County food-access profile · California
Yolo County, CA
Yolo 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.
- 13.7%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 13.1%
- on SNAP
- 221K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
13.7% of Yolo County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 7.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.7%
- 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).
Yolo County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 13.7% per the USDA Atlas. 8 of the county's 41 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 27,477 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,793 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 Yolo County compares nationally
Yolo County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.7% low-access share that beats 29% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,224).
Yolo County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 41 census tracts in Yolo County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Yolo County vs. other California counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in California
- Yolo 13.7
Yolo County, CA
13.7 % 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 | 41 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 200,849 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 27,477 |
| Low-Access Share | 13.7%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,793 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 220,564 |
| Median Household Income | $91,752 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.7%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 10,072 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.1%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.6%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.3% |
About 13.1% of Yolo County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 13.7% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 10,072 households here.
- 7.6% 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 Yolo County
near the national share
1 of Yolo County's 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 2.4% of all its tracts.
A further 7 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 27,477 residents, roughly 13.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,793 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 33 tracts (80.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Yolo County
Yolo County has 154 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 77 locations (50% of the total), followed by supermarket.
Convenience Store · 77
- 7 eleven 33646 a, west sacramento
- 7 eleven 21433d 21433d, woodland
- 7 eleven 2364 14116f, davis
- 7 eleven 38681a 38681a, davis
- 7-eleven #14093 f, west sacramento
- 7-eleven #15758 e, woodland
- 7-eleven store 41143h, woodland
- a & b liquor, west sacramento
- aj hundal mart, west sacramento
- ampm 7227, winters
- aasim corproation 57, woodland
- anderson davis shell 57, davis
- andy's arco am/pm, woodland
- arco ampm 7224, dunnigan
- arco ampm 82619, davis
- arco am/pm, west sacramento
- bk food mart, west sacramento
- bryte way market, west sacramento
- circle a food store, west sacramento
- century petroleum inc., west sacramento
- chevron extra mile 5996, west sacramento
- chevron station 1582, west sacramento
- circle k 2721914, davis
- country west liquor, west sacramento
- cuarto market, davis
- diamond gas and market 14, west sacramento
- dulceria socami, woodland
- dunnigan market, dunnigan
- el ryan woodland, woodland
- esparto grab & go, esparto
- excel gas and market, dunnigan
- fast & easy davis 33, davis
- fast & easy winter 1, winters
- guy's corner, madison
- h&s 3088, dunnigan
- h&s energy products llc 3027, woodland
- h&s energy products llc 3041, west sacramento
- holland market, clarksburg
- hollywood market, woodland
- harbor truck & auto stop, west sacramento
- i5 food & gas, woodland
- knights landing groceries, knights landing
- kwik mart, west sacramento
- kwik stop, west sacramento
- lighthouse market & deli 1, west sacramento
- maverik, inc 654, west sacramento
- mini food mart, west sacramento
- nicky's market, west sacramento
- olive dr shell 20, davis
- pacific gas, west sacramento
- pilot travel center 168, dunnigan
- plug & jug market, knights landing
- poplar food and liquor, west sacramento
- quik stop market #550147, woodland
- quik stop market 4143, woodland
- rai & sharma inc, olivehurst
- reed ave ampm, west sacramento
- riverpoint shell 57, west sacramento
- roberts arco am/pm 81691, woodland
- romeys gas and food, woodland
- s davis valero minimart, davis
- sage street market, davis
- segundo market, davis
- silo market, davis
- tercero market - tercero, davis
- uc davis stores, davis
- uc davis stores, davis
- wayside market, knights landing
- west sac truck stop, west sacramento
- winters gateway inc 83332, winters
- winters market, winters
- winters wine & liquor, winters
- woodland chevron 1, woodland
- woodland fuel stop, woodland
- woodland gas plaza, woodland
- woodland mobil, woodland
- yolo mini mart, yolo
Supermarket · 21
- bel air 526, woodland
- cracchiolo's market, inc., woodland
- el torito meat market, woodland
- food 4 less--woodland 30, woodland
- grocery outlet 190, davis
- la superior woodland, inc. 5, woodland
- mercado davis, davis
- mercado loco 3, west sacramento
- nugget market 01, woodland
- nugget market 12, davis
- nugget market 2, davis
- nugget market 6, west sacramento
- raley's 206, woodland
- raley's 448, west sacramento
- safeway 1205, davis
- safeway 1561, davis
- save mart 604, davis
- sprouts farmers market 453, woodland
- state foods supermarket 11, west sacramento
- town & country market, winters
- trader joe's 182, davis
Combination Grocery/Other · 15
- cvs pharmacy 9142, davis
- cvs pharmacy 9180, woodland
- cvs pharmacy 9282, davis
- dollartree 10267, woodland
- dollar general 14552, winters
- dollar general store 16171, esparto
- dollar tree 1206, woodland
- dollar tree 1215, west sacramento
- dollar tree 3475, davis
- dollar tree 4760, woodland
- dollar tree 5241, west sacramento
- dollar tree 6849, davis
- india's fine foods, west sacramento
- walgreens 4107, woodland
- walgreens 4198, west sacramento
Medium Grocery Store · 12
- apna bazaar, woodland
- berezka market, west sacramento
- eatwell nutrition 3, woodland
- el toro foods esparto inc, esparto
- halal corner market & restaurant, west sacramento
- hoho market, davis
- international food market, davis
- kim's mart, inc., davis
- punjab food and spices, woodland
- salam market, west sacramento
- west sac european market 1, west sacramento
- yolo fruit stand, davis
Super Store · 10
- costco wholesale 1003, woodland
- grocery outlet of woodland 073, woodland
- target store t-2268, west sacramento
- target store t-2408, woodland
- target store t-2455, davis
- walmart 2190, woodland
- walmart 3652, west sacramento
- walmart neighborhood market 4127, woodland
- walmart neighborhood market 5606, woodland
- west sacramento grocery outlet 123, west sacramento
Small Grocery Store · 7
- ariana food market, west sacramento
- delhi bazaar 1, west sacramento
- jacks island market, west sacramento
- la mexicana tienda y panaderia, winters
- mercadito el sinaloense llc, woodland
- mi carniceria market, woodland
- sk groceries, west sacramento
Farmers' Market · 6
- davis farmers market, davis
- international rescue committee farmstand #2, west sacramento
- sutter davis hospital farmers market, davis
- the woodland farmers market whc, woodland
- uc davis farmers market, davis
- woodland certified farmers market, woodland
Bakery Specialty · 3
- papa murphy's ca 147, west sacramento
- papa murphy's ca 227 ca227, west sacramento
- papa murphys pizza ca070, woodland
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- davis food cooperative, inc, davis
Large Grocery Store · 1
- valley food market, esparto
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- afridi food company, woodland
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in California
Compare Yolo County vs Alameda County → · All California counties →
Food access nationally, California in context
Yolo 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 Yolo County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Yolo County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Yolo County? ▼
Is Yolo County a food desert? ▼
What share of Yolo 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.