaves 28.2%
28.2 % low-access
- De Baca 17.3
De Baca 17.3%
17.3 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 11,988 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,502 |
| Low-Access Share | 29.2%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,794 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,500 |
| Median Household Income | $41,600 |
| Poverty Rate | 21.4%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 863 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
SNAP retailers in Sierra County
Sierra County has 17 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 10 locations (59% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
7 towns share the 17 authorized stores; Truth Or Consequences holds 47% of them. 6 of the 7 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Elephant Butte, Williamsburg, Arrey, Caballo, Truth Or Conseq, Winston.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Truth Or Consequences | 8 | 2 |
| Elephant Butte | 3 | none |
| Williamsburg | 2 | none |
| Arrey | 1 | none |
| Caballo | 1 | none |
| Truth Or Conseq | 1 | none |
| Winston | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 10
- baqueras grocery, arrey
- circle k 2700515, truth or consequences
- fast stop #6 6, elephant butte
- fast stop 2, williamsburg
- fast stop 5, truth or consequences
- fast stop inc. 3, truth or consequences
- fast stop inc. 4, truth or consequences
- lakeview rv park, caballo
- onda williamsburg conoco 1199, williamsburg
- winston general store, winston
Combination Grocery/Other · 4
- dollar general 24451, truth or consequences
- dollar general 25976, elephant butte
- family dollar 11839, elephant butte
- family dollar store 2761, truth or conseq
Super Store · 2
- bullocks, truth or consequences
- walmart supercenter 4341, truth or consequences
Farmers' Market · 1
- sierra county farmer's market, truth or consequences
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 Mexico
One of 32 counties in New Mexico, 6 are shown here.
Compare Sierra County vs Bernalillo County → · All New Mexico counties →
Counties near Sierra County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Sierra County, both outside New Mexico so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NM (29.2% here).
- Cumberland County, NC · 29.2% low-access
- Pointe Coupee Parish, LA · 29.2% low-access
- Linn County, IA · 29.2% low-access
- Coles County, IL · 29.2% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NM (15.9% here).
- Allegany County, NY · 15.9% SNAP
- Queens County, NY · 15.9% SNAP
- Perry County, OH · 15.9% SNAP
- Clinton County, PA · 15.9% 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.
New Mexico among Mountain states
New Mexico ranks 1st of 8 Mountain states by population-weighted low-access (31.7%). Sierra County, at 29.2%, runs 2.5 pts below the New Mexico rate.
- New Mexico 31.7%
- Wyoming 29.7%
- Arizona 26.8%
- Idaho 25.8%
- Utah 23.9%
- Nevada 23.0%
- Montana 22.3%
- Colorado 21.5%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Sierra County, NM are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 35051. 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.