For this International Year of Co-operatives, the Neighboring Food Co-op Association worked with interns from the Department of Economics at UMass Amherst to take a look at the wider impact of food co-ops across the Northeast.
The United Nations declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Co-operatives recognizes the contribution of co-ops to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as “Responsible Production and Consumption.” By mapping their impact across the Northeast, we can also communicate the wider impact of food co-ops and their role in strengthening food security, addressing climate change, building a more inclusive economy and society.
As part of the Certificate in Applied Economic Research on Cooperative Enterprises with the Department of Economics at UMass Amherst, Gabi Urbanowicz and Nuo Chen helped collect basic data from NFCA members and food co-ops across the Northeast. In addition to administering a survey, they reached out directly to food co-op leaders and conducted online research to fill in gaps in information.
Finding all the food co-ops in the region was not an easy task, much less compiling basic economic data, but the results were very exciting. Our research found that there are about 60 Food Co-ops across New England and New York State, locally owned by more than 290,000 members. Further, these community-based businesses generated estimated revenue of $628 million last year and employed about 3,000 people.
Because they are owned by people like you who shop and work there, food co-ops are rooted in their communities, and by working together, the NFCA is increasing food security, providing purpose-led jobs, and strengthening the local economy. In addition to focusing healthy food, sustainable agriculture, and fair trade, our member co-ops reported that on average 30% of their sales were from local suppliers.
“This data helps improve the visibility of NFCA members, communicating not only the scale of food co-op impact, but also highlighting the quantifiable aspects of co-ops’ dedication to the community,” said Gabi, who is studying economics and business. “Throughout my internship experience, I was able to see firsthand the major impacts NFCA member co-ops have on our local community.”
To learn more about the collective impact of food co-ops across the Northeast, including state by state statistics, please visit https://nfca.coop/members.