Signature · 8.0% low-access (16th pct)
Upshur County, WV
Upshur County lands in the lower national band on low-access (8.0%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 8.0%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 19.0%
- on SNAP
- 24K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Upshur County, WV
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 8.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -14.1 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 19.0% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 8.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 17% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Cabell County (+ 0.3 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Upshur County lands in the lower national band (8.0%, #2,645 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,645
- national by low-access %
- #43
- in WV
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 826
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 8.0% low-access (16th pct) (-14.1 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Upshur County compares nationally
Upshur County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.0% low-access share that beats 16% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,645).
Upshur County's lower-band USDA tier split
6 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Upshur County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (4 rural, 2 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 2 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Upshur County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in West Virginia, not a full county-board reprint
- Gilmer
Gilmer 81.6%
81.6 % low-access
- Randolph 8.7
Randolph 8.7%
8.7 % low-access
- Nicholas 8.4
Nicholas 8.4%
8.4 % low-access
- Cabell 8.3
Cabell 8.3%
8.3 % low-access
- Upshur 8
Upshur 8%
8 % low-access
- Logan 6.8
Logan 6.8%
6.8 % low-access
- Pleasants 0
Pleasants 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 24,254 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,952 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 826 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 23,712 |
| Median Household Income | $54,338 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.2%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,815 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.0%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.2%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.8% |
Thick SNAP store book in Upshur County
Upshur County has 32 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 18 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
5 towns share the 32 authorized stores; Buckhannon holds 72% of them. 3 of the 5 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: French Creek, Buckhannn, Tallmansville.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Buckhannon | 23 | 4 |
| French Creek | 4 | none |
| Rock Cave | 3 | 1 |
| Buckhannn | 1 | none |
| Tallmansville | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 18
- arlington mini-mart, rock cave
- bfs foods 79, buckhannn
- coe's country store llc, french creek
- go mart 48, buckhannon
- hodgesville mini mart, buckhannon
- lazy acres mart, buckhannon
- little general store 7765, buckhannon
- mountaineer mart 137, buckhannon
- mountaineer mart 138, buckhannon
- par mar store 194, tallmansville
- par mar store 195, buckhannon
- par mar store 196, buckhannon
- sheetz 214, buckhannon
- sunny's variety mart, buckhannon
- triple l mart inc, buckhannon
- the brushy fork mart, buckhannon
- the george's general store llc, buckhannon
- village hardware, inc., french creek
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- cvs pharmacy 7649, buckhannon
- dollar general 0902, buckhannon
- dollar general 15304, french creek
- dollar tree 2028, buckhannon
- family dollar 3249, buckhannon
- family dollar store 5891, rock cave
- kari's country market llc, french creek
- walgreens 17440, buckhannon
Super Store · 2
- kroger 722, buckhannon
- walmart supercenter 2809, buckhannon
Farmers' Market · 1
- white mountain farm, buckhannon
Large Grocery Store · 1
- buckhannon shop n save express, buckhannon
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- wendlings food service, buckhannon
Supermarket · 1
- rock cave iga, rock cave
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in West Virginia
One of 54 counties in West Virginia, 6 are shown here.
Compare Upshur County vs Barbour County → · All West Virginia counties →
Counties near Upshur County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Upshur County, both outside West Virginia so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside WV (8.0% here).
- Williamsburg County, SC · 8.0% low-access
- Macon County, NC · 8.0% low-access
- Miller County, MO · 8.0% low-access
- Knox County, ME · 8.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside WV (19.0% here).
- Okfuskee County, OK · 19.0% SNAP
- Mahoning County, OH · 19.0% SNAP
- Gallia County, OH · 19.0% SNAP
- Passaic County, NJ · 19.0% 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.
West Virginia among South Atlantic states
West Virginia ranks 7th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (21.3%). Upshur County, at 8.0%, runs 13.3 pts below the West Virginia rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
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 Upshur County, WV are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 54097. 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.