cost_of_living_food_environment_county
County snapshot. USDA ERS Food Environment Atlas 2025 edition. Covers food access (pct_food_desert, pct_low_access_pop), retail stores (grocery, convenience, specialty, SNAP/WIC-authorized), restaurants (fast food, full service), food insecurity rate, SNAP participation, and farmers markets. Data vintages vary by variable (2018–2023).
tier —composite_index
overview
overview
3,144 county records. Variable-level vintages span 2018-2023. ~71% of rows have grocery_stores_count populated; ~85% have fast_food.
current vintage — 2025 Edition (variable-level vintages range 2018-2023)
history — Editions: 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2023, 2025
provenance
source & licensing
authority
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
dataset
Food Environment Atlas
license
—
citation
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Food Environment Atlas, 2025 Edition.
schema
fields
| name | type | definition |
|---|---|---|
| _ingested_at | timestamp | Timestamp when this record was written to BigQuery.Pipeline metadata field. |
| _ingestor_version | string | Version of the ingestor script that produced this record.Pipeline metadata field. |
| _reliability_tier | string | Data quality tier (A/B/C) assigned at ingestion.Pipeline metadata field. |
| _source_dataset_id | string | Internal dataset identifier linking to meta.datasets.Pipeline metadata field. |
| convenience_stores_count | float64 · count | Total number of convenience stores operating in the county. These stores typically offer limited fresh food options compared to full-service grocery stores. |
| convenience_stores_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1,000 population | Number of convenience stores per 1,000 county residents. A high ratio relative to grocery stores may indicate reliance on limited-selection food outlets. |
| country_id | string | ISO alpha-2 country code (always 'US' for domestic tables). |
| county_idkey | string | 5-character FIPS code identifying the county.Joins dim.counties on county_id. |
| county_name | string | Human-readable county name corresponding to county_id. |
| farmers_markets_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1,000 population | Number of farmers markets per 1,000 county residents. Higher values indicate greater local and direct-to-consumer food access, often associated with fresher produce availability. |
| fast_food_restaurants_count | float64 · count | Total number of fast food (limited-service) restaurants operating in the county, including chains and independent quick-service outlets. |
| fast_food_restaurants_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1,000 population | Number of fast food restaurants per 1,000 county residents. Higher values relative to full-service restaurants may indicate a food environment skewed toward less nutritious options. |
| fast_food_to_full_service_ratio | float64 · ratio | Ratio of fast food restaurants to full-service restaurants in the county (fast food count ÷ full-service count). Values above 1 indicate fast food outlets outnumber sit-down restaurants; higher values are associated with less healthy food environments. |
| food_insecurity_rate | float64 · percent (0–100) | Estimated share of the county population experiencing food insecurity — lacking consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Higher values indicate greater prevalence of hunger and nutritional hardship. |
| full_service_restaurants_count | float64 · count | Total number of full-service (sit-down) restaurants operating in the county. |
| full_service_restaurants_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1,000 population | Number of full-service restaurants per 1,000 county residents, reflecting the density of table-service dining options available locally. |
| grocery_stores_count | float64 · count | Total number of grocery stores (supermarkets and large food retailers) operating in the county. Higher values indicate a greater supply of full-service food retail. |
| grocery_stores_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1,000 population | Number of grocery stores per 1,000 county residents, normalizing retail food supply for population size. Higher values indicate relatively better access to full-service grocery retail. |
| pct_food_desert | float64 · percent (0–100) | Share of the county's census tracts classified as food deserts — areas with both low income and low supermarket access as defined by USDA. Higher values indicate broader food desert conditions across the county. |
| pct_households_snap | float64 · percent (0–100) | Share of county households receiving SNAP benefits in a given year. Higher values reflect greater reliance on federal food assistance and typically correlate with higher poverty rates. |
| pct_low_access_children | float64 · percent (0–100) | Share of children in the county who live far from a supermarket or large grocery store (beyond USDA low-access distance thresholds). Higher values indicate greater food access barriers among the child population. |
| pct_low_access_pop | float64 · percent (0–100) | Share of the county population living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket or large grocery store. Higher values indicate greater food access challenges. |
| pct_low_access_seniors | float64 · percent (0–100) | Share of seniors (adults 65 and older) in the county who live beyond USDA low-access distance thresholds from a supermarket or large grocery store. Higher values indicate greater food access barriers for older residents. |
| snap_authorized_stores_count | float64 · count | Total number of retail food stores in the county authorized to accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. Higher values indicate broader access points for SNAP recipients. |
| snap_authorized_stores_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1,000 population | Number of SNAP-authorized retail stores per 1,000 county residents. Higher values indicate more accessible food purchasing options for low-income households relying on SNAP benefits. |
| snap_benefits_per_capita | float64 · dollars (nominal) | Total SNAP benefit dollars distributed in the county divided by county population. Higher values reflect greater per-person federal food assistance expenditure, driven by both enrollment rates and average benefit levels. |
| specialty_food_stores_count | float64 · count | Total number of specialty food stores (e.g., natural food stores, ethnic grocery stores, butchers, fishmongers) operating in the county. |
| specialty_food_stores_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1,000 population | Number of specialty food stores per 1,000 county residents, reflecting the diversity and density of niche food retail options available to residents. |
| state_id | string | 2-character FIPS code identifying the state.Joins dim.states on state_id. |
| very_low_food_security_rate | float64 · percent (0–100) | Estimated share of the county population experiencing very low food security, a severe form of food insecurity involving disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake. Higher values indicate more acute hunger conditions. |
| wic_authorized_stores_count | float64 · count | Total number of retail food stores in the county authorized to accept WIC (Women, Infants, and Children program) vouchers. Higher values indicate better WIC redemption access for eligible families. |
| wic_authorized_stores_per_1k_pop | float64 · rate per 1,000 population | Number of WIC-authorized stores per 1,000 county residents, normalizing program access infrastructure for population size. |
| yearkey | int64 | Reference year of the observation. |
relationships
joins
primary key
county_id, year
common joins
dim.geographies on county_id
cost_of_living_scorecard_county on county_id
demographics_population_county_year for per-capita normalizations
usage
how to use this table
method
USDA ERS compiles county-level metrics from multiple federal sources: store counts from CBP and SNAP retailer locator, food insecurity from Map the Meal Gap (Feeding America), low-access population from USDA Food Access Research Atlas (1-mile/10-mile thresholds).
do not use for
Trend analysis (variable vintages within a single edition prevent clean year-on-year comparison); sub-county tract food deserts (use Food Access Research Atlas); current grocery counts (CBP lags ~2 years).
known issues
pct_food_desert assumes 1mi urban / 10mi rural and excludes vehicle access. Variable vintages are not aligned within an edition.
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last updated · May 5, 2026