County food-access profile · New Mexico
Valencia County, NM
Valencia 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.
- 58.8%
- low-access pop.
- 7
- food-desert tracts
- 24.0%
- on SNAP
- 78K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
58.8% of Valencia County residents live in a low-access area, and 7 of its 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 12
- low-access tracts
- 21K
- food-desert residents
- 3.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 18.1%
- 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).
Valencia County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 58.8% is well above the national share. 12 of the county's 18 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 45,022 people. 7 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 20,612 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 Valencia County compares nationally
Valencia County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 58.8% low-access share outpaces 96% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #131 most-affected nationwide.
Valencia County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 18 census tracts in Valencia County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Valencia County vs. other New Mexico counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New Mexico
- Valencia
Valencia County, NM
58.8 % low-access
- Bernalillo 19.4
Bernalillo County, NM
19.4 % low-access
- Catron
Catron County, NM
100 % low-access
- Chaves 28.2
Chaves County, NM
28.2 % low-access
- Cibola 39.3
Cibola County, NM
39.3 % low-access
- Colfax 28.5
Colfax County, NM
28.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 18 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 76,569 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 12 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 7 |
| Low-Access Population | 45,022 |
| Low-Access Share | 58.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 20,612 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 78,458 |
| Median Household Income | $58,933 |
| Poverty Rate | 18.1%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,612 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 24.0%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.3% |
About 24.0% of Valencia County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 58.8% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 24.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,612 households here.
- 3.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 7 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 Valencia County
well above the national share
7 of Valencia County's 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 38.9% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 12.
An estimated 45,022 residents, roughly 58.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 20,612 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (33.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Valencia County
Valencia County has 57 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 22 locations (39% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 22
- 7-eleven 738, los lunas
- allsup's 102462, belen
- allsup's 102471, los lunas
- allsups 137, los lunas
- allsups 165, belen
- allsups 257, los lunas
- circle k 2704582, belen
- circle k 2741238, los lunas
- circle k 2741247, belen
- circle k 8938, los lunas
- good 2 go los lunas 311, los lunas
- j & a quickstop, llc, los lunas
- love's travel stop 726, belen
- maverik, inc 664, los lunas
- murphy express 8554, los lunas
- pee wee's pit stop, rio communities
- road runner pit stop, belen
- speedway 8924, peralta
- speedway 8930, belen
- speedway 8932, los lunas
- speedway 9778, bosque farms
- young baca's kicks 66, belen
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- carniceria el potrillo llc 001, belen
- dollar general 14600, belen
- dollar general 6299, belen
- dollar tree 2702, los lunas
- dollar general 11785, belen
- dollar general 15160, los lunas
- dollar general 24879, los lunas
- dollar general 25566, los lunas
- dollar general 25819, los lunas
- dollar general 31081, los lunas
- dollar general 9907, bosque farms
- dollar tree 5563, belen
- dollar tree 8442, los lunas
- family dollar store 10131, los lunas
- family dollar store 5403, peralta
- family dollar store 6031, los lunas
- get hooked quality foods, inc., los lunas
- walgreens 11361, los lunas
- walgreens 2050, belen
- walgreens 6610, los lunas
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- jaramillo's custom meat processing llc, los lunas
- sam's butcher block, bosque farms
- the jerky store, bosque farms
Super Store · 3
- smiths 414, los lunas
- walmart 1414, belen
- walmart supercenter 3596, los lunas
Farmers' Market · 2
- belen farmers market 0146264, belen
- bosque farms growers market, bosque farms
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- mana mart, los lunas
- valencia market, los lunas
Small Grocery Store · 2
- la pasadita llc, bosque farms
- lunitas market, los lunas
Supermarket · 2
- albertsons 919, los lunas
- lowe's 56, belen
Large Grocery Store · 1
- emma's meat market, los lunas
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New Mexico
Compare Valencia County vs Bernalillo County → · All New Mexico counties →
Food access nationally, New Mexico in context
Valencia County sits inside New Mexico (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 Valencia County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Valencia County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Valencia County? ▼
Is Valencia County a food desert? ▼
What share of Valencia 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.