Food Access in Washington, D.C.

Context / Why It Matters

Food availability is not the same as food accessibility. A neighborhood can contain food businesses while still offering limited affordable, SNAP-supported, or practical grocery access for residents.

This framing separates food presence from food access and uses SNAP participation as one lens for understanding whether food options are meaningful for low-income households.

Interactive Map

The web map uses processed GeoJSON layers from public food access, SNAP retailer, census tract, and poverty context data.

Interactive map using public food access, SNAP retailer, census tract, and poverty context data.

Analysis

The analysis distinguishes locations where food is present from locations where SNAP-supported purchasing is available. That distinction matters in Southeast D.C., where access gaps can be shaped by income, travel distance, store type, and eligibility of retailers.

The map supports a hiring-manager review of the workflow: prepare point layers, symbolize by access type, add demographic context, and communicate what the map can and cannot prove.

Methods

Prepared separate food-location layers for SNAP-supported and non-SNAP locations, exported them as GeoJSON, and loaded them into a MapLibre GL JS map. Popups translate attributes into readable labels rather than exposing raw field names.

Tools Used

ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, MapLibre GL JS, JavaScript, GeoJSON.

Limitations

Interpretation should use current food retailer records, SNAP authorization status, population context, and appropriate distance or transit measures.

Data Sources

USDA SNAP Retailer Location Data, USDA Farmers Market Directory, U.S. Census ACS 2024 5-Year estimates, and TIGER/Line census tract boundaries. Processed into GeoJSON for web mapping.

Conclusion / Next Step

The next step is to add a measured access surface or travel-distance comparison.