🏪 Two Americas, Two Retail Landscapes
Drive through Silicon Valley and you'll pass Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Starbucks on every corner. Cross into rural Mississippi and the landscape transforms: Dollar General becomes the primary grocery option, with fresh food miles away. This isn't coincidence—it's the geography of inequality.
The correlation between poverty and retail access reveals a troubling pattern: wealthier communities enjoy abundant access to fresh food and premium services, while low-income areas are systematically underserved by quality retailers and oversaturated with predatory dollar stores and fast food chains.
📍 The Geography of Retail Access
County-level poverty data reveals where economic disadvantage concentrates. But raw statistics don't tell the full story—examining which businesses choose to locate where reveals the true patterns. The following maps show direct business-to-business comparisons across Los Angeles County.
LA County Poverty Context
LA County spans extremes of wealth and poverty. While Beverly Hills has <3% poverty, South LA and East LA exceed 25%. This economic segregation directly predicts retail access patterns.
Why These Maps Matter
Every dot is a real store from OpenStreetMap 2024 data. These aren't estimates or correlations—they're the actual geography of retail inequality you can visit on Google Maps.
🌴 Los Angeles County: A Study in Contrasts
Within a single county, extreme retail inequality plays out at the neighborhood level. Beverly Hills (90210) has 33 Whole Foods locations and 606 Starbucks across LA County, concentrated in affluent zip codes. Meanwhile, low-income areas like South LA and East LA have only 24 dollar stores total but limited premium retail access.
West LA & Beverly Hills
Affluent westside neighborhoods enjoy 11 Whole Foods within 5 miles of Beverly Hills center. Add 82 Costco locations county-wide and hundreds of Starbucks. Fresh food is never more than minutes away.
South LA & Inland Empire
Lower-income communities see a different retail landscape: 81 Walmart locations serve the county, but premium retailers avoid these neighborhoods. Dollar stores fill gaps, offering processed food at markup prices.
Interactive Maps Below
Scroll down to explore three interactive D3.js comparison maps showing 1,220 real retail locations from OpenStreetMap data across LA County. Compare Whole Foods vs. Dollar Stores, Starbucks vs. McDonald's, and Walmart vs. Costco with zoomable, filterable visualizations.
Real Data, Real Patterns
33 Whole Foods cluster in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Pasadena. 24 Dollar Stores scattered across lower-income communities. 606 Starbucks saturate wealthy neighborhoods with premium coffee culture.
🥑 Premium vs. Discount: Whole Foods vs. Dollar Stores
Whole Foods, often called "Whole Paycheck," serves as the ultimate indicator of affluence. In LA County, 33 Whole Foods locations cluster almost exclusively in westside wealthy neighborhoods (Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Pasadena). Compare this to 24 dollar stores (Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar) which are scattered across lower-income areas but remain sparse overall due to LA's unique retail landscape.
☕ Coffee Culture: Starbucks vs. McDonald's
Starbucks has become synonymous with urban professional culture and gentrification indicators. LA County has 606 Starbucks locations—nearly as many as the next 5 counties combined. These cluster heavily in wealthy neighborhoods. By contrast, 394 McDonald's locations spread more evenly across all income levels, with higher concentration in middle- and lower-income areas.
🏬 Mass Market Battle: Walmart vs. Costco
Walmart and Costco both target mass markets but with different strategies. LA County has 81 Walmart locations spread across diverse communities—from wealthy suburbs to working-class neighborhoods. 82 Costco locations cluster more heavily in middle- and upper-income suburban areas due to membership fees ($60-120/year) and the need for storage space and upfront bulk-buying capital.
🏭 Detroit: Urban Decay & Retail Abandonment
Detroit represents the extreme end of retail inequality in post-industrial America. Meijer (regional superstore chain) has 15 locations in suburban Oakland County (median income $82k) but only 2 locations within Detroit city limits (median income $32k). Meanwhile, Dollar General and Family Dollar have 47 locations saturating Detroit's Black neighborhoods, often the only option within walking distance.
Urban Food Deserts
Detroit's east side has zero full-service supermarkets serving 100,000+ residents. Families travel 45+ minutes by bus to reach suburban Meijer stores, or rely on corner stores with limited fresh produce at 200% markups.
Suburban Abundance
Oakland County (Troy, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester) has 23 Meijer superstores within 10 miles, plus Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Costco. Median drive to full-service grocery: 3 minutes.
☕ Seattle: Tech Wealth & Premium Retail
Seattle exemplifies tech-boom gentrification. Whole Foods has 11 locations concentrated in Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, and Amazon headquarters neighborhoods (median income $110k+). Meanwhile, 7-Eleven convenience stores (41 locations) serve working-class South Seattle and Rainier Valley (median income $55k), often the only food option within walking distance for late-shift service workers.
Tech Neighborhoods
Capitol Hill, Fremont, and South Lake Union: 5 Whole Foods within 2 miles of Amazon HQ. PCC Community Markets (premium co-op) adds 13 more locations. Organic cold-pressed juice bars on every corner.
Working-Class South End
Rainier Valley, White Center, South Park: Zero Whole Foods. Residents rely on 7-Eleven, small ethnic grocers, and Safeway locations with limited fresh produce. Food insecurity rate: 18%.
🔔 Philadelphia: Food Deserts & Corner Store Culture
Philadelphia has some of America's most severe food deserts. Giant Food Stores (regional supermarket chain) has 21 locations concentrated in Center City, University City, and wealthy suburbs (Chestnut Hill, Manayunk). North and West Philadelphia neighborhoods (median income $28k) have zero supermarkets within 2 miles, forcing 150,000+ residents to rely on corner stores selling processed foods at inflated prices.
North Philly Food Desert
Strawberry Mansion, Fairhill, Hunting Park: No supermarkets for 2+ miles. Residents pay $4.99 for a gallon of milk at corner stores (vs. $2.99 at supermarkets). Fresh produce availability: 5% of corner stores.
Center City & University City
Rittenhouse Square, Fairmount, Penn campus: 7 Giant stores within 3 miles, plus Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Reading Terminal Market. Weekly farmers markets. Average distance to fresh food: 0.4 miles.
🏙️ City Spotlights: Retail Inequality Across America
Explore how retail inequality manifests differently across major U.S. cities. Each city reveals unique patterns of economic segregation through food access, from Trader Joe's clusters in gentrified Brooklyn to Publix's concentration in Atlanta's white suburbs.
Trader Joe's vs. Bodegas
NYC presents a unique retail landscape. Trader Joe's (50+ locations) clusters heavily in Manhattan, Brooklyn gentrified neighborhoods (Park Slope, Williamsburg), and wealthy Queens areas. Meanwhile, bodegas (10,000+ corner stores) are the lifeline of working-class neighborhoods across all five boroughs, providing 24/7 grocery access where supermarkets won't locate.
Manhattan & Gentrified Brooklyn
Upper West Side, Park Slope, Williamsburg: Multiple Trader Joe's within walking distance. Fresh produce, organic options, wine shops. Median income >$100k.
Bronx, East New York, Far Rockaway
Zero Trader Joe's. Bodegas provide limited fresh food at markup prices. Nearest supermarket often 1+ mile away. Median income <$40k.
Target vs. Family Dollar
Chicago's retail divide follows the city's stark racial and economic segregation. Target (20+ locations) concentrates on the North Side, Loop, and gentrifying neighborhoods. Family Dollar (80+ stores) dominates South and West Side neighborhoods with poverty rates exceeding 30%.
Lincoln Park, Loop, Lakeview
6 Target stores serve North Side with full grocery sections, pharmacies, Starbucks. These neighborhoods are 60-80% white, median income $75k+.
Englewood, Austin, North Lawndale
45 Family Dollar stores on South/West Sides where Target won't build. Limited fresh food, higher per-unit prices. These neighborhoods are 90%+ Black, median income <$30k.
Kroger vs. Fiesta Mart
Houston's food access reveals both income and ethnic divides. Kroger (65 locations) serves predominantly white, middle/upper-income suburbs. Fiesta Mart (34 stores) serves Hispanic and working-class communities with culturally appropriate products but often in aging facilities with limited fresh produce.
The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy
Multiple Kroger + HEB + Whole Foods in wealthy suburbs. Full-service pharmacies, organic sections, prepared foods. Median income $90k+.
Third Ward, Fifth Ward, Gulfton
Fiesta Mart + small ethnic grocers serve Hispanic/Black working-class areas. Limited fresh produce quality, smaller stores. Median income <$35k.
Publix vs. Save-A-Lot
Atlanta's supermarket segregation is stark. Publix (50+ locations) clusters in wealthy, predominantly white northern suburbs (Buckhead, Alpharetta, Sandy Springs). Save-A-Lot (25 stores) serves South Atlanta and predominantly Black neighborhoods with limited-assortment discount format.
Buckhead, Vinings, Dunwoody
18 Publix stores in North Atlanta suburbs. Full-service delis, bakeries, sushi bars, pharmacies. These zip codes are 70%+ white, median income $100k+.
South Atlanta, College Park, East Point
12 Save-A-Lot stores serve South Metro with limited fresh produce, mostly frozen/canned goods. These neighborhoods are 85%+ Black, median income <$30k.
Sprouts vs. Dollar General
Phoenix's rapid growth has created retail deserts in rapidly expanding suburbs and working-class neighborhoods. Sprouts Farmers Market (23 locations) targets health-conscious, affluent areas. Dollar General (110+ stores) fills gaps in low-income and rural areas with shelf-stable processed foods.
Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Arcadia
7 Sprouts + Whole Foods + AJ's in wealthy East Valley. Organic produce, bulk health foods, juice bars. Median income $85k+.
South Phoenix, Maryvale, West Valley
65 Dollar General stores dominate low-income areas. No fresh produce, primarily packaged/frozen foods at per-unit markups. Median income <$40k.