County food-access profile · Ohio
Belmont County, OH
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Belmont 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).
- 22.3%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 15.2%
- on SNAP
- 65K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
22.3% of Belmont County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 7.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.8%
- 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 Belmont County's low-access share at 22.3%, above the national share. 8 of the county's 20 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 15,664 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,864 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 Belmont County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Belmont County's 22.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 52% of them and ranked #1,503 most-affected nationwide.
Belmont County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Belmont County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Belmont County vs. other Ohio counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio
- Belmont
Belmont County, OH
22.3 % low-access
- 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
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 70,400 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 15,664 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.3%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,864 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 65,473 |
| Median Household Income | $57,017 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,138 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.2%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.6% |
About 15.2% of Belmont County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 22.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,138 households here.
- 7.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Belmont County
above the national share
3 of Belmont County's 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 15.0% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 15,664 residents, roughly 22.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,864 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (60.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Belmont County
Belmont County has 65 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 29 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 29
- 250 pit stop 73122, dillonvale
- bellstores 1073, barnesville
- bellstores 1074, martins ferry
- bellstores 1080, saint clairsville
- bellstores 1072, bridgeport
- cfm express 1, bridgeport
- cfm express 11, flushing
- cfm express 15, saint clairsville
- cfm express 4, bethesda
- certified oil 400209, barnesville
- certified oil 400209, barnesville
- circle k 4705215, bellaire
- coen markets 1801, powhatan point
- colerain quick mart llc, bridgeport
- convenient food mart 3884, barnesville
- convenient food mart 3887, shadyside
- convenient food mart 3889, martins ferry
- country carry out, flushing
- gk carry-out, saint clairsville
- hanover fuel stop, martins ferry
- jlk carryout llc, beallsville
- love's travel stop 563, st clairsville
- martins ferry carryout, martins ferry
- ohio valley plza tiger mart sober systems llc, saint clairsville
- pilot travel center 449, belmont
- quick food n gas inc., powhatan point
- sheetz 605, saint clairsville
- singh & singh llc, bridgeport
- speedway 45515, bellaire
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- big lots 3025, bridgeport
- cvs 6270, martins ferry
- cvs pharmacy 6271, st clairsville
- dollar general 11529, belmont
- dollar general 14126, powhatan point
- dollar general 2863, martins ferry
- dollar general 3735, bellaire
- dollar general 4726, barnesville
- dollar general 5861, bridgeport
- dollar general 9613, saint clairsville
- dollar general 12617, bridgeport
- dollar general 17210, shadyside
- dollar general 18087, flushing
- dollar general store 17463, neffs
- dollar tree 571, saint clairsville
- dollar tree 8431, martins ferry
- dollartree 6396, bellaire
- family dollar store 1699, barnesville
- family dollar store 857, bridgeport
- walgreens 17826, barnesville
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 69025, st. clairsville
- barnesville save a lot, barnesville
- barnesville save a lot 24488, barnesville
- riesbeck's food markets 11, barnesville
- riesbeck's food markets 17, bridgeport
- riesbeck's food markets 7, saint clairsville
- riesbeck's food markets 9, shadyside
Super Store · 5
- kroger 371, martins ferry
- kroger 812, saint clairsville
- kroger 558, bellaire
- sam's club 6556, saint clairsville
- walmart super center 2199, saint clairsville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- j-mo meats, llc, barnesville
- jacob and sons meats, inc, martins ferry
Farmers' Market · 1
- ohio valley farmers' market, bellaire
Small Grocery Store · 1
- family market & custom killing, belmont
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Ohio
Compare Belmont County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →
Food access nationally, Ohio in context
Belmont 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 Belmont County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Belmont County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Belmont County? ▼
Is Belmont County a food desert? ▼
What share of Belmont 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.