County food-access profile · New Hampshire
Strafford County, NH
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Strafford 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).
- 24.2%
- low-access pop.
- 7
- food-desert tracts
- 7.3%
- on SNAP
- 133K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
24.2% of Strafford County residents live in a low-access area, and 7 of its 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
- 4.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.7%
- 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 Strafford County's low-access share at 24.2%, above the national share. 10 of the county's 25 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 29,858 people. 7 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,976 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 Strafford County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Strafford County's 24.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 57% of them and ranked #1,355 most-affected nationwide.
Strafford County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 25 census tracts in Strafford County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Strafford County vs. other New Hampshire counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New Hampshire
- Strafford
Strafford County, NH
24.2 % low-access
- Belknap
Belknap County, NH
11.4 % low-access
- Carroll 1.5
Carroll County, NH
1.5 % low-access
- Cheshire
Cheshire County, NH
19.3 % low-access
- Coos
Coos County, NH
16.9 % low-access
- Grafton
Grafton County, NH
10.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 25 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 123,143 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 7 |
| Low-Access Population | 29,858 |
| Low-Access Share | 24.2%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,976 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 132,575 |
| Median Household Income | $88,570 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,816 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.3%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.2% |
About 7.3% of Strafford County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 24.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,816 households here.
- 4.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 7 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 Strafford County
above the national share
7 of Strafford County's 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 28.0% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 29,858 residents, roughly 24.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 6,976 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (60.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Strafford County
Strafford County has 84 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 45 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 45
- 4707248.0 7248, farmington
- 7-eleven store 37365j, dover
- circle k 4707264, dover
- circle k 4707269, rochester
- cumberland farms 5401, rochester
- cumberland farms 5402, somersworth
- cumberland farms 5403, milton
- cumberland farms 5406, rochester
- cumberland farms 5508, rochester
- cumberland farms 5525, rochester
- cumberland farms 5541, farmington
- circle k 4707225, somersworth
- circle k 4707226, dover
- circle k 4707227, barrington
- circle k 4707241, durham
- circle k 4707244, rochester
- crowley's variety & grill ii, farmington
- cumberland farms 5434, rollinsford
- cumberland farms 5447, somersworth
- dicicco's market, dover
- discount borderline beverage, rochester
- dover discount beverages, dover
- downtown discount beverages, dover
- friendly stop store, rochester
- hardee's market & deli, somersworth
- highland street convenience store, rochester
- market & cafe at emery farm, durham
- mr mikes 324 324, dover
- nouria 1 long hill road 1112, dover
- nouria 130 washington street 1133, rochester
- nouria 169 silver street 1113, dover
- nouria 198 milton road 1134, rochester
- nouria 420 route 108 1136, somersworth
- nouria 46 central avenue 1114, dover
- nouria 95 farmington road 1135, rochester
- river corner market, dover
- rochester food and beverage, rochester
- rochester petroil and food mart, rochester
- rt108 beverage, somersworth
- rusty lantern 0048, lee
- shiva market, somersworth
- smiley's discount beverage, dover
- stateline discount beverage, rollinsford
- stateline mini mart, somersworth
- swina corporation - borderline beverages, somersworth
Combination Grocery/Other · 14
- cvs 10463, dover
- cvs pharmacy 2197, rochester
- cvs pharmacy 4314, somersworth
- dollar tree 3064, somersworth
- dollar general 14482, lee
- dollar general 16388, milton
- dollar tree 3990, rochester
- dollar tree 7754, rochester
- mills market, farmington
- ocean state job lot 417, rochester
- rigz kids inc-the city tobacco & beverage center 1, rochester
- walgreens 10642, lee
- walgreens 10780, dover
- walgreens 3520, rochester
Super Store · 13
- hannaford food & drug 8373, dover
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8242, dover
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8315, rochester
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8317, rochester
- hannaford supermarket 8440, durham
- market basket 36, somersworth
- market basket 50, rochester
- market basket 51, lee
- market basket 81, rochester
- target 2182, somersworth
- tendercrop farm at the red barn, inc., dover
- walmart 2330, rochester
- walmart supercenter 1749, somersworth
Farmers' Market · 4
- dover farmers' market, dover
- durham farmers' market, durham
- rochester farmers' market, rochester
- rollinsford winter market, rollinsford
Large Grocery Store · 3
- fiddlehead farms, somersworth
- george calef fine foods, barrington
- janetos market, dover
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 73101, dover
- shaw's supermarket 2479, dover
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- arthurs market, rochester
Seafood Specialty · 1
- andover seafoods llc 1, somersworth
Small Grocery Store · 1
- dover natural food and marketplace, dover
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New Hampshire
Compare Strafford County vs Belknap County → · All New Hampshire counties →
Food access nationally, New Hampshire in context
Strafford County sits inside New Hampshire (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 Strafford County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Strafford County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Strafford County? ▼
Is Strafford County a food desert? ▼
What share of Strafford 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.