County food-access profile · New Jersey
Warren County, NJ
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Warren 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).
- 35.1%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 7.4%
- on SNAP
- 111K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
35.1% of Warren County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 5.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.3%
- 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).
USDA data puts Warren County's low-access share at 35.1%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 23 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 38,102 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,499 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 Warren County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Warren County's 35.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 81% of them and ranked #589 most-affected nationwide.
Warren County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 23 census tracts in Warren County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Warren County vs. other New Jersey counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New Jersey
- Warren
Warren County, NJ
35.1 % low-access
- Atlantic
Atlantic County, NJ
30.1 % low-access
- Bergen 10.3
Bergen County, NJ
10.3 % low-access
- Burlington
Burlington County, NJ
36.3 % low-access
- Camden
Camden County, NJ
20 % low-access
- Cape May
Cape May County, NJ
32.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 23 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 108,692 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 38,102 |
| Low-Access Share | 35.1%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,499 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 110,849 |
| Median Household Income | $100,869 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.3%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,363 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.4%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
About 7.4% of Warren County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 35.1% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,363 households here.
- 5.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Warren County
above the national share
4 of Warren County's 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 17.4% of all its tracts.
A further 7 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 38,102 residents, roughly 35.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,499 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (52.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Warren County
Warren County has 58 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 22 locations (38% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 22
- 7-eleven store 39585a, washington
- 7-eleven store #11460c, hackettstown
- 7-eleven store #41972a, columbia
- el pacheking, washington
- fruit grocery my family, phillipsburg
- joemar food market, phillipsburg
- jolly smoke shop & convenience store, washington
- krauszers food store, washington
- medimax pharmacy,inc, phillipsburg
- nykun store & bar inc, great meadows
- narayana business llc., phillipsburg
- phillipsburg shell 9533, phillipsburg
- phillipsburg sunoco, phillipsburg
- skoogy's deli & ice cream, belvidere
- speedway 3455, phillipsburg
- sunrise covenience store, hackettstown
- ta columbia 006, columbia
- towne market, phillipsburg
- urav & esha llc, belvidere
- wawa 8313, pohatcong
- wawa 8390, hackettstown
- wawa food market 985, phillipsburg
Combination Grocery/Other · 21
- cvs 10552, hackettstown
- cvs pharmacy 435, hackettstown
- cvs pharmacy 10766, phillipsburg
- cvs pharmacy 11271, washington
- choice 1 fresh fish food and varieties, phillipsburg
- dollartree 8158, belvidere
- dollar general 13236, washington
- dollar general 16258, hackettstown
- dollar general 16289, blairstown
- dollar general 25640, phillipsburg
- dollar tree 3745, phillipsburg
- dollar tree 5948, washington
- dollar tree 785, hackettstown
- quick chek food stores 64, hackettstown
- quick chek food stores 69, phillipsburg
- quick chek 108, independence
- quick chek 139, washington
- quick chek 5, belvidere
- quickchek 213, phillipsburg
- quickchek 46, hackettstown
- walgreens 09249, hackettstown
Super Store · 7
- shop rite 224, hackettstown
- shoprite of greenwich, phillipsburg
- shoprite of washington 434, washington
- target 2446, hackettstown
- target stores 1464, phillipsburg
- walmart supercenter 2497, phillipsburg
- walmart supercenter 2503, hackettstown
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 60211, hackettstown
- acme 1851, blairstown
- aldi 60111, phillipsburg
- weis markets 145, hackettstown
Small Grocery Store · 2
- mamie's african and caribbean market, phillipsburg
- phillipsburg fresh stop market, phillipsburg
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- phillipsburg fresh stop market, phillipsburg
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- fruitimex supermarket incorporated, hackettstown
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New Jersey
Compare Warren County vs Atlantic County → · All New Jersey counties →
Food access nationally, New Jersey in context
Warren County sits inside New Jersey (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 Warren County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Warren County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Warren County? ▼
Is Warren County a food desert? ▼
What share of Warren 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.