Signature · 112 LILA tracts (8/county)
Food access in Massachusetts
Massachusetts sits in the upper third nationally on low-access (27.8%, +5.7 pts vs U.S.), with USDA FARA 2019 + ACS 2024 context for 14 counties.
- 27.8%
- low-access pop.
- 112
- food-desert tracts
- 14.6%
- on SNAP
- 14
- counties
USDA FARA state access plate
State MA · Massachusetts
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · BOOK-THIN
- LA-ELEVATED 27.8% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +5.7 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 112 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.6% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 11.6% no vehicle
- BOOK-THIN 14 counties
Nearest low-access peer: New Hampshire ( -0.3 pts)
Massachusetts's slim county book (14)
Massachusetts covers 14 counties among 51 states and DC (atlas inventory, not a food-access quality ranking). Orthogonal to the low-access / SNAP charts below.
Massachusetts vs all states by county count
Where this state's county inventory sits among every tracked jurisdiction
14 45th of 51 higher than 6 of 51 states
Jurisdictions, banded by county inventory
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USDA Food Access Research Atlas / Census county inventory · 2026-06-23
Upper-band statewide picture
According to USDA FARA, Massachusetts is in the upper third on low-access (27.8%, #9 of 50; ~1.8M residents) - +5.7 pts vs the U.S. mean.
- #9
- among states by low-access
- 1.8M
- low-access residents
- 257K
- food-desert residents
- 11.6%
- households, no vehicle
Population-weighted tract shares (not a county average). Upper-band states often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts.
Massachusetts among higher low-access states
Massachusetts ringed at #9 of 50 by population-weighted low-access. Click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Signature read: 112 LILA tracts (8/county) .
Massachusetts sits in the upper third of states by population-weighted low-access share (27.8% , #9 of 50). The Atlas marks 112 food-desert tracts here (257K low-income low-access residents). Barnstable County alone holds about 6.0% of the state's low-access residents.
States near Massachusetts's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Massachusetts. Neighbourhood chart below is local poles; these panels are full-corpus nearest neighbours excluding this state.
Similar low-access share
Nearest population-weighted low-access rates (27.8% here).
- New Hampshire · 27.5% low-access
- Minnesota · 27.4% low-access
- Tennessee · 27.2% low-access
- Indiana · 28.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates (14.6% here), deduped against the low-access panel.
- Pennsylvania · 14.2% SNAP
- Rhode Island · 14.2% SNAP
- Oklahoma · 14.0% SNAP
- Illinois · 13.7% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Floor county_count ≥ 5.
Massachusetts vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest state peers, not a full national reprint
- NM
NM 31.7%
31.7 % low-access
- MA
MA 27.8%
27.8 % low-access
- NH
NH 27.5%
27.5 % low-access
- MN
MN 27.4%
27.4 % low-access
- DE
DE 27.3%
27.3 % low-access
- TN
TN 27.2%
27.2 % low-access
- DC 4.6
DC 4.6%
4.6 % low-access
Highest low-access counties in Massachusetts
Barnstable County ~6.0% of statewide low-access residents
- Barnstable
Barnstable County, MA
51 % low-access
- Hampshire
Hampshire County, MA
46.5 % low-access
- Plymouth
Plymouth County, MA
41.6 % low-access
- Norfolk
Norfolk County, MA
35.7 % low-access
- Worcester
Worcester County, MA
34.5 % low-access
- Dukes
Dukes County, MA
32.2 % low-access
- Berkshire
Berkshire County, MA
30.9 % low-access
- Essex
Essex County, MA
30.1 % low-access
All counties in Massachusetts
| County | Low-access | SNAP |
|---|---|---|
| Barnstable County | 51.0% | 9.4% |
| Hampshire County | 46.5% | 12.5% |
| Plymouth County | 41.6% | 12.7% |
| Norfolk County | 35.7% | 9.4% |
| Worcester County | 34.5% | 15.9% |
| Dukes County | 32.2% | 6.6% |
| Berkshire County | 30.9% | 16.5% |
| Essex County | 30.1% | 16.6% |
| Bristol County | 26.4% | 19.8% |
| Middlesex County | 24.6% | 9.3% |
| Hampden County | 23.8% | 25.5% |
| Franklin County | 19.1% | 17.0% |
| Nantucket County | 13.6% | 10.0% |
| Suffolk County | 1.0% | 19.7% |
Source: USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2024 5-year). Sorted by low-access share, highest first.
Figures from USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and Census ACS 2024 5-year. Compiled . Methodology · All states.
PlainFoodAccess renders this state summary directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Statewide figures for Massachusetts are population-weighted aggregates of county Atlas and ACS records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.