State food-access profile · 21 counties
Food access in New Jersey
How far New Jersey residents live from a supermarket, where the food deserts are, and the SNAP, poverty, and vehicle-access context, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 23.8%
- low-access pop.
- 108
- food-desert tracts
- 9.1%
- on SNAP
- 21
- counties
The statewide picture
About 2.1M New Jersey residents - 23.8% - live in a low-access area, and 108 census tracts across the state are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 2.1M
- low-access residents
- 321K
- food-desert residents
- 11.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.7%
- below poverty line
Shares are population-weighted across the state's tracts, not an average of county percentages. Low access = >1 mile (urban) / >10 miles (rural) from a supermarket.
Where New Jersey stands nationally
Every state colored by its population-weighted low-access share, New Jersey is ringed. Click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
The USDA Food Access Research Atlas evaluates every census tract in New Jersey against the same rule used nationwide: a tract is low-access when many residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. Across 21 counties and 9.3M residents, New Jersey's population-weighted low-access share is 23.8%.
A tract becomes a food desert only when its low-access residents are also low-income. That applies to 108 tracts in New Jersey, home to roughly 321K low-income, low-access residents. SNAP participation across the state averages 9.1% of households, and 11.0% of households have no vehicle, the transport gap that turns distance into a real barrier. The county table below is sorted with the highest low-access share first, so the top rows are where distance, income, and vehicle gaps most consistently overlap.
Highest low-access counties in New Jersey
Share of the population living in low-access areas, by county
- 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. USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2024 5-year). Sorted by low-access share, highest first.
What this means for the state
- 23.8% of New Jersey residents, about 2.1M people, live in a low-access area.
- 108 census tracts are USDA food deserts, home to roughly 321K low-income, low-access residents.
- 9.1% of households receive SNAP, and 11.0% have no vehicle.
- Ocean County has the state's highest low-access share at 43.6%.
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); SNAP, poverty, and vehicle context is the Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of New Jersey has low food access?▼
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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Food Access Research Atlas (2019 edition), 9,228 of roughly 71,700 U.S. census tracts meet the low-income, low-access food-desert threshold. The state and county figures on this page are aggregated from that tract-level data and joined to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates, released in December 2025. See our methodology for how the population-weighted shares are computed.
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage).