County food-access profile · New Hampshire
Sullivan County, NH
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Sullivan 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).
- 33.9%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 8.3%
- on SNAP
- 44K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
33.9% of Sullivan County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 5.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.1%
- 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 Sullivan County's low-access share at 33.9%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 10 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 14,815 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,705 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 Sullivan County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Sullivan County's 33.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 78% of them and ranked #678 most-affected nationwide.
Sullivan County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Sullivan County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Sullivan County vs. other New Hampshire counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New Hampshire
- Sullivan
Sullivan County, NH
33.9 % low-access
- Belknap 11.4
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 10.5
Grafton County, NH
10.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 43,742 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 14,815 |
| Low-Access Share | 33.9%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,705 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 43,715 |
| Median Household Income | $80,858 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.1%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,371 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.3%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.7% |
About 8.3% of Sullivan County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 33.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,371 households here.
- 5.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Sullivan County
above the national share
4 of Sullivan County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 40.0% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 14,815 residents, roughly 33.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,705 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 5 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Sullivan County
Sullivan County has 36 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 18 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 18
- al wadood corp - shop express two, newport
- birney's mini mart, claremont
- coronis market, newport
- cumberland farms 5421, claremont
- circle k 4707204, newport
- circle k 4707240, grantham
- claremont mobil, claremont
- cumberland farms 5419, claremont
- goshen country store, goshen
- jiffy mart 431, claremont
- jiffy mart 432, newport
- jiffy mart 460, charlestown
- pleasant mobil, claremont
- sugar river market & deli, newport
- t-bird mini mart claremont 673, claremont
- t-bird mini mart newport 678, newport
- t-bird mni mart claremont 672, claremont
- twelve percent solution, cornish
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- cvs pharmacy 5347, claremont
- dollar tree 3674, claremont
- dollar general 13857, newport
- dollar general 14774, charlestown
- dollar general 22557, sunapee
- family dollar 4196, claremont
- granite state packing co-op, claremont
- liberal beef, claremont
- ocean state job lot 406, newport
Super Store · 3
- hannaford supermarket 8119, claremont
- market basket 53, claremont
- walmart supercenter 1975, claremont
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- leos one stop market llc, claremont
- newport meat market 1, newport
Farmers' Market · 1
- newport farmers' market, newport
Large Grocery Store · 1
- ralph's supermarket, charlestown
Small Grocery Store · 1
- claremont spice and dry goods, claremont
Supermarket · 1
- shaw's supermarket 4534, newport
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New Hampshire
Compare Sullivan County vs Belknap County → · All New Hampshire counties →
Food access nationally, New Hampshire in context
Sullivan 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 Sullivan County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Sullivan County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Sullivan County? ▼
Is Sullivan County a food desert? ▼
What share of Sullivan 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.