Tools
Work the food-access data hands-on
Side-by-side county compare and a private saved list, both on the same USDA Atlas + Census ACS figures used across PlainFoodAccess.
- 3,144
- counties
- 22.1%
- U.S. low-access
- 18.7M
- food-desert residents
According to the USDA Economic Research Service Food Access Research Atlas (2026 extract) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, the figures below rank every county on low-access share, SNAP participation, poverty, and vehicle access. See our methodology for field definitions and coverage limits.
Compare the two maps, not one list
According to the USDA Economic Research Service Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024), Nye County, NV is #1 of 1,795 by low-access share (87.1%) at SNAP rank 965 of 3,139 (14.9%) ≠ Kusilvak Census Area, AK #1 SNAP at 51.4% at 0.0% low-access, outside the 20,000-resident low-access ranking.
- 87.1%
- Nye County, NV low-access (#1)
- #965
- Nye County, NV SNAP rank
- 51.4%
- Kusilvak Census Area, AK SNAP (#1)
- 8,176
- Kusilvak Census Area, AK residents (under floor)
Low-access ranking uses counties with at least 20,000 residents. SNAP ranking includes every county with a SNAP rate. USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates.
What to do next
Pick two counties, save a shortlist, or jump to the worst low-access rankings, all on the same USDA Atlas + ACS figures.
- Compare any two of 3,144 counties side-by-side on low-access %, SNAP, poverty, and vehicle access. County compare
- Save counties on this device and export a CSV shortlist for offline review. Saved counties
- Subscribe to an RSS feed of your saved counties, updates when the USDA Atlas or Census ACS vintage changes. County watchlist RSS
- See which counties rank highest on low-access population and food-desert share. Worst food deserts
- Read how USDA defines low-income/low-access tracts before interpreting a compare result. Food desert guide
USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2026 extract); Census ACS 5-year (2026). County coverage flags mark ACS-only states.
PlainFoodAccess renders this guide 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. Tools surface the same joined county table used on rankings and county profiles. 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.
Download the county food-access extract cited on this page: plainfoodaccess-food-access.csv (USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas + Census ACS · public domain sources).