The green areas are "food deserts," where people have no access to food or are forced to rely on bodegas that often have overpriced, unhealthy food and no fresh food, fruits or vegetables. The red dots are retailers that accept food stamps--including gas stations where little healthy food is available, as well as luxury retailers like steak and lobster vendors. Although there are requirements that these corner stores carry a range of nutritional food, because the program is administered in conjunction with localities but enforcement is limited to federal officials, they are seldom inspected.

But the government won't say which stores are doing the most business in the $80 billion a year food stamp program, and even it doesn't know what kinds of food those taxpayer dollars buy, because coinciding with lobbying by convenience stores, the U.S. Department of Agriculture contends that disclosing how much each store authorized to accept benefits, known as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), receives in taxpayer funds would amount to revealing trade secrets. As a result, fraud is hard to track and the efficacy of the massive program is impossible to evaluate.

Zoom out to see all food deserts in the country.

Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, staff research.