County food-access profile · Ohio
Adams County, OH
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Adams County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 22.0%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 20.7%
- on SNAP
- 28K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
22.0% of Adams County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 7.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 20.2%
- below poverty line
Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA, 1-and-10-mile measure).
USDA data puts Adams County's low-access share at 22.0%, above the national share. 2 of the county's 6 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 6,283 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,193 low-income residents.
How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts
The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.
How Adams County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Adams County's 22.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 51% of them and ranked #1,527 most-affected nationwide.
Adams County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 6 census tracts in Adams County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Adams County vs. other Ohio counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio
- Adams
Adams County, OH
22 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, OH
17.4 % low-access
- Ashland 5
Ashland County, OH
5 % low-access
- Ashtabula
Ashtabula County, OH
21.9 % low-access
- Athens
Athens County, OH
17 % low-access
- Auglaize
Auglaize County, OH
9.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 28,550 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,283 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.0%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,193 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 27,540 |
| Median Household Income | $50,264 |
| Poverty Rate | 20.2%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,153 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 20.7%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.4%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.2% |
About 20.7% of Adams County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 22.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 20.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,153 households here.
- 7.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).
What the food-access data shows for Adams County
above the national share
2 of Adams County's 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 33.3% of all its tracts.
An estimated 6,283 residents, roughly 22.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,193 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 4 tracts (66.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Adams County
Adams County has 31 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 17
- blue creek general store, blue creek
- community fuels & lubricants, west union
- locust grove 1st stop 100, peebles
- lynx 1st stop 97, west union
- macon 1st stop 27, winchester
- manchester 1st stop 2, manchester
- panhandle 1st stop 51, west union
- peebles 72 1st stop 72, peebles
- peebles 85 1st stop 85, peebles
- peebles food mart 218, peebles
- peebles quick stop, peebles
- speedway 9597, west union
- seaman 1st stop 41, seaman
- seaman food mart 273, seaman
- w union 16 1st stop 16, west union
- w union 69 1st stop 69, west union
- winchester 1st stop 1, winchester
Combination Grocery/Other · 11
- dollar general 2983, west union
- dollar general 3180, peebles
- dollar general 12754, seaman
- dollar general 15640, manchester
- dollar general 21617, peebles
- dollar tree 5955, west union
- family dollar 11354, winchester
- family dollar store 4554, west union
- family dollar store 994, peebles
- peebles save-a-lot 45169, peebles
- united dairy farmers 035, west union
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- white's meat processing, peebles
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 1368, west union
Supermarket · 1
- save a lot west union 24919, west union
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Ohio
Compare Adams County vs Allen County → · All Ohio counties →
Food access nationally, Ohio in context
Adams County sits inside Ohio (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Adams County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Adams County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Adams County? ▼
Is Adams County a food desert? ▼
What share of Adams County households lack a vehicle? ▼
Data Sources & Methodology
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).
Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.