28 Food Environment Atlas

28.1 Organization

Economic Research Service (ERS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The objectives of the Atlas are to assemble statistics on food environment indicators to stimulate research on the determinants of food choices and diet quality, and to provide a spatial overview of a community’s ability to access healthy food and its success in doing so.
The objectives are to assemble statistics on food environment indicators to stimulate research on the determinants of food choices and diet quality, and to provide a spatial overview of a community’s ability to access healthy food and its success in doing so.
Food Choices—Indicators of the community’s access to and acquisition of healthy, affordable food, such as: access and proximity to a grocery store; number of food stores and restaurants; expenditures on fast foods; food and nutrition assistance program participation; food prices; food taxes; and availability of local foods.
Health and Well-Being—Indicators of the community’s success in maintaining healthy diets, such as: food insecurity; diabetes and obesity rates; and physical activity levels.
Community Characteristics—Indicators of community characteristics that might influence the food environment, such as: demographic composition; income and poverty; population loss; metro-nonmetro status; natural amenities; and recreation and fitness centers.

2011, 2012, 2014,, 2015, 2017, 2020

County

In each of the referenced reports, a directory of supermarkets and large grocery stores authorized to accept SNAP benefits was merged with Trade Dimensions’ TDLinx directory of stores within the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, for the years 2010 and 2015.
Population data are reported at the block level from the 2010 Census of Population and Housing, while data on income in 2010 are drawn at the block group-level from the 2006-10 American Community Survey, and data on income in 2015 are drawn from the 2010-14 American Community Survey.
These population data were aerially allocated down to ½-kilometer-square grids across the United States. For each ½-kilometer-square grid cell, the distance was calculated from its geographic center to the center of the grid cell with the nearest supermarket.
Rural or urban status is designated by the Census Bureau’s Urban Area definition. Low- income is defined as annual family income of less than or equal to 200 percent of the Federal poverty threshold based on family size.

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