What makes things so bleak? My small county is somewhat below the national median income (so doing fine but not wildly wealthy) and like half of the people that live here live within 10 miles of 3 large grocers and multiple other grocers. The most concentrated population is within a couple miles, and the people that live further away are doing so because they want to live outside of town, they mostly aren't stuck there or whatever.

Small stores out in the county mostly don't have much fresh stuff, but probably a few things.