County food-access profile · Missouri
St. Louis County, MO
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of St. Louis 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).
- 26.8%
- low-access pop.
- 24
- food-desert tracts
- 8.0%
- on SNAP
- 996K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
26.8% of St. Louis County residents live in a low-access area, and 24 of its 199 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 101
- low-access tracts
- 50K
- food-desert residents
- 6.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.8%
- 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 St. Louis County's low-access share at 26.8%, above the national share. 101 of the county's 199 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 267,283 people. 24 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 50,436 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. Louis County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, St. Louis County's 26.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 63% of them and ranked #1,168 most-affected nationwide.
St. Louis County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 199 census tracts in St. Louis County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
St. Louis County vs. other Missouri counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Missouri
- St. Louis
St. Louis County, MO
26.8 % low-access
- Adair
Adair County, MO
27.3 % low-access
- Andrew
Andrew County, MO
15.8 % low-access
- Atchison 5.1
Atchison County, MO
5.1 % low-access
- Audrain
Audrain County, MO
22.6 % low-access
- Barry
Barry County, MO
19.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 199 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 998,954 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 101 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 24 |
| Low-Access Population | 267,283 |
| Low-Access Share | 26.8%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 50,436 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 995,569 |
| Median Household Income | $82,936 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 33,196 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
About 8.0% of St. Louis County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 26.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 33,196 households here.
- 6.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 24 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. Louis County
above the national share
24 of St. Louis County's 199 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 12.1% of all its tracts.
A further 77 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 101.
An estimated 267,283 residents, roughly 26.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 50,436 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 98 tracts (49.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
Other Counties in Missouri
Compare St. Louis County vs Adair County → · All Missouri counties →
Food access nationally, Missouri in context
St. Louis County sits inside Missouri (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 St. Louis County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in St. Louis County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in St. Louis County? ▼
Is St. Louis County a food desert? ▼
What share of St. Louis 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.