County food-access profile · Virginia
Warren County, VA
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).
- 20.9%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 10.5%
- on SNAP
- 42K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
20.9% of Warren County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 4.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.6%
- 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 20.9%, above the national share. 3 of the county's 8 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 7,859 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,031 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 20.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 49% of them and ranked #1,610 most-affected nationwide.
Warren County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 8 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 Virginia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Virginia
- Warren
Warren County, VA
20.9 % low-access
- Accomack 2.2
Accomack County, VA
2.2 % low-access
- Albemarle
Albemarle County, VA
11.9 % low-access
- Alexandria city 0
Alexandria city, VA
0 % low-access
- Alleghany
Alleghany County, VA
16.4 % low-access
- Amelia
Amelia County, VA
16.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 37,575 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 7,859 |
| Low-Access Share | 20.9%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,031 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 41,531 |
| Median Household Income | $84,682 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,609 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.3% |
About 10.5% of Warren County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 20.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,609 households here.
- 4.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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
3 of Warren County's 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 37.5% of all its tracts.
An estimated 7,859 residents, roughly 20.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,031 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 5 tracts (62.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Warren County
Warren County has 32 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 22 locations (69% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 22
- 7 xpress 5406310491, front royal
- 7-eleven inc f 32258a, front royal
- 7-eleven inc f 34258a, front royal
- 7-eleven inc f 34516b, front royal
- 7-eleven #34022b 34022b, front royal
- 7-eleven 10649a, front royal
- 7-eleven 32374c, front royal
- 7-eleven 34512b 34512b, linden
- apple mountain exxon, linden
- big al's citgo, front royal
- circle k 2655897, front royal
- foodway supermarket, bentonville
- handymart 16, front royal
- henry's grocery, front royal
- krishna 1 llc, front royal
- rivermont grocery store, front royal
- royal farms 270, front royal
- shenandoah farms grocery, front royal
- sheetz 682, front royal
- shore stop, front royal
- speedway 4644, front royal
- the family grocery, front royal
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- big lots 3124, front royal
- cvs pharmacy cvs07509, front royal
- dollar general 463, front royal
- dollar tree 617, front royal
- family dollar store 935, front royal
Super Store · 2
- target stores 2297, front royal
- walmart supercenter 5105, front royal
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 71066 71066, front royal
- martins food market 6282, front royal
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- two fat butchers, front royal
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Virginia
Compare Warren County vs Accomack County → · All Virginia counties →
Food access nationally, Virginia in context
Warren County sits inside Virginia (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.