Where Americans Shop for Food

When Americans shop for food, they don't head to the nearest grocery store, according to the USDA's Economic Research Service. On average, the nearest grocery store is 2.14 miles from their home, but they travel 3.79 miles to get to the grocery store they use most often.

Nearly 9 out of 10 households (88 percent) travel to their primary grocery store in their own vehicle, and 7 percent use someone else's car. Six percent of grocery shoppers get to their primary store by walking or using public transportation.

Food shoppers are split between super centers (such as Walmart) and supermarkets as their primary grocery store. Forty-four percent use super centers, 45 percent use supermarkets, and the remainder use other types of stores.

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Where Do Americans Usually Shop for Food and How Do They Travel to Get There? Initial Findings from the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey