Using quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations we study the ground state properties of the one‐dimensional fermionic Hubbard model in traps with an underlying lattice. We show that this model displays quantum critical behavior at the boundaries of the local Mott‐insulating regions. A local compressibility defined to characterize the Mott‐insulating phase has a non‐trivial critical exponent. Both the local compressibility and the variance of the local density show universality with respect to the confining potential. We study the momentum distribution function and we find that it is not appropriate to characterize the transitions in the system. © 2004 American Institute of Physics