County food-access profile · New Jersey
Somerset County, NJ
Somerset County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 40.2%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 3.7%
- on SNAP
- 350K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
40.2% of Somerset County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 68 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 40
- low-access tracts
- 10K
- food-desert residents
- 4.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 5.4%
- 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).
Somerset County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 40.2% is well above the national share. 40 of the county's 68 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 130,062 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 10,364 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 Somerset County compares nationally
Somerset County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 40.2% low-access share outpaces 87% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #392 most-affected nationwide.
Somerset County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 68 census tracts in Somerset County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Somerset County vs. other New Jersey counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New Jersey
- Somerset
Somerset County, NJ
40.2 % low-access
- Atlantic
Atlantic County, NJ
30.1 % low-access
- Bergen 10.3
Bergen County, NJ
10.3 % low-access
- Burlington
Burlington County, NJ
36.3 % low-access
- Camden
Camden County, NJ
20 % low-access
- Cape May
Cape May County, NJ
32.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 68 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 323,444 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 40 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 130,062 |
| Low-Access Share | 40.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 10,364 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 349,846 |
| Median Household Income | $140,374 |
| Poverty Rate | 5.4%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,857 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 3.7%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
About 3.7% of Somerset County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 40.2% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 3.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,857 households here.
- 4.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Somerset County
well above the national share
1 of Somerset County's 68 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 1.5% of all its tracts.
A further 39 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 40.
An estimated 130,062 residents, roughly 40.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 10,364 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 28 tracts (41.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Somerset County
Somerset County has 134 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 47 locations (35% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 47
- archar seafood, somerset
- cvs 464, north plainfield
- cvs 4685, bernardsville
- cvs pharmacy 6063, bedminster
- cvs pharmacy 936, franklin park
- cvs pharmacy 10853, belle mead
- cvs pharmacy 2203, hillsborough
- cvs pharmacy 2762, somerset
- cvs pharmacy 2854, bridgewater
- cvs pharmacy 3031, bridgewater
- dollartree 9136, north plainfield
- dollar general 21798, bound brook
- dollar tree 3469, somerset
- dollar tree 5259, raritan
- dollar tree 6193, hillsborough
- dollar tree 7674, somerset
- dollar tree 9685, green brook
- eunice food market, somerset
- family dollar 11367, bound brook
- family dollar 2386, somerset
- family dollar 8772, somerset
- isfant african market, somerset
- landmark pharmacy., north plainfield
- ocean state job lot 556, franklin park
- phil-am (raritan) grocery & general merchandise 1, raritan
- quick chek food stores 009, raritan
- quick chek food stores 106, manville
- quick chek food stores 129, somerville
- quick chek food stores 76, bound brook
- quick chek food stores 85, bridgewater
- quick chek corp 35, hillsborough
- quick chek corporation 144, south bound brook
- quick chek corporation 172, north plainfield
- quick chek food stores 12, bedminister
- quickchek 171, raritan
- quickchek 185, somerset
- quickchek 186, somerville
- shaan halal meat market inc, franklin
- walgreens 07347, somerville
- walgreens 06090, franklin park
- walgreens 06957, bound brook
- walgreens 06983, somerset
- walgreens 12564, hillsborough
- walgreens 13706, warren
- walgreens 19628, basking ridge
- walgreens 19953, bernardsville
- walgreens 19955, basking ridge
Convenience Store · 34
- 7 eleven 2412 37938a, somerset
- 7-eleven store 11446g, somerville
- 7-eleven store 41272t, north plainfield
- 7-eleven store #35007b, bridgewater
- 7-eleven store #38428a 38428a, raritan
- 7-eleven store 11449c, hillsborough
- 7-eleven store 18141e 18141e, north plainfield
- 7-eleven store 34925d, basking ridge
- best little market, manville
- bhole sai two llc, manville
- d & d mini market #1, raritan
- dollar zone of manville 6, manville
- express food mart, somerset
- express mart, branchburg
- ez chek market, somerville
- freshmart, north plainfield
- freshmart, somerset
- global express mart, north plainfield
- gregorio's meat market, bound brook
- judy's grocery, bound brook
- krauszer's 1, somerset
- quick mart, somerset
- royal farms 299, manville
- royal mini mart, south bound brook
- somerset food mart, somerset
- spanish american grocery, somerville
- speedway 3467, bound brook
- stop n go, manville
- wawa 306, skillman
- wawa 916, neshanic station
- watchung mart, watchung
- wawa 8341, bridgewater
- wawa 8376, somerset
- wawa store 8397, north plainfield
Super Store · 19
- asian food center of rt 22, north plainfield
- apna bazar farmer market 4, franklin park
- b js wholesale club 73, watchung
- costco wholesale 0322, bridgewater
- costco wholesale 1166, north plainfield
- jay siddheshwari food corp 4, hillsborough
- kasia market montgomery, belle mead
- los amigos fine fare supermarket, north plainfield
- shop rite of somerset 451, somerset
- shop rite of watchung 472, watchung
- shoprite of bernardsville 453, bernardsville
- shoprite of hillsborough 447, hillsborough
- super tropical food market, somerset
- twin city of bridgewater llc, bridgewater
- target 1155, watchung
- target store 1224, bridgewater
- walmart 5111, watchung
- walmart supercenter 2651, manville
- whole food market - bridgewater 10639, bound brook
Supermarket · 19
- a & e supermarket, llc., somerset
- aldi 60185, watchung
- acme 2675, warren
- almonte & rodriguez supermarket inc./fine fare, somerset
- bound brook shoprite 466, bound brook
- branchburg shoprite 470, branchburg
- green's natural foods, basking ridge
- kings 3611, bedminster
- montgomery shop rite 617, skillman
- stop & shop 809, somerset
- stop & shop 877, basking ridge
- somerville shop rite 468, somerville
- star bazaar, somerset
- stop & shop 802, franklin park
- stop & shop 804, watchung
- the fresh market 181, bedminster
- trader joe's 614, bridgewater
- wegmans 96, bridgewater
- weis markets 230, hillsborough
Medium Grocery Store · 7
- brothers halal meat and grocery, somerset
- crystal market, bound brook
- imperial supermarket 2, somerset
- latino mini market, bound brook
- nyamekye african market 1, somerset
- shaan halal meat & grill llc, somerset
- world supermarket 2, north plainfield
Small Grocery Store · 4
- gregorios mini market, somerset
- la tiendita mini market llc, somerset
- mecca halal meat and grocery, somerset
- zm grocery, bound brook
Farmers' Market · 2
- montgomery friends of open space farmers' market, skillman
- somerset county regional farmers market, somerville
Large Grocery Store · 1
- world supermarket 3, bound brook
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- honest live poultry, llc, somerset
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New Jersey
Compare Somerset County vs Atlantic County → · All New Jersey counties →
Food access nationally, New Jersey in context
Somerset County sits inside New Jersey (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 Somerset County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Somerset County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Somerset County? ▼
Is Somerset County a food desert? ▼
What share of Somerset 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.