State food-access profile · 133 counties

Food access in Virginia

How far Virginia 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).

Compiled by Plainfoodaccess, Food Access Editorial Process · June 23, 2026

20.4%
low-access pop.: 269
food-desert tracts: 8.9%
on SNAP: 133
counties

The statewide picture

About 1.6M Virginia residents - 20.4% - live in a low-access area, and 269 census tracts across the state are USDA-designated food deserts.

1.6M
low-access residents: 355K
food-desert residents: 5.8%
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 Virginia stands nationally

Every state colored by its population-weighted low-access share, Virginia 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 Virginia 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 133 counties and 8.7M residents, Virginia's population-weighted low-access share is 20.4%.

A tract becomes a food desert only when its low-access residents are also low-income. That applies to 269 tracts in Virginia, home to roughly 355K low-income, low-access residents. SNAP participation across the state averages 8.9% of households, and 5.8% 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.

133

Counties

20.4%

Low-access (pop-weighted)

1.6M

Low-access residents

8.9%

Avg. SNAP

Highland

99.7
Buena Vista city

95.9
Poquoson city

65
Franklin city

63.5
Cumberland

55.5
Sussex

53.5
Chesterfield

47.2
Petersburg city

46.8

All counties in Virginia

County	Population	Low-access	SNAP	No vehicle	Poverty
Highland County	2K	99.7%	8.1%	5.1%	9.5%
Buena Vista city	7K	95.9%	13.6%	8.5%	18.8%
Poquoson city	13K	65.0%	1.9%	1.0%	4.5%
Franklin city	8K	63.5%	28.5%	9.1%	19.3%
Cumberland County	10K	55.5%	21.2%	7.4%	8.5%
Sussex County	11K	53.5%	18.9%	9.2%	11.6%
Chesterfield County	378K	47.2%	6.5%	3.4%	7.1%
Petersburg city	34K	46.8%	22.6%	14.8%	21.7%
James City County	81K	46.7%	6.5%	4.0%	6.8%
Botetourt County	34K	45.8%	3.2%	3.7%	6.2%
Essex County	11K	44.1%	12.8%	6.4%	12.3%
Radford city	17K	43.3%	13.2%	2.3%	28.7%
Nottoway County	16K	40.6%	15.2%	7.9%	18.5%
Manassas Park city	17K	40.5%	10.1%	5.3%	5.1%
Norton city	4K	39.6%	29.7%	10.7%	26.3%
Hopewell city	23K	38.0%	25.1%	11.7%	21.8%
York County	71K	34.4%	3.6%	3.8%	5.6%
Prince George County	43K	33.9%	11.0%	3.3%	8.9%
Orange County	38K	33.8%	7.6%	4.3%	9.8%
Charlotte County	11K	33.7%	21.0%	6.5%	18.9%
Frederick County	95K	33.7%	5.8%	3.3%	6.8%
Stafford County	163K	33.4%	4.4%	2.0%	4.7%
Brunswick County	16K	33.0%	19.9%	6.5%	14.9%
Surry County	7K	30.0%	9.4%	4.7%	10.5%
Halifax County	34K	29.7%	20.7%	7.5%	17.3%
Augusta County	78K	29.3%	5.7%	4.3%	6.6%
Martinsville city	14K	29.3%	24.1%	9.7%	23.5%
Fluvanna County	28K	28.9%	6.6%	4.0%	7.7%
Henry County	50K	28.6%	17.2%	5.5%	16.0%
Prince William County	489K	27.9%	5.8%	2.6%	6.2%
Greene County	21K	27.6%	9.1%	3.0%	13.7%
Floyd County	16K	27.5%	8.1%	5.3%	9.8%
Dinwiddie County	28K	27.0%	14.9%	4.4%	11.7%
Henrico County	336K	26.9%	8.1%	5.8%	8.8%
Isle of Wight County	40K	26.2%	7.6%	4.2%	6.8%
Spotsylvania County	147K	25.5%	6.6%	2.9%	7.1%
Winchester city	28K	25.4%	11.7%	9.4%	21.5%
Hanover County	113K	25.3%	5.2%	3.0%	5.7%
Bristol city	17K	25.3%	22.1%	11.7%	18.0%
Hampton city	138K	25.0%	16.1%	7.6%	12.7%
Covington city	6K	24.6%	18.2%	6.0%	25.7%
Chesapeake city	253K	24.1%	7.2%	5.0%	9.4%
Salem city	26K	23.4%	7.8%	6.4%	10.2%
Newport News city	184K	23.2%	15.5%	9.8%	14.5%
Portsmouth city	97K	23.1%	19.9%	12.0%	17.3%
Colonial Heights city	18K	22.7%	13.1%	6.8%	7.9%
Suffolk city	99K	22.4%	10.0%	5.0%	9.4%
Roanoke County	97K	22.2%	7.4%	4.4%	7.3%
Mecklenburg County	31K	21.8%	16.8%	7.2%	16.3%
Southampton County	18K	21.8%	14.5%	5.4%	8.7%
Bath County	4K	21.2%	10.3%	4.1%	23.8%
Richmond city	229K	21.1%	15.1%	13.0%	18.2%
Warren County	42K	20.9%	10.5%	4.8%	11.6%
Norfolk city	234K	20.6%	17.0%	11.5%	16.5%
Rappahannock County	7K	20.5%	5.4%	1.9%	10.3%
Montgomery County	99K	20.2%	4.8%	6.4%	23.9%
Lynchburg city	79K	20.1%	15.2%	11.6%	18.6%
Rockbridge County	23K	20.0%	11.1%	3.8%	7.5%
Bland County	6K	19.5%	5.0%	5.3%	13.6%
Franklin County	55K	19.5%	12.8%	4.5%	12.7%
Williamsburg city	16K	19.5%	7.9%	6.5%	18.8%
Tazewell County	40K	19.3%	15.3%	6.6%	18.5%
Wise County	35K	19.0%	22.5%	9.1%	17.2%
Roanoke city	98K	18.7%	16.9%	11.0%	18.3%
Grayson County	15K	18.1%	16.3%	5.4%	16.5%
Fairfax County	1.1M	18.0%	4.3%	4.8%	5.9%
Prince Edward County	22K	17.8%	17.2%	6.1%	20.9%
Virginia Beach city	456K	17.5%	6.6%	4.6%	8.6%
Loudoun County	433K	16.6%	3.2%	2.9%	4.2%
Waynesboro city	23K	16.6%	14.2%	5.8%	11.2%
Amelia County	13K	16.5%	13.4%	1.6%	9.7%
Pittsylvania County	60K	16.5%	14.9%	5.2%	14.6%
Alleghany County	15K	16.4%	8.1%	6.0%	11.6%
Fredericksburg city	29K	16.1%	10.7%	9.6%	13.2%
Scott County	21K	15.5%	23.2%	7.6%	20.2%
Fauquier County	75K	13.7%	4.8%	3.5%	6.8%
King William County	19K	13.6%	6.8%	4.3%	5.9%
Danville city	42K	13.4%	27.3%	13.6%	24.7%
Buckingham County	17K	13.0%	17.0%	6.8%	12.5%
Albemarle County	115K	11.9%	4.6%	4.9%	7.7%
Culpeper County	54K	11.9%	9.8%	3.9%	7.9%
Craig County	5K	11.8%	9.7%	4.7%	13.7%
Amherst County	31K	11.3%	10.5%	3.4%	10.8%
Pulaski County	34K	11.2%	15.5%	4.6%	14.4%
Manassas city	43K	11.2%	6.3%	4.4%	7.7%
Fairfax city	25K	10.7%	3.1%	5.9%	9.1%
King and Queen County	7K	10.6%	19.5%	4.8%	17.9%
Wythe County	28K	10.6%	13.2%	8.2%	15.2%
King George County	28K	10.5%	6.8%	2.6%	7.5%
Rockingham County	86K	9.9%	5.9%	4.8%	9.8%
Northumberland County	12K	9.3%	6.6%	4.1%	11.5%
Goochland County	26K	9.2%	3.7%	2.4%	5.1%
Patrick County	18K	9.1%	12.6%	4.9%	11.7%
Shenandoah County	45K	9.1%	10.3%	5.0%	11.8%
Bedford County	81K	8.7%	6.5%	3.2%	8.1%
Campbell County	55K	8.1%	12.3%	4.7%	10.8%
Charlottesville city	45K	8.1%	9.9%	11.0%	19.6%
Galax city	7K	7.7%	22.1%	8.4%	31.1%
Appomattox County	17K	7.4%	15.3%	3.9%	14.0%
Washington County	54K	7.0%	12.7%	4.6%	11.1%
Nelson County	15K	6.2%	11.4%	6.2%	12.5%
Powhatan County	32K	6.1%	1.5%	2.0%	4.6%
Lexington city	8K	5.9%	17.7%	12.6%	14.0%
Gloucester County	40K	5.5%	7.1%	2.1%	5.2%
Caroline County	32K	5.3%	13.4%	3.5%	11.2%
Carroll County	29K	5.1%	15.1%	5.7%	15.3%
Harrisonburg city	51K	3.9%	10.9%	6.5%	25.7%
Smyth County	29K	3.8%	17.0%	6.5%	16.8%
Emporia city	6K	3.4%	34.1%	12.5%	15.8%
Lancaster County	11K	3.2%	9.9%	4.4%	10.3%
Richmond County	9K	3.2%	10.5%	6.4%	7.7%
Arlington County	236K	2.3%	4.0%	15.2%	7.4%
Charles City County	7K	2.3%	10.6%	5.9%	9.4%
Louisa County	40K	2.3%	11.4%	3.2%	10.0%
Accomack County	33K	2.2%	12.5%	6.1%	13.9%
Staunton city	26K	2.2%	13.0%	8.1%	12.4%
Buchanan County	19K	1.9%	27.3%	5.5%	25.2%
Russell County	26K	1.7%	21.8%	5.2%	16.7%
Middlesex County	11K	1.1%	11.4%	2.5%	7.3%
Giles County	17K	1.0%	11.1%	7.1%	9.3%
Greensville County	11K	0.7%	15.5%	5.9%	14.3%
Madison County	14K	0.7%	10.6%	2.3%	10.8%
Clarke County	15K	0.4%	2.8%	3.2%	7.0%
Dickenson County	14K	0.0%	23.2%	6.6%	17.3%
Lee County	22K	0.0%	28.2%	8.9%	28.8%
Lunenburg County	12K	0.0%	22.0%	12.8%	15.9%
Mathews County	9K	0.0%	6.4%	4.1%	7.8%
New Kent County	25K	0.0%	4.5%	1.0%	4.7%
Northampton County	12K	0.0%	14.9%	9.5%	17.7%
Page County	24K	0.0%	13.6%	7.8%	11.3%
Westmoreland County	19K	0.0%	20.1%	6.1%	14.0%
Alexandria city	157K	0.0%	5.1%	11.4%	7.9%
Falls Church city	15K	0.0%	1.5%	6.2%	4.0%

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

20.4% of Virginia residents, about 1.6M people, live in a low-access area.
269 census tracts are USDA food deserts, home to roughly 355K low-income, low-access residents.
8.9% of households receive SNAP, and 5.8% have no vehicle.
Highland County has the state's highest low-access share at 99.7%.

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 Virginia has low food access?▼

20.4% of Virginia residents live in low-access areas (population-weighted across the state's tracts), per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).

How many food deserts are in Virginia?▼

269 census tracts in Virginia are USDA-designated food deserts, both low-access and low-income, home to roughly 355K low-income residents.

What is the SNAP participation rate in Virginia?▼

Across Virginia counties, an average of 8.9% of households receive SNAP (Census ACS 2024), though rates vary between urban and rural areas.

Which county in Virginia has the worst food access?▼

Highland County has the highest low-access share in Virginia at 99.7%, with 8.1% SNAP participation.

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 2026-06-23 (most recent source-data vintage).

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