State food-access profile · 29 counties
Food access in Utah
How far Utah 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).
- 23.9%
- low-access pop.
- 49
- food-desert tracts
- 5.2%
- on SNAP
- 29
- counties
The statewide picture
About 659K Utah residents - 23.9% - live in a low-access area, and 49 census tracts across the state are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 659K
- low-access residents
- 160K
- food-desert residents
- 4.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.5%
- 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 Utah stands nationally
Every state colored by its population-weighted low-access share, Utah 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 Utah 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 29 counties and 3.4M residents, Utah's population-weighted low-access share is 23.9%.
A tract becomes a food desert only when its low-access residents are also low-income. That applies to 49 tracts in Utah, home to roughly 160K low-income, low-access residents. SNAP participation across the state averages 5.2% of households, and 4.0% 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 Utah
Share of the population living in low-access areas, by county
- Daggett
Daggett County, UT
100 % low-access
- Piute
Piute County, UT
100 % low-access
- Rich
Rich County, UT
100 % low-access
- Garfield
Garfield County, UT
60 % low-access
- San Juan
San Juan County, UT
49.9 % low-access
- Kane
Kane County, UT
49.7 % low-access
- Juab
Juab County, UT
46.5 % low-access
- Wasatch
Wasatch County, UT
43 % low-access
All counties in Utah
| County | Low-access | SNAP |
|---|---|---|
| Daggett County | 100.0% | 5.2% |
| Piute County | 100.0% | 9.5% |
| Rich County | 100.0% | 3.3% |
| Garfield County | 60.0% | 5.6% |
| San Juan County | 49.9% | 15.1% |
| Kane County | 49.7% | 2.4% |
| Juab County | 46.5% | 6.0% |
| Wasatch County | 43.0% | 1.0% |
| Iron County | 39.7% | 8.9% |
| Wayne County | 38.7% | 7.0% |
| Washington County | 35.6% | 4.5% |
| Emery County | 34.1% | 10.2% |
| Utah County | 34.0% | 4.0% |
| Cache County | 33.3% | 4.8% |
| Davis County | 31.6% | 4.6% |
| Summit County | 31.6% | 1.4% |
| Weber County | 26.6% | 6.1% |
| Carbon County | 26.0% | 14.0% |
| Tooele County | 25.8% | 6.8% |
| Uintah County | 24.6% | 13.2% |
| Duchesne County | 24.0% | 10.5% |
| Millard County | 21.7% | 4.8% |
| Sanpete County | 20.7% | 7.3% |
| Box Elder County | 16.8% | 5.6% |
| Beaver County | 14.4% | 4.5% |
| Salt Lake County | 11.5% | 5.2% |
| Grand County | 8.0% | 3.2% |
| Sevier County | 3.1% | 10.0% |
| Morgan County | 0.4% | 0.3% |
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
- 23.9% of Utah residents, about 659K people, live in a low-access area.
- 49 census tracts are USDA food deserts, home to roughly 160K low-income, low-access residents.
- 5.2% of households receive SNAP, and 4.0% have no vehicle.
- Daggett County has the state's highest low-access share at 100.0%.
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 Utah has low food access?▼
How many food deserts are in Utah?▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Utah?▼
Which county in Utah has the worst food access?▼
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).