Signature · 7 LILA tracts (28% of tracts)
Strafford County, NH
Strafford County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 7 LILA tracts (28% of the book) alongside 24.2% low-access.
- 24.2%
- low-access pop.
- 7
- food-desert tracts
- 7.3%
- on SNAP
- 133K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Strafford County, NH
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 24.2% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +2.1 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 7 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 28% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Cheshire County ( -4.9 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Strafford County ranks #1,354 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #4 of 10 counties in NH (24.2% low-access; 7 food-desert tracts).
- #1,354
- national by low-access %
- #4
- in NH
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 7 LILA tracts (28% of tracts) .
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 #1,354 most-affected nationwide.
Strafford County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
25 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 7 LILA.
Strafford County is mostly urban by USDA tract type (16 urban, 9 rural), so most of its low-access count comes from the 1-mile test; the 9 rural tracts are held to 10 miles.
Strafford County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in New Hampshire, not a full county-board reprint
- Rockingham
Rockingham 43%
43 % low-access
- Hillsborough
Hillsborough 32.3%
32.3 % low-access
- Strafford
Strafford 24.2%
24.2 % low-access
- Cheshire
Cheshire 19.3%
19.3 % low-access
- Coos 16.9
Coos 16.9%
16.9 % low-access
- Merrimack 16.2
Merrimack 16.2%
16.2 % low-access
- Carroll 1.5
Carroll 1.5%
1.5 % 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 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| 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% |
Thick SNAP store book 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.
Where the store book sits, by town
9 towns share the 84 authorized stores; Rochester holds 32% of them. 3 of the 9 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Farmington, Rollinsford, Milton.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Rochester | 27 | 6 |
| Dover | 22 | 6 |
| Somersworth | 16 | 4 |
| Durham | 4 | 1 |
| Farmington | 4 | none |
| Lee | 4 | 1 |
| Rollinsford | 3 | none |
| Barrington | 2 | 1 |
| Milton | 2 | none |
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 stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in New Hampshire
One of 9 counties in New Hampshire, 6 are shown here.
Compare Strafford County vs Belknap County → · All New Hampshire counties →
Nationwide peers for Strafford County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Strafford County, both outside New Hampshire so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NH (24.2% here).
- Guilford County, NC · 24.2% low-access
- Ward County, ND · 24.2% low-access
- Labette County, KS · 24.2% low-access
- Gregg County, TX · 24.2% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NH (7.3% here).
- Fergus County, MT · 7.3% SNAP
- Itawamba County, MS · 7.3% SNAP
- Todd County, MN · 7.3% SNAP
- Bullitt County, KY · 7.3% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
New Hampshire among New England states
New Hampshire ranks 2nd of 5 New England states by population-weighted low-access (27.5%). Strafford County, at 24.2%, runs 3.3 pts below the New Hampshire rate.
- Massachusetts 27.8%
- New Hampshire 27.5%
- Rhode Island 23.6%
- Maine 13.4%
- Vermont 11.2%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Strafford County, NH are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 33017. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.