Impact of Minority Demographics and Poverty on Food Desert Prevalence

Payten P. Luaders
Dr. John Quinn, Faculty Mentor

This study examines whether minority demographic composition and poverty rates predict the prevalence of food deserts across U.S. census tracts. Drawing on scholarship linking food insecurity to racialized and economic inequality, the study hypothesizes that higher proportions of minority residents and higher poverty levels increase the likelihood that a tract will be classified as a food desert. Using data from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas and the American Community Survey, the analysis employs binary logistic regression to test these relationships, with demographic variables modeled separately because of multicollinearity. The findings provide only limited support for the hypothesis. Poverty rate is not a statistically significant predictor, while the proportions of Black and Hispanic residents exhibit small but statistically significant negative associations with food desert presence. These results suggest that food desert prevalence may be shaped less by demographic composition alone than by broader geographic, infrastructural, and policy factors.

Keywords: Food Deserts, Poverty, Economic Inequality, Food Insecurity , Minority Demographics, Infrastructure, Public Policy, Racialization

Topic(s):Political Science

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA