County food-access profile · Pennsylvania
York County, PA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of York 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).
- 29.5%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 11.3%
- on SNAP
- 463K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
29.5% of York County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 90 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 37
- low-access tracts
- 24K
- food-desert residents
- 5.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.4%
- 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 York County's low-access share at 29.5%, above the national share. 37 of the county's 90 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 128,255 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 23,656 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 York County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, York County's 29.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 69% of them and ranked #967 most-affected nationwide.
York County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 90 census tracts in York County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
York County vs. other Pennsylvania counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Pennsylvania
- York
York County, PA
29.5 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, PA
15.9 % low-access
- Allegheny
Allegheny County, PA
26.4 % low-access
- Armstrong 5.2
Armstrong County, PA
5.2 % low-access
- Beaver
Beaver County, PA
32.5 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, PA
22.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 90 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 434,972 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 37 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 128,255 |
| Low-Access Share | 29.5%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 23,656 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 462,924 |
| Median Household Income | $84,829 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.4%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 20,436 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.3%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.7% |
About 11.3% of York County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 29.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 20,436 households here.
- 5.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 York County
above the national share
2 of York County's 90 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 2.2% of all its tracts.
A further 35 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 37.
An estimated 128,255 residents, roughly 29.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 23,656 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 53 tracts (58.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in York County
York County has 308 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 140 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 140
- 4 the family 1, york
- 4 thee family ii, york
- 7-eleven store 40159b, york
- aplus 40449h, york
- american food mart no, york
- aplus 40446, york
- aplus 40455, new cumberland
- b & c grocery deli llc, york
- bigmouth on the run, york
- broadway minimart, hanover
- c s convenience store 3, glen rock
- capitol mart, york
- carroll mart, york
- carroll mart, emigsville
- carroll motor fuels, stewartstown
- central mart, york
- city convenience, york
- cs convenience store #1, glenville
- cs convenience store #2, codorus
- d & r food market llc, york
- e w food llc 162, york
- e w food llc 272, york
- gas station -etters, etters
- hs fuel and convenience llc, york
- j&a grocery & deli llc, york
- jackson street grocery llc, york
- jay ambe 17, dover
- joe's kwik mart 1038, new cumberland
- lees food mkt, york
- lewisberry mart, lewisberry
- lin konvie mart, york
- los brothers mini market ii llc, york
- m&jl mini market llc, york
- main st market, glen rock
- maple store, york
- nayla grocery deli llc, york
- parkway convenience, york
- phili convenience spot, york
- pick n pay mart, york
- punto latino grocery, york
- rivas grocery deli iii llc, york
- royal farms #162, york
- royal farms 118, hanover
- royal farms 122, york
- royal farms 126, wrightsville
- royal farms 144, dover
- royal farms 147, delta
- royal farms 214, stewartstown
- royal farms 272, york
- royal farms 418, new freedom
- rutter's 15, york
- rutters 1, york
- rutters 10, york
- rutters 11, york
- rutters 12, york
- rutters 14, dillsburg
- rutters 16, york
- rutters 18, york
- rutters 2, shrewsbury
- rutters 21, manchester
- rutters 22, dover
- rutters 24, brogue
- rutters 25, york
- rutters 26, shrewsbury
- rutters 28, red lion
- rutters 3, york
- rutters 30, new freedom
- rutters 32, dallastown
- rutters 33, hanover
- rutters 35, etters
- rutters 38, hallam
- rutters 39, windsor
- rutters 4, wrightsville
- rutters 42, stewartstown
- rutters 43, york
- rutters 44, glen rock
- rutters 45, stewartstown
- rutters 47, york
- rutters 48, red lion
- rutters 49, york
- rutters 50, spring grove
- rutters 51, jacobus
- rutters 52, hanover
- rutters 53, etters
- rutters 54, york
- rutters 56, new cumberland
- rutters 57, york
- rutters 59, fawn grove
- rutters 6, hanover
- rutters 60, york
- rutters 62, york
- rutters 7, york
- rutters 8, york
- rutters 9, red lion
- s&s mart llc, york new salem
- sheetz 199, hanover
- sheetz 224, york
- sheetz 268, red lion
- sheetz 348, york
- sheetz 373, york
- sheetz 423, york
- sheetz 448, hanover
- sheetz 462, york
- sheetz 615, york
- sheetz 683, york
- sheetz 856, manchester
- shell, york
- smoke & eat llc, westyork
- smoke and chill, york
- smoker's outlet iv, inc 4, hanover
- snack & smoke 1, york
- speedway 6760, etters
- stop & shop exxon exxon, etters
- stop n go 1, york
- sunoco a plus, york
- town mart, dallastown
- turkey hill minit market 950009, york
- turkey hill minit markets 950028, york
- turkey hill minit markets 950030, york
- turkey hill minit markets 950036, wrightsville
- turkey hill minit markets 950049, red lion
- turkey hill minit markets 950055, york
- turkey hill minit markets 950067, hanover
- turkey hill minit markets 950072, york
- turkey hill minit markets 950093, york
- turkey hill minit markets 950108, hanover
- turkey hill minit markets 950130, york
- turkey hill minit markets 950134, hanover
- turkey hill minit markets 950137, hanover
- turkey hill minit markets 950217, dallastown
- turkey hill minit markets 950218, dover
- turkey hill minit markets 950267, york
- turkey hill minit markets 950272, york
- wawa store 8185, hanover
- wawa store 8188, dover
- wawa store 8192, york
- wrightsville sunoco, wrightsville
- york family mart, york
- york mini martt inc, york
- zhou grocery inc, york
Combination Grocery/Other · 74
- big lots 3072, york
- big lots 3073, hanover
- cvs 1654, york
- cvs 2575, manchester
- cvs 5723, shrewsbury
- cvs pharmacy 1653, hanover
- cvs pharmacy 1657, york
- cvs pharmacy 4215, york
- cvs pharmacy 6042, dover
- cvs pharmacy 6916, new cumberland
- cvs pharmacy 7275, red lion
- dollar general 0137, manchester
- dollar general 14662, wellsville
- dollar general 16877, brogue
- dollar general 17276, fawn grove
- dollar general 18615, red lion
- dollar general 19782, wrightsville
- dollar general 2811, red lion
- dollar general 3569, hanover
- dollar general 3823, york
- dollar general 4976, york
- dollar general 8893, york
- dollar general 9060, york
- dollar tree 1684, york
- dada food mart, york
- dollar general 13128, dillsburg
- dollar general 14651, dover
- dollar general 15261, delta
- dollar general 15364, york
- dollar general 16648, new cumberland
- dollar general 19691, york haven
- dollar general 20131, wrightsville
- dollar general 20351, york
- dollar general 20359, abbottstown
- dollar general 20411, york
- dollar general 20686, york
- dollar general 20988, york
- dollar general 22688, loganville
- dollar general 24868, airville
- dollar general 4385, york
- dollar general 6059, york
- dollar general 6198, york
- dollar general 6513, dallastown
- dollar general 7073, hanover
- dollar general 8141, shrewsbury
- dollar general 9513, spring grove
- dollar general store 16326, stewartstown
- dollar general store 17109, spring grove
- dollar tree 0131, hanover
- dollar tree 0777, shrewsbury
- dollar tree 1770, york
- dollar tree 1873, red lion
- dollar tree 2446, dillsburg
- dollar tree 3978, manchester
- dollar tree 4336, hanover
- dollar tree 4622, etters
- dollar tree 5913, york
- dollar tree 6779, new cumberland
- dollar tree 716, york
- dollar tree 8347, york
- eden market, york
- family dollar store 2174, york
- family dollar store 2419, york
- family dollar store 3545, hanover
- family dollar store 4990, york
- glory-ash-abi groceries variety store, york
- hanover foods outlet store, hanover
- m & m groceries inc & c town, york
- roses 520, manchester
- s. clyde weaver, inc, york
- saubel's shurfine market, stewartstown
- walgreens 09591, york
- walgreens 09677, york
- walgreens 09673, dover
Small Grocery Store · 9
- alraaei inc, york
- edouard's caribbean store, york
- fleurette marketplace llc, york
- green food market, york
- j & j grocery & deli, york
- j & m mini market llc, york
- j&r grocery deli partnership llc, york
- k & d grocery llc, york
- rincon latino mexican store llc, hanover
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 8
- j. l. miller sons, york
- sechrist bros inc, dallastown
- superior meat market, york
- three sons meat market, york
- wayne nell & sons meats, east berlin
- wags brothers meats, dover
- warrington farm meats, dillsburg
- weaver's of wellsville, wellsville
Medium Grocery Store · 8
- compare fresh 16551, york
- dotties family market llc, dover
- dragon mart, manchester
- el sol mexican store, york
- jt & lm associates inc, lewisberry
- sonnewald natural foods llc, spring grove
- shop smart supermarket, york
- sue's food market, wrightsville
Farmers' Market · 4
- central market york, york
- charles ilyes family inc, york
- morning star marketplace, thomasville
- root for health, new cumberland
Seafood Specialty · 3
- louie louie seafood, york
- the crabshack n seafood, york
- york fish & oyster company, york
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 2
- hoober produce, york
- r l godfrey, york
Large Grocery Store · 2
- godfrey brothers, york
- local's market, dillsburg
Showing 250 of 308 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Pennsylvania
Compare York County vs Adams County → · All Pennsylvania counties →
Food access nationally, Pennsylvania in context
York County sits inside Pennsylvania (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 York County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in York County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in York County? ▼
Is York County a food desert? ▼
What share of York 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.