These 20 States Have the Worst Grocery Store Access, According to USDA

Food insecurity and poverty are problems throughout the United States, especially as prices soar and wages remain the same. According to the USDA, in 2013, about 13.5% of households lived with food insecurity. About 5% of those households had very low food insecurity. Can you believe that some states are even worse?

Many people who face food insecurity live in food deserts. These are areas with a lack of grocery stores and, more often than not, healthy options. Instead, people in these areas are forced to buy whatever is available, which is typically frozen and processed foods. This comes with health problems as people living with food insecurity are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and obesity.

To develop this list, we used government and food sources and studies from the USDA, the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, and various food banks.

Texas

Are you surprised to see Texas here? While Texas has plenty of grocery stores, it has limited access to local produce, a car-centric design, and a large number of food desert counties, which puts it at the top of the list.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 23.03
Food Desert Counties: 11

South Dakota

South Dakota trails Texas closely. Although its score relating to access to local produce isn't as low as Texas's, many counties don't have a grocery store. Public transportation is also extremely limited.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 31.57
Food Desert Counties: 5

North Dakota

North Dakota isn't much better than South Dakota when it comes to access to food. It's only about one point higher than South Dakota for local produce, but it has even more counties without a grocery store.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 32.80
Food Desert Counties: 6

Mississippi

Mississippi struggles with access to grocery stores, food deserts, and poverty. The numbers speak for themselves.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 22.45
Food Desert Counties: 2

Nevada

Nevada is one of the worst-ranking states for access to local produce, although food desert counties aren't as common.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 7.62
Food Desert Counties: 1

Florida

It's hard to imagine the very popular Florida at the top of this list, but it's a state that struggles with food insecurity. One in five children in the Sunshine State face hunger, and one in seven adults.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 25.07
Food Desert Counties: Unknown

Nebraska

Many Midwest and southern states are making this list, including Nebraska. This sparsely populated state has limited grocery stores, especially in small towns.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 30.35
Food Desert Counties: 9

Utah

Utah also has limited local food consumption, although only one county doesn't have a grocery store.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 22.61
Food Desert Counties: 1

Alabama

Food insecurity is high in Alabama. About one in four children face food insecurity and 17% of adults.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 23.87
Food Desert Counties: Unknown

Georgia

Another state that ranks high in food deserts and insecurity is Georgia. According to the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services, Georgia ranks 9th in states with low access to key food resources.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 30.28
Food Desert Counties: 7

Illinois

Illinois isn't too far from Georgia when it comes to access to grocery stores and healthy food. However, there are more counties with grocery stores compared to Georgia.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 28.57
Food Desert Counties: 2

Kansas

Kansas is a sparsely populated state known for agriculture, and yet groceries and local produce aren't as common as you'd think.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 28.14
Food Desert Counties: 7

Kentucky

While Kentucky might not have as many food desert counties as states like Texas, access to fresh local produce is limited. On top of that, cars are necessary to survive. You can't take a train or fast bus to get to the grocery store and back without taking hours.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 33.74
Food Desert Counties: 2

Idaho

Idaho scores low with fresh local produce, although it's higher than Nevada by a lot. Food insecurity is on the rise. In 2023, 250,260 Idahoans experienced food insecurity. Considering Idaho is home to only about 2 million people, that's a lot of people going hungry!

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 42.21
Food Desert Counties: 2

Tennessee

Tennessee is home to a lot of homesteads and lands filled with homegrown vegetables and fruits. Although true, food insecurity is a big problem.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 26.59
Food Desert Counties: 2

Virginia

Virginia is suffering from food deserts at large. This is an issue that affects both large cities and rural towns.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 40.24
Food Desert Counties: 2

Louisiana

Louisiana is one of the most impoverished states with large rural communities. Because of this, food deserts are everywhere. About one in six people in Louisiana live with food insecurity, many of whom are children.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 24.37
Food Desert Counties: 1

Arkansas

Also on our list of the states with the worst access to grocery stores is Arkansas. In 2022, this state's food insecurity rate was the second highest in the country.

The Availability of Locally Produced Food Score (out of 100): 29.36
Food Desert Counties: 1

Alaska

Although no Alaska county is without a grocery store, the state struggles with fair access. In Alaska, one in eight people lives with food insecurity. While not as high as Louisiana, it's still significant.