Signature · 3.8% low-access (8th pct)
Smyth County, VA
Smyth County lands in the lower national band on low-access (3.8%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 3.8%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 17.0%
- on SNAP
- 29K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Smyth County, VA
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ADEQUATE 3.8% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -18.3 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 17.0% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 11% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Harrisonburg city (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Smyth County lands in the lower national band (3.8%, #2,876 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,876
- national by low-access %
- #108
- in VA
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 370
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 3.8% low-access (8th pct) (-18.3 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Smyth County compares nationally
Food access in Smyth County compares favorably nationally: its 3.8% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 8% of them (rank #2,876).
Smyth County's lower-band USDA tier split
9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Smyth County has 1 urban and 8 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Smyth County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Virginia, not a full county-board reprint
- Highland
Highland 99.7%
99.7 % low-access
- Harrisonburg … 3.9
Harrisonburg … 3.9%
3.9 % low-access
- Smyth 3.8
Smyth 3.8%
3.8 % low-access
- Emporia city 3.4
Emporia city 3.4%
3.4 % low-access
- Lancaster 3.2
Lancaster 3.2%
3.2 % low-access
- Richmond 3.2
Richmond 3.2%
3.2 % low-access
- Dickenson 0
Dickenson 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 32,208 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,225 |
| Low-Access Share | 3.8%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 370 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 29,420 |
| Median Household Income | $49,883 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,152 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.0%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.6% |
Thick SNAP store book in Smyth County
Smyth County has 40 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 19 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 19
- adwolfe mart, marion
- applewood food mart, chilhowie
- circle k 2723373, atkins
- ez stop, rural retreat
- fas mart 466, marion
- flowers bakery outlet 460, marion
- gobble stop 9, marion
- green hill market & deli, chilhowie
- haydens market, marion
- hare krishna 901, saltville
- main street gas & grill, chilhowie
- main street pit stop, marion
- marion minute mart, marion
- roadrunner market 6088, marion
- robin's grocery & deli, saltville
- samma food mart, marion
- shirleys market, sugar grove
- sugar grove food mart, sugar grove
- village truck stop, rural retreat
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- cvs 7526, marion
- dollar general 14304, atkins
- dollar general 18449, sugar grove
- dollar general 13145, marion
- dollar general 13424, saltville
- dollar general 15998, marion
- dollar general 2451, marion
- dollar general 4310, chilhowie
- dollar tree 335, marion
- family dollar 11214, rural retreat
- family dollar store 712, chilhowie
- walgreens 10700, marion
Supermarket · 4
- food city 848, marion
- food city 849, chilhowie
- food lion 356, marion
- ingles markets 503, marion
Farmers' Market · 2
- chilhowie farmers market 1, chilhowie
- marion regional farmers market, marion
Super Store · 2
- food country usa 5, saltville
- walmart 1336, marion
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- dutch pantry llc, rural retreat
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Virginia
One of 132 counties in Virginia, 6 are shown here.
Compare Smyth County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Counties near Smyth County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Smyth County, both outside Virginia so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside VA (3.8% here).
- McDonald County, MO · 3.8% low-access
- McDonald County, MO · 3.8% low-access
- Unicoi County, TN · 3.7% low-access
- Polk County, MO · 3.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside VA (17.0% here).
- Matagorda County, TX · 17.0% SNAP
- Matagorda County, TX · 17.0% SNAP
- Mineral County, WV · 17.0% SNAP
- Mineral County, WV · 17.0% 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.
Smyth County inside a lower low-access state context
Smyth County sits inside Virginia (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Smyth County, VA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 51173. 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.