County food-access profile · New York
Tompkins County, NY
Tompkins County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 15.2%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 8.9%
- on SNAP
- 105K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
15.2% of Tompkins County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 14.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.4%
- 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).
Tompkins County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 15.2% per the USDA Atlas. 8 of the county's 23 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 15,392 residents who live far from a supermarket. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,534 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 Tompkins County compares nationally
Tompkins County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 15.2% low-access share that beats 33% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,113).
Tompkins County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 23 census tracts in Tompkins County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Tompkins County vs. other New York counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New York
- Tompkins
Tompkins County, NY
15.2 % low-access
- Albany
Albany County, NY
31.4 % low-access
- Allegany 3.9
Allegany County, NY
3.9 % low-access
- Bronx 0.6
Bronx County, NY
0.6 % low-access
- Broome
Broome County, NY
16.4 % low-access
- Cattaraugus 7.9
Cattaraugus County, NY
7.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 23 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 101,564 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 15,392 |
| Low-Access Share | 15.2%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,534 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 104,537 |
| Median Household Income | $74,024 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.4%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,869 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.9%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 14.1%well above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 14.9% |
About 8.9% of Tompkins County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 15.2% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,869 households here.
- 14.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Tompkins County
near the national share
5 of Tompkins County's 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 21.7% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 15,392 residents, roughly 15.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,534 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (65.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Tompkins County
Tompkins County has 76 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 36 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 36
- 7 eleven store #40191 40191, ithaca
- 7 eleven store 35255a, ithaca
- brooktondale market llc, brooktondale
- byrne dairy ithaca rt13 131, ithaca
- byrne dairy trumansburg 67, trumansburg
- danby food and drink, llc, ithaca
- dandy mini mart 33, slaterville
- dandy mini mart 47, freeville
- dandy mini mart 77, ithaca
- dandy mini mart 82, ithaca
- empire commons market corp, ithaca
- fastrac eg llc 500256, ithaca
- fateh singh inc - smiley's food mart, newfield
- g plus inc, lansing
- grab n go mini mart, ithaca
- green castle collegetown corp, ithaca
- ithaca mini mart, ithaca
- jason's grocery and deli, ithaca
- mirabito # 58 - jacksonville ny, trumansburg
- mirabito #45 ithaca- rte 13, ithaca
- mirabito - 114 freeville, freeville
- mirabito 113 - dryden, dryden
- mirabito 115 - lansing, lansing
- mirabito 57 - freeville 2, ithaca
- mirabito 87, ithaca
- newfield convenience llc, newfield
- quik shoppe 111, ithaca
- shortstop deli, ithaca
- saboor petroleum inc, ithaca
- speedway 7787, ithaca
- speedway 9933, ithaca
- speedway 9939, groton
- speedway 9951, dryden
- sukhmani singh inc, ithaca
- trumansburg main street market, trumansburg
- yazzy's market inc, ithaca
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- cvs pharmacy 502, ithaca
- dollar general 14064, dryden
- dollar general 17711, ithaca
- dollar tree 959, ithaca
- dollar general 21094, freeville
- dollar general 22567, groton
- dollar general 22623, locke
- dollar general 23670, lansing
- dollar general store 16838, lansing
- dollar tree 8262, ithaca
- eddydale farm market, ithaca
- family dollar 9439, groton
- kinney drugs 100, ithaca
- kinney drugs 71, trumansburg
- kinney drugs 80, ithaca
- kinney drugs 82, dryden
- lee's ithaca tofu, ithaca
- walgreens 19370, ithaca
- walgreens 19684, ithaca
- win li oriental supermarket, ithaca
Super Store · 6
- bj's wholesale club 352, ithaca
- greenstar cooperative market, ithaca
- p&c fresh market 107, ithaca
- shur-save food store, trumansburg
- target 1508, ithaca
- walmart 5240, ithaca
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 65011, ithaca
- aldi 65057, ithaca
- clark's food mart llc, dryden
- trader joe's ithaca 568, ithaca
- tops markets 522, ithaca
- wegmans 71, ithaca
Farmers' Market · 3
- freeville farmers market, freeville
- ithaca farmers market, ithaca
- trumansburg farmers market, trumansburg
Large Grocery Store · 3
- greenstar cooperative market inc - dewitt mall, ithaca
- greenstar cooperative market inc., ithaca
- pine ridge grocery 2, dryden
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- ren's mart inc - ren's mart asian groceries, ithaca
Small Grocery Store · 1
- anabel's grocery, ithaca
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New York
Compare Tompkins County vs Albany County → · All New York counties →
Food access nationally, New York in context
Tompkins County sits inside New York (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 Tompkins County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Tompkins County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Tompkins County? ▼
Is Tompkins County a food desert? ▼
What share of Tompkins 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.