County food-access profile · Indiana
Bartholomew County, IN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Bartholomew 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).
- 36.4%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 7.4%
- on SNAP
- 84K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
36.4% of Bartholomew County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 5.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.5%
- 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 Bartholomew County's low-access share at 36.4%, above the national share. 10 of the county's 15 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 27,973 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,053 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 Bartholomew County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Bartholomew County's 36.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 83% of them and ranked #539 most-affected nationwide.
Bartholomew County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 15 census tracts in Bartholomew County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Bartholomew County vs. other Indiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Indiana
- Bartholomew
Bartholomew County, IN
36.4 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, IN
17.5 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, IN
37.8 % low-access
- Benton 1.7
Benton County, IN
1.7 % low-access
- Blackford
Blackford County, IN
15.2 % low-access
- Boone
Boone County, IN
17.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 15 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 76,794 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 27,973 |
| Low-Access Share | 36.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,053 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 83,536 |
| Median Household Income | $79,901 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,474 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.4%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
About 7.4% of Bartholomew County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 36.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,474 households here.
- 5.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Bartholomew County
above the national share
4 of Bartholomew County's 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 26.7% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 27,973 residents, roughly 36.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,053 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 5 tracts (33.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Bartholomew County
Bartholomew County has 64 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 29 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 29
- casey's 3335, columbus
- circle k 4702457, columbus
- circle k 4700002, columbus
- circle k 4700010, columbus
- circle k 4700053, columbus
- circle k 4700060, columbus
- circle k 4700063, columbus
- circle k 4702342, columbus
- hartsville food mart, hartsville
- huck's 301, hope
- jack's place, columbus
- krishna food mart inc, edinburgh
- mapco 1960, columbus
- mapco 967, columbus
- mapco 993, taylorsville
- marathon food mart, columbus
- mi tierra, columbus
- murphy usa 6844, columbus
- national shell, columbus
- quickway columbus inc, columbus
- qwik stop, columbus
- rickers 7519, columbus
- rickers 7520, edinburgh
- sh petroleum, columbus
- speedway 5521, columbus
- speedway 6092, taylorsville
- t & p petroleum llc, edinburgh
- thorntons 106, edinburgh
- village pantry 5376, columbus
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- 7k farms, inc., taylorsville
- apna bazaar 1, columbus
- cvs 6707, edinburgh
- cvs 6757, columbus
- cvs 6792, columbus
- dollar general 11235, columbus
- dollar general 2656, columbus
- dollar general 4232, columbus
- dollar general 9252, columbus
- dollartree 10329, columbus
- dollar general 21235, columbus
- dollar general 24511, columbus
- dollar general 3874, columbus
- dollar general 4972, hope
- dollar general store 17435, columbus
- dollar tree 161, columbus
- dollar tree 8360, columbus
- swiss maid country market, hope
- walgreens 3524, columbus
- walgreens 10857, columbus
Super Store · 7
- jay c 79, edinburgh
- jay c 8, columbus
- kroger 710, columbus
- sam's club 4926, columbus
- target store 1911, columbus
- walmart 1371, columbus
- walmart supercenter 4216, columbus
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 44008 44008, columbus
- supermercado morales corp 2, columbus
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza in049, columbus
Farmers' Market · 1
- columbus farmer's markets nafmnp, columbus
Large Grocery Store · 1
- la guanajuato grocery store, columbus
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- bush farm enterprizes, columbus
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- farmhouse favorites, columbus
Small Grocery Store · 1
- oriental market in columbus, columbus
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Indiana
Compare Bartholomew County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →
Food access nationally, Indiana in context
Bartholomew County sits inside Indiana (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 Bartholomew County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Bartholomew County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Bartholomew County? ▼
Is Bartholomew County a food desert? ▼
What share of Bartholomew 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.