Food Access Research Atlas

The Food Access Research Atlas maps the selected food access indicators, such as the accessibility to sources of healthy food (the distance to the nearest grocery store), individual vehicles or public transportation availability, and the average income of the family or neighborhood to examine food security at the census-tract level and county level. The data can be filtered by the distance to a grocery store at various mile markers in both urban and rural areas as well as if the access is available with a vehicle. It is updated every 4 years (quadrennially), and the website features a comparison between the current and previous cycle data for users to track the difference geographically. Furthermore, the dataset of the targeted population is stratified by race and ethnicity and can be accessible from the downloadable document.

This data source allows users to better understand the indicators of food access and create their own maps based on the selected measures. In addition, it helps decision-makers and researchers identify which population or geographic area with severe food insecurity, advocate the availability of nutritious and affordable food, and track improvement over time in the communities.