PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · New York

St. Lawrence County, NY

St. Lawrence 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.

16.4%
low-access pop.
9
food-desert tracts
15.5%
on SNAP
107K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 NY

The food-access picture

16.4% of St. Lawrence County residents live in a low-access area, and 9 of its 28 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

11
low-access tracts
8K
food-desert residents
10.1%
households, no vehicle
16.9%
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).

St. Lawrence County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 16.4% per the USDA Atlas. 11 of the county's 28 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 18,392 residents who live far from a supermarket. 9 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,160 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 St. Lawrence County compares nationally

St. Lawrence County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 16.4% low-access share that beats 36% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,001).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

St. Lawrence County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 28 census tracts in St. Lawrence County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for St. Lawrence County, NY USDA-defined food-access tiers: 17 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 9 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 28 tracts evaluated. 17 tracts adequate (60.7%) 2 tracts limited (7.1%) 9 tracts severe / food desert (32.1%) Adequate 61% Limited 7% Severe 32% Food-access tier distribution: St. Lawrence County, NY
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

St. Lawrence County vs. other New York counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New York

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for St. Lawrence County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts28
Atlas Population (2010 basis)111,944
Low-Access Tracts11
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)9
Low-Access Population18,392
Low-Access Share16.4%below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population8,160

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for St. Lawrence County
IndicatorValue
Population107,226
Median Household Income$62,850
Poverty Rate16.9%above the national average
SNAP Households6,467
SNAP Participation Rate15.5%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle10.1%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population10.0%
SNAP participation in St. Lawrence County 15.5%

About 15.5% of St. Lawrence County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 16.4% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 15.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,467 households here.
  • 10.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 9 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 St. Lawrence County

near the national share

9 of St. Lawrence County's 28 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 32.1% of all its tracts.

A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.

An estimated 18,392 residents, roughly 16.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 8,160 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 17 tracts (60.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in St. Lawrence County

St. Lawrence County has 113 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 45 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 45

  • 164 main st market, inc, edwards
  • 7 eleven store #40197 40197, ogdensburg
  • 7 eleven store #40218 40218, potsdam
  • 7 eleven store 40180, canton
  • 7-eleven 40489, ogdensburg
  • 7-eleven 40494, gouverneur
  • 7-eleven 40495, canton
  • 7-eleven 40499, ogdensburg
  • 7-eleven 40500, norwood
  • circle k 4707626, star lake
  • echoes on the lake llc, hammond
  • falls market & deli, rensselaer falls
  • fisherman's cove, gouverneur
  • healthy way, massena
  • helena general store, helena
  • kunoco food mart, canton
  • kunoco food mart #2, russell
  • kunoco food mart #3, colton
  • kunoco food mart #4, parishville
  • lucky 7 express gouverneur incorporated, gouverneur
  • mountain mart # 106, canton
  • mountain mart #105, massena
  • main street market, madrid
  • main street market, madrid
  • mountain mart 111, potsdam
  • otto's abode, wanakena
  • parkway express potsdam, potsdam
  • stewart's shop 395, winthrop
  • stewart's shop 423, gouverneur
  • stewart's shop 430, massena
  • stewarts shop 119, canton
  • stewarts shop 404, canton
  • stewarts shop 435, ogdensburg
  • sharlows service station, waddington
  • stewart's shop 370, potsdam
  • stewart's shop 371, heuvelton
  • stewart's shops, potsdam
  • stewart's shops 237, gouverneur
  • stewart's shops 339, harrisville
  • stewart's shops 430, massena
  • stewarts shop 383, massena
  • sunoco gas station, massena
  • the corner store, massena
  • u-b's mercantile, oswegatchie
  • woody's market llc, hermon

Combination Grocery/Other · 33

  • dollar general 18388, hammond
  • dollar general 10656, gouverneur
  • dollar general 15824, waddington
  • dollar general 16163, norwood
  • dollar general 16847, winthrop
  • dollar general 17684, heuvelton
  • dollar general 17768, hopkinton
  • dollar general 17784, colton
  • dollar general 19569, madrid
  • dollar general 22686, morristown
  • dollar general 22958, star lake
  • dollar general 23623, norfolk
  • dollar general 6066, massena
  • dollar general 9558, ogdensburg
  • dollar general 9559, massena
  • dollar general 9582, canton
  • dollar tree 1421, massena
  • dollar tree 1916, potsdam
  • dollar tree 2890, ogdensburg
  • dollar tree 5201, gouverneur
  • dollar tree 5452, canton
  • family dollar 10142, de kalb junction
  • family dollar 5866, gouverneur
  • family dollar store 3904, ogdensburg
  • kinney drugs 01, gouverneur
  • kinney drugs 09, ogdensburg
  • kinney drugs 10, massena
  • kinney drugs 16, canton
  • kinney drugs 17, potsdam
  • kinney drugs 34, gouverneur
  • kinney drugs 91, potsdam
  • serenity acres farm store, ogdensburg
  • walgreens 10698, massena

Supermarket · 13

  • aldi 65023, ogdensburg
  • aldi 65029, massena
  • aldi 65006, potsdam
  • canton save a lot 45031, canton
  • gouverneur save a lot 24380, gouverneur
  • lavigne holdings llc - lavigne iga of potsdam, potsdam
  • ogdensburg save a lot 24743, ogdensburg
  • potsdam save a lot 23981, potsdam
  • price chopper 029, potsdam
  • price chopper 032, massena
  • price chopper 037, gouverneur
  • price chopper 046, canton
  • price chopper 30, ogdensburg

Farmers' Market · 8

  • canton farmers market/gardenshare, canton
  • farm to community, canton
  • farm to community - ogdensburg, ogdensburg
  • gouveneur farmers market, gouverneur
  • hammond farmers mkt & artisans market, hammond
  • massena farmers market, massena
  • oxxshire farmers market, rensselaer falls
  • potsdam farmer's market/gardenshare inc, potsdam

Small Grocery Store · 4

  • home town general store llc, star lake
  • north lawrence supermarket, north lawrence
  • nature's storehouse, canton
  • town line market, brasher falls

Super Store · 4

  • bj's wholesale club 301, massena
  • walmart 2092, ogdensburg
  • walmart supercenter 1946, massena
  • walmart supercenter 3329, potsdam

Medium Grocery Store · 3

  • chucks market, harrisville
  • potsdam consumer co-op, potsdam
  • tri-town iga express, brasher falls

Large Grocery Store · 2

  • parkway express iga, waddington
  • websters custom cutting, norwood

Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1

  • martin's farm stand, potsdam

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in New York

Albany County
31.4% low-access · 11.0% SNAP
Allegany County
3.9% low-access · 15.9% SNAP
Bronx County
0.6% low-access · 38.6% SNAP
Broome County
16.4% low-access · 15.4% SNAP
Cattaraugus County
7.9% low-access · 18.0% SNAP
Cayuga County
3.3% low-access · 14.8% SNAP

Compare St. Lawrence County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →

Food access nationally, New York in context

St. Lawrence County sits inside New York (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of St. Lawrence County has low food access? ▼
16.4% of residents in St. Lawrence County, NY live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in St. Lawrence County? ▼
15.5% of households in St. Lawrence County receive SNAP, covering 6,467 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in St. Lawrence County? ▼
The poverty rate in St. Lawrence County, NY is 16.9%, with a median household income of $62,850 (Census ACS 2024).
Is St. Lawrence County a food desert? ▼
9 of St. Lawrence County's 28 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of St. Lawrence County households lack a vehicle? ▼
10.1% of households in St. Lawrence County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.