The percentage of households without a vehicle and far from a supermarket decreased from 2006 to 2010

Access to nutritious, affordable food is often measured by the distance a household must travel to the nearest supermarket. Between 2006 and 2010, the number of individuals living more than one mile from a supermarket increased, but more individuals had access to vehicles in 2010 to travel to and from stores. In 2006, 10.3 percent of all U.S. households had no access to a vehicle, dropping to 8.8 percent by 2010. The percentage of households both without a vehicle and farther than a mile from a supermarket also dropped from 2.3 percent in 2006 to 1.8 percent in 2010. A greater share of households in low-income areas does not have vehicles. However, because low-income areas tend to be more densely populated, households in these areas often live closer to supermarkets than in higher-income areas. The statistics for this chart can be found in the ERS report, Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Updated Estimates of Distance to Supermarkets Using 2010 Data, ERR-143, November 2012.

Download larger size chart (551 pixels by 444, 96 dpi)