PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Pennsylvania

Tioga County, PA

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Tioga 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).

23.4%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
14.0%
on SNAP
41K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 PA

The food-access picture

23.4% of Tioga County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

3
low-access tracts
4K
food-desert residents
5.5%
households, no vehicle
11.7%
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 Tioga County's low-access share at 23.4%, above the national share. 3 of the county's 10 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 9,814 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,937 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 Tioga County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Tioga County's 23.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 55% of them and ranked #1,413 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Tioga County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 10 census tracts in Tioga County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Tioga County, PA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 7 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 10 tracts evaluated. 7 tracts adequate (70.0%) 1 tracts limited (10.0%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (20.0%) Adequate 70% Limited 10% Severe 20% Food-access tier distribution: Tioga County, PA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Tioga County vs. other Pennsylvania counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Pennsylvania

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Tioga County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts10
Atlas Population (2010 basis)41,981
Low-Access Tracts3
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population9,814
Low-Access Share23.4%near the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,937

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Tioga County
IndicatorValue
Population40,945
Median Household Income$64,899
Poverty Rate11.7%below the national average
SNAP Households2,344
SNAP Participation Rate14.0%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.5%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.7%
SNAP participation in Tioga County 14.0%

About 14.0% of Tioga County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 23.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 14.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,344 households here.
  • 5.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 2 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 Tioga County

above the national share

2 of Tioga County's 10 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 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.

An estimated 9,814 residents, roughly 23.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 3,937 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 7 tracts (70.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Tioga County

Tioga County has 40 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 18 locations (45% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 18

  • cvs pharmacy 5011, wellsboro
  • cvs pharmacy inc 1679, mansfield
  • dollar general 18191, middlebury center
  • dollar general 19528, westfield
  • dollar general 3816, mansfield
  • dollar general 6359, tioga
  • dollar general 8591, wellsboro
  • dollar general 1412, elkland
  • dollar general 20357, liberty
  • dollar general 21345, knoxville
  • dollar general 24881, tioga
  • dollar general 25957, mansfield
  • dollar general 31107, lawrenceville
  • dollar general 9643, blossburg
  • dollar tree 7036, mansfield
  • family dollar 11300, lawrenceville
  • family dollar store 10943, westfield
  • family dollar store 7489, osceola

Convenience Store · 13

  • dandy mini mart 107, knoxville
  • dandy mini mart 22, millerton
  • dandy mini mart 59, middlebury center
  • kwik fill 390, blossburg
  • kwik fill 410, elkland
  • kwik fill 411, tioga
  • kwik fill 413, wellsboro
  • lawrenceville exxon 6, lawrenceville
  • liberty exxon, liberty
  • nittany minit mart 242, wellsboro
  • roseville market, mansfield
  • rt 15 exxon mansfield 5, mansfield
  • sheetz 474, mansfield

Supermarket · 5

  • bloss holiday market llc, blossburg
  • osceola big m, osceola
  • tops markets 620, westfield
  • tops markets 676, wellsboro
  • weis markets 198, wellsboro

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • martins pantry, liberty
  • pagomar farm market, wellsboro

Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1

  • browns produce, wellsboro

Super Store · 1

  • walmart supercenter 1945, mansfield

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Pennsylvania

Adams County
15.9% low-access · 8.2% SNAP
Allegheny County
26.4% low-access · 13.0% SNAP
Armstrong County
5.2% low-access · 15.6% SNAP
Beaver County
32.5% low-access · 13.8% SNAP
Bedford County
22.7% low-access · 15.8% SNAP
Berks County
17.5% low-access · 13.9% SNAP

Compare Tioga County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →

Food access nationally, Pennsylvania in context

Tioga County sits inside Pennsylvania (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Tioga County has low food access? ▼
23.4% of residents in Tioga County, PA live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Tioga County? ▼
14.0% of households in Tioga County receive SNAP, covering 2,344 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Tioga County? ▼
The poverty rate in Tioga County, PA is 11.7%, with a median household income of $64,899 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Tioga County a food desert? ▼
2 of Tioga County's 10 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Tioga County households lack a vehicle? ▼
5.5% of households in Tioga County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.