County food-access profile · Virginia
Sussex County, VA
Sussex County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 53.5%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 18.9%
- on SNAP
- 11K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
53.5% of Sussex County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 9.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.6%
- 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).
Sussex County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 53.5% is well above the national share. 3 of the county's 5 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 6,463 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,667 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 Sussex County compares nationally
Sussex County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 53.5% low-access share outpaces 95% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #169 most-affected nationwide.
Sussex County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 5 census tracts in Sussex County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Sussex County vs. other Virginia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Virginia
- Sussex
Sussex County, VA
53.5 % low-access
- Accomack 2.2
Accomack County, VA
2.2 % low-access
- Albemarle 11.9
Albemarle County, VA
11.9 % low-access
- Alexandria city 0
Alexandria city, VA
0 % low-access
- Alleghany 16.4
Alleghany County, VA
16.4 % low-access
- Amelia 16.5
Amelia County, VA
16.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 12,087 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,463 |
| Low-Access Share | 53.5%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,667 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 10,765 |
| Median Household Income | $63,530 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 715 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 18.9%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.2%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 15.3% |
About 18.9% of Sussex County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 53.5% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 18.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 715 households here.
- 9.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Sussex County
well above the national share
1 of Sussex County's 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 20.0% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.
An estimated 6,463 residents, roughly 53.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,667 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 2 tracts (40.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Sussex County
Sussex County has 16 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 10 locations (63% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 10
- 460 citgo, waverly
- 7 eleven 21468j, waverly
- aplus 40006h, wakefield
- goasis stony creek 487, stony creek
- pran $ world llc, waverly
- rainbow fuels inc, stony creek
- smith country store, stony creek
- stonycreek convenience store 1, stony creek
- ta express stony creek 486, stony creek
- waverly convenience, waverly
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- dollartree 8151, waverly
- dollar general 10031, wakefield
- dollar general 25103, stony creek
- dollar general 393, waverly
- family dollar 9014, stony creek
Supermarket · 1
- wakefields great valu, wakefield
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Virginia
Compare Sussex County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Food access nationally, Virginia in context
Sussex County sits inside Virginia (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 Sussex County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Sussex County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Sussex County? ▼
Is Sussex County a food desert? ▼
What share of Sussex 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.