USDA Food Access

Get USDA NASS QuickStats data on agricultural production by state. Returns crop values, production quantities, and farm statistics from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Useful for understanding local food production capacity in grant narratives. Args: state: Two-letter state abbreviation (e.g. 'WA', 'IA'). commodity: Agricultural commodity to query (e.g. 'CORN', 'SOYBEANS', 'WHEAT', 'CATTLE', 'MILK'). Omit to get a broad survey of crops. year: Year for data (e.g. 2022). Omit to get the most recent available data.

Get county-level food access risk profiles using Census ACS data. Constructs food access risk profiles by combining vehicle access (B25044), poverty status (B17001), and SNAP participation (B22001). Limited vehicle access combined with high poverty indicates food desert risk. Useful for identifying areas with barriers to food access in grant applications. Args: state: Two-letter state abbreviation (e.g. 'WA', 'MS') or 2-digit FIPS code. county_fips: Three-digit county FIPS code (e.g. '033' for King County, WA). Omit to get all counties in the state.

Get food-related economic indicators as proxies for food insecurity by county. Combines SNAP participation rate (B22001), poverty rate (B17001), and median household income (B19013) to build a food insecurity risk profile. Higher SNAP rates, higher poverty, and lower income correlate with greater food insecurity. Useful for grant narratives demonstrating community need. Args: state: Two-letter state abbreviation (e.g. 'WA', 'MS') or 2-digit FIPS code. county_fips: Three-digit county FIPS code (e.g. '033' for King County, WA). Omit to get all counties in the state. year: ACS 5-year estimate year (default 2022). Data covers year-4 through year.

Get SNAP/food stamp household participation by county using Census ACS Table B22001. Returns the number and percentage of households receiving vs not receiving SNAP/food stamp benefits, broken down by county. Essential for understanding food assistance utilization in grant target areas. Args: state: Two-letter state abbreviation (e.g. 'WA', 'MS') or 2-digit FIPS code. county_fips: Three-digit county FIPS code (e.g. '033' for King County, WA). Omit to get all counties in the state. year: ACS 5-year estimate year (default 2022). Data covers year-4 through year.