Signature · 108 LILA tracts (5.14/county)
Food access in New Jersey
How far New Jersey residents live from a supermarket (23.8% low-access), where LILA tracts sit, and SNAP/vehicle context from USDA FARA 2019 + Census ACS 2024.
- 23.8%
- low-access pop.
- 108
- food-desert tracts
- 9.1%
- on SNAP
- 21
- counties
USDA FARA state access plate
State NJ · New Jersey
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-GAP · BOOK-LIGHT
- LA-ELEVATED 23.8% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.7 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 108 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.1% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 11.0% no vehicle
- BOOK-LIGHT 21 counties
Nearest low-access peer: Utah (+ 0.1 pts)
New Jersey's slim county book (21)
New Jersey covers 21 counties among 51 states and DC (atlas inventory, not a food-access quality ranking). Orthogonal to the low-access / SNAP charts below.
New Jersey vs all states by county count
Where this state's county inventory sits among every tracked jurisdiction
21 40th of 51 higher than 11 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
Mid-band statewide picture
About 2.1M New Jersey residents (23.8%) live low-access - #28 of 50, with 108 USDA food-desert tracts.
- #28
- among states by low-access
- 2.1M
- low-access residents
- 321K
- food-desert residents
- 11.0%
- households, no vehicle
Population-weighted tract shares. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural from a supermarket.
Where New Jersey sits on low-access
New Jersey ringed at #28 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: 108 LILA tracts (5.14/county) .
New Jersey is in the middle third nationally on low-access (23.8% , #28 of 50). SNAP averages 9.1% of households (lower SNAP band) and 11.0% have no vehicle , with 108 LILA tracts. County pressure peaks in Ocean County at 43.6%.
Nationwide peers for New Jersey's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for New Jersey. 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 (23.8% here).
- Utah · 23.9% low-access
- Rhode Island · 23.6% low-access
- Michigan · 23.2% low-access
- Alabama · 24.5% low-access
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Floor county_count ≥ 5.
New Jersey low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest state peers, not a full national reprint
- NM
NM 31.7%
31.7 % low-access
- AL
AL 24.5%
24.5 % low-access
- UT
UT 23.9%
23.9 % low-access
- NJ
NJ 23.8%
23.8 % low-access
- RI
RI 23.6%
23.6 % low-access
- MI
MI 23.2%
23.2 % low-access
- DC 4.6
DC 4.6%
4.6 % low-access
Highest low-access counties in New Jersey
Ocean County ~12.0% of statewide low-access residents
- Ocean
Ocean County, NJ
43.6 % low-access
- Sussex
Sussex County, NJ
42.7 % low-access
- Gloucester
Gloucester County, NJ
41.3 % low-access
- Morris
Morris County, NJ
40.3 % low-access
- Somerset
Somerset County, NJ
40.2 % low-access
- Burlington
Burlington County, NJ
36.3 % low-access
- Cumberland
Cumberland County, NJ
35.2 % low-access
- Warren
Warren County, NJ
35.1 % low-access
All counties in New Jersey
| County | Low-access | SNAP |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean County | 43.6% | 6.4% |
| Sussex County | 42.7% | 3.1% |
| Gloucester County | 41.3% | 6.6% |
| Morris County | 40.3% | 3.7% |
| Somerset County | 40.2% | 3.7% |
| Burlington County | 36.3% | 4.9% |
| Cumberland County | 35.2% | 17.6% |
| Warren County | 35.1% | 7.4% |
| Monmouth County | 34.1% | 5.4% |
| Cape May County | 32.8% | 7.5% |
| Atlantic County | 30.1% | 12.2% |
| Mercer County | 28.0% | 9.3% |
| Middlesex County | 25.0% | 7.9% |
| Salem County | 20.8% | 12.5% |
| Hunterdon County | 20.4% | 3.6% |
| Camden County | 20.0% | 13.3% |
| Passaic County | 15.2% | 19.0% |
| Union County | 11.0% | 8.8% |
| Bergen County | 10.3% | 5.3% |
| Essex County | 8.1% | 14.8% |
| Hudson County | 0.7% | 14.7% |
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 New Jersey 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.