County food-access profile · California
Ventura County, CA
Ventura 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.
- 14.9%
- low-access pop.
- 9
- food-desert tracts
- 8.5%
- on SNAP
- 837K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
14.9% of Ventura County residents live in a low-access area, and 9 of its 173 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 55
- low-access tracts
- 19K
- food-desert residents
- 4.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.3%
- 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).
Ventura County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 14.9% per the USDA Atlas. 55 of the county's 173 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 122,611 residents who live far from a supermarket. 9 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 19,017 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 Ventura County compares nationally
Ventura County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.9% low-access share that beats 32% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,130).
Ventura County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 173 census tracts in Ventura County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Ventura County vs. other California counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in California
- Ventura 14.9
Ventura County, CA
14.9 % low-access
- Alameda 8.1
Alameda County, CA
8.1 % low-access
- Alpine
Alpine County, CA
57 % low-access
- Amador 0.2
Amador County, CA
0.2 % low-access
- Butte 19.1
Butte County, CA
19.1 % low-access
- Calaveras 14.7
Calaveras County, CA
14.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 173 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 823,318 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 55 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 9 |
| Low-Access Population | 122,611 |
| Low-Access Share | 14.9%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 19,017 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 837,469 |
| Median Household Income | $109,797 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 23,939 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
About 8.5% of Ventura County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 14.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 23,939 households here.
- 4.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 9 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 Ventura County
near the national share
9 of Ventura County's 173 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 5.2% of all its tracts.
A further 46 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 55.
An estimated 122,611 residents, roughly 14.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 19,017 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 118 tracts (68.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Ventura County
Ventura County has 477 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 184 locations (39% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 184
- 1 to 3 dollar express, oxnard
- 3 amigos market, ventura
- 4 way meat market 2, ventura
- 7 eleven 35660a, simi valley
- 7 eleven store 13869b, thousand oaks
- 7 eleven store 13880f, thousand oaks
- 7 eleven store 13901 e, newbury park
- 7 eleven store 16027 e, simi valley
- 7 eleven store 23085 f, oxnard
- 7 eleven store 24324 c, simi valley
- 7 eleven store 25612 d, oxnard
- 7 eleven store 33159 d, oxnard
- 7 eleven store 33399 a, oxnard
- 7 eleven store 33557 b, simi valley
- 7 eleven store 37928 b, ventura
- 7 eleven store 38564 a, oxnard
- 7 eleven store 39735 a, simi valley
- 7 eleven store 39880 a, ventura
- 7 eleven store 43114 a, camarillo
- 7 eleven store 46170 a, simi valley
- 7-eleven 13874 e, oxnard
- 7-eleven 13890 g, ventura
- 7-eleven 13871a, simi valley
- 7-eleven 17957 c, oxnard
- 7-eleven 25132, simi valley
- 7-eleven 27478c, moorpark
- 7-eleven 29677, simi valley
- 7-eleven 33513a, fillmore
- 7-eleven 34898, oxnard
- 7-eleven store #33567, camarillo
- 7-eleven store 43115, camarillo
- 7-eleven store #39218, simi valley
- 7-eleven store 33162b, newbury park
- 97 cents bargain center, santa paula
- a-1 mart, ojai
- am/pm arco 42746, ventura
- asian american market, ventura
- acapulco market, oxnard
- adar chevron, santa paula
- allan's market wine & lotto, inc, port hueneme
- amigo's market, santa paula
- anacapa liquor, port hueneme
- arco #42249, oxnard
- arco am/pm 42026, ventura
- arco am/pm 42430, piru
- arco am/pm arco#42671, oxnard
- arco ampm, moorpark
- arco ampm #42735, santa paula
- arco ampm #42797, simi valley
- bard liquor, oxnard
- bb&b, santa paula
- belwood liquors, inc, simi valley
- beverage house liquor # 17, oxnard
- beverage house liquor # 7, oxnard
- borchard arco am/pm 42702, newbury park
- c street market, oxnard
- chhina's market 5, santa paula
- clark liquor store, ventura
- corner store, oxnard
- crown's market liquor, oxnard
- carmens market, oxnard
- casitas market, ventura
- cheers market & liquor, camarillo
- chevron 1445, camarillo
- chevron 1738, simi valley
- chevron 1813, ventura
- chevron 1947, oxnard
- chevron 1950, simi valley
- chevron oxnard, oxnard
- circle k, oxnard
- circle k 2655640, simi valley
- circle k 2721045, ojai
- circle k 2725212, ventura
- circle k 2725238, santa paula
- circle k 2729460, oxnard
- circle k 2729483, oxnard
- circle m market, ventura
- city market, oxnard
- cold beer liquor, oxnard
- college mobil, ventura
- crossroads market & liquor, camarillo
- d & j liquor, oxnard
- darling rd country mart, ventura
- del norte shell 6600, oxnard
- doc's beer & wine, oxnard
- doc's liquor & market, oxnard
- doc's market, ventura
- dollar stop, ventura
- dss liquor & market 1, simi valley
- dukes liquor, oxnard
- el brillante market, santa paula
- el mercadito, simi valley
- el rio liquor inc, oxnard
- el rio oxnard market, oxnard
- el rio shell & food mart 1, oxnard
- fiesta liquor, oxnard
- four guys liquor 2, oxnard
- four guys liquor inc 3, oxnard
- g&m 33, simi valley
- g&m oil # 0063 63, ventura
- g&m oil 0212, ojai
- g&m oil 0064, ventura
- g&m oil 0152, ventura
- garcia's bakery, simi valley
- gills food market, santa paula
- h-mart, oxnard
- hampshire liquor, thousand oaks
- handiest food mart, moorpark
- harbor mart, oxnard
- harbor shell 7200, ventura
- harbor sinclair, ventura
- hi-way 126 market liquor, fillmore
- hilu chevron, camarillo
- house of spirits, port hueneme
- hueneme food mart inc, port hueneme
- juniors market inc, santa paula
- kc's market, ventura
- kwiki mart, ventura
- la gotita mini market, oxnard
- la hacienda market, fillmore
- la liquor, simi valley
- la mexicana way market corp, oxnard
- la raza meat market # 2, port hueneme
- la unica mini market inc, fillmore
- landing shell 7700, oxnard
- lee's grocery, ventura
- lighthouse liquors, port hueneme
- liquor cellar, oxnard
- lizette's market, piru
- los amigos market, oxnard
- lucky 7 food mart, ventura
- mgb mart, oxnard
- marniers m liquor, ventura
- meta market, ventura
- mini-market, oxnard
- moller retail, moorpark
- moller retail 6122, santa paula
- moorpark college bookstore 2389, moorpark
- moorpark service inc., moorpark
- mountain view mini market, santa paula
- mupu market, santa paula
- neighborhood market, santa paula
- newbur inc 5012, newbury park
- north oaks market & liquor, thousand oaks
- nv sports and more, fillmore
- oak view liquor, oak view
- oakview market, oak view
- ojai mart, ojai
- old town market, oxnard
- one stop liquor market inc, oxnard
- oralia's bakery #2, oxnard
- oxnard college bookstore 2388, oxnard
- oxnard market, oxnard
- oxnard mobil food mart, oxnard
- oxnard self service, oxnard
- oxnard service station, oxnard
- oxxo market inc, camarillo
- pat holden's liquor & gift shop, oxnard
- paul's liquor & market, simi valley
- plaza liquor mart, port hueneme
- rainbow water store, santa paula
- raymond's liquor, port hueneme
- red barn corner liquor, ventura
- red barn liquor & grocery, ventura
- red barn santa paula, santa paula
- renegade holdings inc, oxnard
- rios mini market, oxnard
- rocket #0687 687, ventura
- rocket #0689 689, oxnard
- rocket #0690 690, oxnard
- rocket #0691 691, oxnard
- rocket #0692 692, santa paula
- rocket #5696 5696, oxnard
- rocket 218, ventura
- rocket 688, camarillo
- rose shell 600, oxnard
- rose and fifth inc, oxnard
- royal market, camarillo
- star mso 63036, ventura
- star mso 63208, oxnard
- star mso 63211, thousand oaks
- star mso 68189, port hueneme
- star mso 68579, oxnard
- saif food mart, fillmore
Combination Grocery/Other · 63
- cvs 10918, oak park
- cvs pharmacey 11305, fillmore
- cvs pharmacy 10026, simi valley
- cvs pharmacy 11033, ventura
- cvs pharmacy 3069, newbury park
- cvs pharmacy 3934, thousand oaks
- cvs pharmacy 8520, oxnard
- cvs pharmacy 9143, camarillo
- cvs pharmacy 9151, santa paula
- cvs pharmacy 9221, newbury park
- cvs pharmacy 9236, ventura
- cvs pharmacy 9241, thousand oaks
- cvs pharmacy 9286, port hueneme
- cvs pharmacy 9530, moorpark
- cvs pharmacy 9556, ventura
- cvs pharmacy 9631, simi valley
- cvs pharmacy 9633, thousand oaks
- cvs pharmacy 9683, ventura
- cvs pharmacy 9695, oxnard
- cvs pharmacy 9715, thousand oaks
- cvs pharmacy 9719, camarillo
- cvs pharmacy 9764, camarillo
- cvs pharmacy 9790, simi valley
- cvs pharmacy 9844, camarillo
- cvs pharmacy 9859, simi valley
- cvs pharmacy 9969, ventura
- dollartree 10383, thousand oaks
- dollartree 10423, oxnard
- dollartree 10553, port hueneme
- dollartree 10567, simi valley
- dollartree 10570, ventura
- dollartree 10996, oxnard
- dollar general 15435, fillmore
- dollar tree 2237, oxnard
- dollar tree 2585, simi valley
- dollar tree 2963, santa paula
- dollar tree 3753, fillmore
- dollar tree 3874, port hueneme
- dollar tree 3999, thousand oaks
- dollar tree 4223, newbury park
- dollar tree 4315, ventura
- dollar tree 4687, oxnard
- dollar tree 5464, moorpark
- dollar tree 5599, camarillo
- dollar tree 7545, westlake village
- dollar tree 7660, ventura
- europa foods, inc 01, simi valley
- family dollar 11932, oxnard
- fillmore central market liquor, fillmore
- j & k food market 4, oxnard
- la michoacana bakery # 2, fillmore
- monarcas meat market, port hueneme
- mr shrimp quality seafood, oxnard
- namaste spiceland, thousand oaks
- panaderia vanessa #5, oxnard
- rodela produce & flowers inc, ventura
- siesta market, thousand oaks
- walgreens 07305, oxnard
- walgreens 07992, thousand oaks
- walgreens 10354, simi valley
- walgreens 10738, moorpark
- walgreens 11707, oxnard
- westridge market, ojai
Bakery Specialty · 3
- conchita bakery panaderia, port hueneme
- la reyna bakery, oxnard
- yaniras bakery, santa paula
Showing 250 of 477 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in California
Compare Ventura County vs Alameda County → · All California counties →
Food access nationally, California in context
Ventura County sits inside California (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 Ventura County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Ventura County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Ventura County? ▼
Is Ventura County a food desert? ▼
What share of Ventura 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.