State food-access profile · 14 counties
Food access in Vermont
How far Vermont 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).
- 11.2%
- low-access pop.
- 12
- food-desert tracts
- 10.6%
- on SNAP
- 14
- counties
The statewide picture
About 70K Vermont residents - 11.2% - live in a low-access area, and 12 census tracts across the state are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 70K
- low-access residents
- 19K
- food-desert residents
- 6.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.0%
- 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 Vermont stands nationally
Every state colored by its population-weighted low-access share, Vermont 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 Vermont 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 14 counties and 647K residents, Vermont's population-weighted low-access share is 11.2%.
A tract becomes a food desert only when its low-access residents are also low-income. That applies to 12 tracts in Vermont, home to roughly 19K low-income, low-access residents. SNAP participation across the state averages 10.6% of households, and 6.2% 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 Vermont
Share of the population living in low-access areas, by county
- Essex
Essex County, VT
28.2 % low-access
- Rutland
Rutland County, VT
18.1 % low-access
- Washington
Washington County, VT
17.7 % low-access
- Chittenden
Chittenden County, VT
13.9 % low-access
- Orleans 10.1
Orleans County, VT
10.1 % low-access
- Orange 9.8
Orange County, VT
9.8 % low-access
- Franklin 9.2
Franklin County, VT
9.2 % low-access
- Windham 9.2
Windham County, VT
9.2 % low-access
All counties in Vermont
| County | Low-access | SNAP |
|---|---|---|
| Essex County | 28.2% | 18.8% |
| Rutland County | 18.1% | 10.7% |
| Washington County | 17.7% | 10.1% |
| Chittenden County | 13.9% | 7.8% |
| Orleans County | 10.1% | 14.4% |
| Orange County | 9.8% | 9.7% |
| Franklin County | 9.2% | 12.3% |
| Windham County | 9.2% | 13.3% |
| Bennington County | 8.2% | 15.4% |
| Addison County | 6.2% | 8.7% |
| Caledonia County | 5.8% | 14.9% |
| Windsor County | 5.2% | 9.6% |
| Grand Isle County | 2.7% | 9.0% |
| Lamoille County | 0.9% | 10.4% |
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
- 11.2% of Vermont residents, about 70K people, live in a low-access area.
- 12 census tracts are USDA food deserts, home to roughly 19K low-income, low-access residents.
- 10.6% of households receive SNAP, and 6.2% have no vehicle.
- Essex County has the state's highest low-access share at 28.2%.
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 Vermont has low food access?▼
How many food deserts are in Vermont?▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Vermont?▼
Which county in Vermont 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).