County food-access profile · Vermont
Windham County, VT
Windham 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.
- 9.2%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 13.3%
- on SNAP
- 46K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
9.2% of Windham County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 6.2%
- 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).
Windham County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.2% per the USDA Atlas. 1 of the county's 18 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 4,093 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,645 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 Windham County compares nationally
Windham County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.2% low-access share that beats 19% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,552).
Windham County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 18 census tracts in Windham County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Windham County vs. other Vermont counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Vermont
- Windham 9.2
Windham County, VT
9.2 % low-access
- Addison 6.2
Addison County, VT
6.2 % low-access
- Bennington 8.2
Bennington County, VT
8.2 % low-access
- Caledonia 5.8
Caledonia County, VT
5.8 % low-access
- Chittenden
Chittenden County, VT
13.9 % low-access
- Essex
Essex County, VT
28.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 18 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 44,513 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,093 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.2%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,645 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 45,923 |
| Median Household Income | $72,217 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,624 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.3%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.9% |
About 13.3% of Windham County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 9.2% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,624 households here.
- 6.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Windham County
near the national share
1 of Windham County's 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 5.6% of all its tracts.
An estimated 4,093 residents, roughly 9.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,645 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 17 tracts (94.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Windham County
Windham County has 44 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (39% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 17
- allen bros inc., westminster
- circle k 4707409, brattleboro
- changezi food mart inc 1, brattleboro
- circle k 4707406, dummerston
- cuda inc dba gouger's market & deli, brattleboro
- cumberland farms 8030, brattleboro
- jiffy mart 464, bellows falls
- jolley 547, wilmington
- one stop, brattleboro
- penguin market 2 llc, bellows falls
- putney general store, putney
- river valley market at mount snow, wilmington
- smoke n munch, brattleboro
- stanch's place, llc, bellows falls
- west river provisions, jamaica
- westminster station market, westminster
- yazzy's market inc, brattleboro
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- brattleboro food co-op, brattleboro
- dollar general 12210, brattleboro
- dollar tree 5657, brattleboro
- family dollar 8524, wilmington
- family dollar 8626, brattleboro
- kinney drugs 153, brattleboro
- walgreens 7270, brattleboro
- walgreens 17379, wilmington
- walgreens 18418, brattleboro
- walgreens 19233, bellows falls
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 73032, brattleboro
- lisai market, bellows falls
- londonderry village market 10820, londonderry
- market 32 by price chopper 136, brattleboro
- putney consumers cooperative, putney
- shaw's supermarket 222, wilmington
Farmers' Market · 5
- greater falls farmers market, bellows falls
- putney farmers' market, putney
- west river farmers market, londonderry
- west townshend farmer's market, west townshend
- winter farmers market, brattleboro
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- farmhouse market, inc., wilmington
- river bend farm market, townshend
- wardsboro country store, wardsboro
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- neighborhood roots food collective, guilford
Small Grocery Store · 1
- saxtons river village market, saxtons river
Super Store · 1
- hannaford supermarket 8397, brattleboro
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Vermont
Compare Windham County vs Addison County → · All Vermont counties →
Food access nationally, Vermont in context
Windham County sits inside Vermont (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 Windham County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Windham County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Windham County? ▼
Is Windham County a food desert? ▼
What share of Windham 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.