This map shows the degree to which bodegas outnumber supermarkets in New York City, based on an analysis from the city health department. These ratios are based on state data from 2016.
Many New Yorkers rely on smaller markets with few fresh produce options to feed their families, simply because they’re more plentiful than full-service grocery stores. According to state data from 2016 aggregated by the city health department, bodegas outnumber supermarkets 18 to 1 in the poorest parts of the city — more than double the gap seen in wealthy areas. The disparities are even starker in individual neighborhoods: Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn had a staggering 57 bodegas for every supermarket in 2016. On the Upper West Side, that ratio was just 3 to 1, suggesting better access to fresh produce. many New Yorkers rely on smaller markets with few fresh produce options to feed their families, simply because they’re more plentiful than full-service grocery stores. According to state data from 2016 aggregated by the city health department, bodegas outnumber supermarkets 18 to 1 in the poorest parts of the city — more than double the gap seen in wealthy areas. The disparities are even starker in individual neighborhoods: Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn had a staggering 57 bodegas for every supermarket in 2016. On the Upper West Side, that ratio was just 3 to 1, suggesting better access to fresh produce.
(The state health department has since updated its database of food retailers, but the city hasn’t released a new analysis.)