Signature · 5 counties in the atlas book
Food access in Rhode Island
How far Rhode Island residents live from a supermarket (23.6% low-access), where LILA tracts sit, and SNAP/vehicle context from USDA FARA 2019 + Census ACS 2024.
- 23.6%
- low-access pop.
- 13
- food-desert tracts
- 14.2%
- on SNAP
- 5
- counties
USDA FARA state access plate
State RI · Rhode Island
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · BOOK-THIN
- LA-ELEVATED 23.6% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.5 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 13 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.2% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 9.2% no vehicle
- BOOK-THIN 5 counties
Nearest low-access peer: New Jersey (+ 0.2 pts)
Rhode Island's slim county book (5)
Rhode Island covers 5 counties among 51 states and DC (atlas inventory, not a food-access quality ranking). Orthogonal to the low-access / SNAP charts below.
Rhode Island vs all states by county count
Where this state's county inventory sits among every tracked jurisdiction
5 49th of 51 higher than 2 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 249K Rhode Island residents (23.6%) live low-access - #29 of 50, with 13 USDA food-desert tracts.
- #29
- among states by low-access
- 249K
- low-access residents
- 49K
- food-desert residents
- 9.2%
- households, no vehicle
Population-weighted tract shares. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural from a supermarket.
Where Rhode Island sits on low-access
Rhode Island ringed at #29 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: 5 counties in the atlas book .
Rhode Island is in the middle third nationally on low-access (23.6% , #29 of 50). SNAP averages 14.2% of households (upper SNAP band) and 9.2% have no vehicle , with 13 LILA tracts. County pressure peaks in Bristol County at 56.0%.
Nationwide peers for Rhode Island's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Rhode Island. 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 (23.6% here).
- New Jersey · 23.8% low-access
- Utah · 23.9% low-access
- Michigan · 23.2% low-access
- Washington · 23.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates (14.2% here), deduped against the low-access panel.
- Pennsylvania · 14.2% SNAP
- Oklahoma · 14.0% SNAP
- Massachusetts · 14.6% SNAP
- Illinois · 13.7% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Floor county_count ≥ 5.
Rhode Island low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest state peers, not a full national reprint
- NM
NM 31.7%
31.7 % 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
- WA
WA 23.1%
23.1 % low-access
- DC 4.6
DC 4.6%
4.6 % low-access
Highest low-access counties in Rhode Island
Bristol County ~11.2% of statewide low-access residents
- Bristol
Bristol County, RI
56 % low-access
- Newport
Newport County, RI
33.5 % low-access
- Kent
Kent County, RI
32.2 % low-access
- Washington
Washington County, RI
31.2 % low-access
- Providence 15.9
Providence County, RI
15.9 % low-access
All counties in Rhode Island
| County | Low-access | SNAP |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol County | 56.0% | 5.3% |
| Newport County | 33.5% | 8.2% |
| Kent County | 32.2% | 12.0% |
| Washington County | 31.2% | 5.7% |
| Providence County | 15.9% | 17.8% |
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 Rhode Island 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.