County food-access profile · California
Siskiyou County, CA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Siskiyou 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).
- 28.6%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 15.5%
- on SNAP
- 43K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
28.6% of Siskiyou County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 14 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 6.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.4%
- 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 Siskiyou County's low-access share at 28.6%, above the national share. 6 of the county's 14 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 12,861 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,111 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 Siskiyou County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Siskiyou County's 28.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 67% of them and ranked #1,034 most-affected nationwide.
Siskiyou County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 14 census tracts in Siskiyou County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Siskiyou County vs. other California counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in California
- Siskiyou
Siskiyou County, CA
28.6 % low-access
- Alameda 8.1
Alameda County, CA
8.1 % low-access
- Alpine
Alpine County, CA
57 % low-access
- Amador 0.2
Amador County, CA
0.2 % low-access
- Butte 19.1
Butte County, CA
19.1 % low-access
- Calaveras 14.7
Calaveras County, CA
14.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 14 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 44,900 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,861 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.6%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,111 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 43,466 |
| Median Household Income | $59,095 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.4%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,953 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.5%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
About 15.5% of Siskiyou County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 28.6% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,953 households here.
- 6.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Siskiyou County
above the national share
5 of Siskiyou County's 14 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 35.7% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 12,861 residents, roughly 28.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,111 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (57.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Siskiyou County
Siskiyou County has 70 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 31
- 3 j truck stop, grenada
- cortrights market, montague
- double j sports & spirits, happy camp
- erickson valero 3, weed
- etna oil, etna
- hornbrook chevron, hornbrook
- lake st mini mart, mount shasta
- layton liquor, weed
- liquor warehouse, weed
- macdoel market 6202, macdoel
- manfredis food and gas depot inc, dunsmuir
- miner street station texaco 5, yreka
- mountain counties supply company-dunsmuir, dunsmuir
- mountain counties supply company-fort jones, fort jones
- mountain counties supply company-weed, weed
- mountain market, weed
- mountain view chevron, weed
- pilot travel center 137, weed
- primos liquor barn & pizza, dorris
- quigley's general store and rv park, klamath river
- ross market, tulelake
- seiad valley store, seiad valley
- salmon river outpost, somes bar
- shastina mini mart, weed
- siskiyou food mart 2, yreka
- sk yreka food & gas, yreka
- south weed valero 4, weed
- sports & spirits chevron 8, mount shasta
- upper fall mini mart, mccloud
- yreka liquor land 1, yreka
- yreka travel plaza, yreka
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- berryvale grocery, mount shasta
- cvs/pharmacy 11346, mount shasta
- dollar general 16124, weed
- dollar general 21163, weed
- dollar general 21712, yreka
- dollar general 23052, dorris
- dollar general store 16154, etna
- dollar general store 16699, dunsmuir
- dollar tree 1251, yreka
Farmers' Market · 6
- dunsmuir farmers market, dunsmuir
- etna farmers market, etna
- happy camp farmers' market, happy camp
- mt. shasta farmers' market, mount shasta
- shastina community market 47-22-02, weed
- yreka community certified farmers market, yreka
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- legends asian mart, montague
- liquor & grocery warehouse, dorris
- seven asian market, yreka
- speedwaay, greenview
- yreka asian market and pure water, yreka
Super Store · 5
- ray's food place 24, mount shasta
- ray's food place 83, happy camp
- walmart 1630, yreka
- weed grocery outlet, weed
- yreka grocery outlet, yreka
Large Grocery Store · 4
- dunsmuir supermarket, dunsmuir
- mccloud market, inc, mccloud
- ray's food place 25, etna
- ray's food place 26, fort jones
Small Grocery Store · 3
- jocks supermarket and liquor barn, tulelake
- mayten store, montague
- menotti's market 1, hornbrook
Supermarket · 3
- mount shasta super market, mount shasta
- raley's 247, yreka
- ray's food place 23, weed
Bakery Specialty · 2
- papa murphy's take n bake pizza ca018, yreka
- papa murphy's take n bake pizza ca054, mount shasta
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- miner st. meat market, yreka
- shasta valley meats, montague
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in California
Compare Siskiyou County vs Alameda County → · All California counties →
Food access nationally, California in context
Siskiyou County sits inside California (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 Siskiyou County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Siskiyou County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Siskiyou County? ▼
Is Siskiyou County a food desert? ▼
What share of Siskiyou 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.