Boston, Miami and Baltimore Had the Biggest Improvements in Fresh-Food Access Since 2014; Oklahoma City, Colorado Springs and Indianapolis are Food Deserts, with the Least Access to Healthy Food
SEATTLE, March 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — (NASDAQ: RDFN) — New York is the best city for fresh-food access, with 75 percent of its residents living within a five-minute walk of a grocery store or year-round farmers market, followed by Philadelphia (64%) and Miami (57%). This is according to a new report by Redfin (www.redfin.com), the next-generation real estate brokerage, which analyzed Walk Score® data for 48 major U.S. cities, excluding San Francisco and Los Angeles, for which there was not reliable data.

“While visiting my grandfather’s hometown in South Carolina last summer, the only grocery store there had burned down and residents had to travel 20 minutes to the next town to get fresh food,” said Redfin chief economist Nela Richardson. “Many in the community didn’t have transportation or were elderly. Neighbors organized carpools just to make sure people had access to food. This is obviously an extreme example, but it illustrates the importance of this basic amenity that many people take for granted.”

Boston, Miami and Baltimore showed the biggest improvements in access to fresh food since 2014, when Walk Score last reported a comparable ranking.

“Wegmans and Market Basket are two grocery store chains that have been expanding and opening up new shops throughout the city of Boston over the past couple years to meet the growing demand,” said Redfin Boston agent David Pollack. “Many homebuyers put a premium on homes that are in close proximity to supermarkets with fresh produce, in-store cafes and hot food services.”

U.S. Cities with the Best Access to Fresh Food

Redfin’s analysis also identified “food deserts,” cities where few residents have a grocery store or year-round farmers market within a five-minute walk. Oklahoma City topped this list, with just 6 percent of its residents living within a stone’s throw from fresh food, followed by Colorado Springs (6%) and Indianapolis (7%). Of the food deserts we identify below, Tucson and Wichita had the biggest increases in shares of residents with fresh food access since 2014.

“Oklahoma City has been slower than other cities to adapt to having fresh food, gyms and outdoor activities within walking distance,” said local Redfin agent Linda Huynh. “But keep in mind, our city is the eighth largest in the U.S. by land, with just 1.5 million residents. Things are really spread out and mostly accessible by car only.”

U.S. Cities with the Worst Access to Fresh Food (Food Deserts)

To read the full report, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/blog/2018/03/new-york-philadelphia-and-miami-are-2018s-best-cities-for-fresh-food-access.html

About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is the next-generation real estate brokerage, combining its own full-service agents with modern technology to redefine real estate in the consumer’s favor. Founded by software engineers, Redfin has the country’s #1 brokerage website and offers a host of online tools to consumers, including theRedfin Estimate, the automated home-value estimate with the industry’s lowest published error rate for listed homes. Homebuyers and sellers enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real estate agents, while saving thousands in commissions. Redfin serves more than 80 major metro areas across the U.S. The company has closed more than $60 billion in home sales.

Redfin Journalist Services:

Jon Whitely
(206) 588-6863
press@redfin.com