County food-access profile · Pennsylvania
Somerset County, PA
Somerset County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 15.9%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 14.3%
- on SNAP
- 73K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
15.9% of Somerset County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 21 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 6.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.0%
- 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's low-access share sits near the national share, at 15.9% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 21 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 12,368 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,472 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 lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 15.9% low-access share that beats 35% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,046).
Somerset County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 21 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 Pennsylvania counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Pennsylvania
- Somerset
Somerset County, PA
15.9 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, PA
15.9 % low-access
- Allegheny
Allegheny County, PA
26.4 % low-access
- Armstrong 5.2
Armstrong County, PA
5.2 % low-access
- Beaver
Beaver County, PA
32.5 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, PA
22.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 21 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 77,742 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,368 |
| Low-Access Share | 15.9%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,472 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 72,799 |
| Median Household Income | $61,446 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.0%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,209 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.8% |
About 14.3% of Somerset County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 15.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 14.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,209 households here.
- 6.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Somerset County
near the national share
3 of Somerset County's 21 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.3% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 12,368 residents, roughly 15.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,472 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 17 tracts (81.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Somerset County
Somerset County has 73 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 30 locations (41% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 30
- 7-eleven 40272, somerset
- 7-eleven 40273, somerset
- bfs foods 75, somerset
- boswell prescription center, boswell
- coalfield mini-market, berlin
- central city enterprises inc, central city
- coen markets 1217, somerset
- diamond mini market, berlin
- frenklin bp lnc 6, johnstown
- getgo 3054, somerset
- go moore store llc, hollsopple
- kc food & fuel mart, central city
- malik associates inc, jennerstown
- martin general store somerset 223, somerset
- martin general stores boswell 225, boswell
- par mar store 103, somerset
- par mar store 205, jennerstown
- par mar store 209, garrett
- rock city express, rockwood
- sheetz 179, somerset
- sheetz 27, windber
- sheetz 57, somerset
- sheetz 60, somerset
- sheetz 89, meyersdale
- snida's corner store, shanksville
- stoystown express mart, friedens
- sunoco food mart, somerset
- sunoco somerset, somerset
- turkey hill minit markets 950239, somerset
- windber pit stop, windber
Combination Grocery/Other · 26
- cvs pharmacy 5720, somerset
- dollar general 1271, meyersdale
- dollar general 18521, stoystown
- dollar general 18655, breezewood
- dollar general 18835, salisbury
- dollar general 2846, windber
- dollar general 4403, somerset
- dollar general 6081, jennerstown
- dollar general 7063, confluence
- dollar general 7646, somerset
- dollar general 8127, berlin
- dollar general 11772, hollsopple
- dollar general 14951, friedens
- dollar general 16242, davidson
- dollar general 16464, central city
- dollar general 2039, central city
- dollar general 22705, hooversville
- dollar general 23189, rockwood
- dollar general 31070, somerset
- dollar general 6964, somerset
- dollar tree 4146, somerset
- family dollar 11607, rockwood
- family dollar 2322, somerset
- family dollar 7691, meyersdale
- family dollar store 5083, johnstown
- family dollar store 7584, boswell
Small Grocery Store · 5
- blue goose foods, addison
- dormina's kitchen cupboard, stoystown
- ken's sales and savings, hollsopple
- listie economy store, listie
- rob's meat, berlin
Large Grocery Store · 4
- berlin market, l.lc, berlin
- confluence food mart, confluence
- somerset roof garden market, inc, somerset
- summit country market, meyersdale
Super Store · 3
- bilo foods, windber
- giant eagle 54, somerset
- walmart supercenter 1765, somerset
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- cascio's market, somerset
- springs store n/a, springs
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 73105 73105, somerset
- food lion 2195, meyersdale
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- bingman packing co, berlin
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Pennsylvania
Compare Somerset County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →
Food access nationally, Pennsylvania in context
Somerset County sits inside Pennsylvania (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.