PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Indiana

Boone County, IN

Boone County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

17.9%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
3.7%
on SNAP
75K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 IN

The food-access picture

17.9% of Boone County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.

5
low-access tracts
1K
food-desert residents
2.4%
households, no vehicle
4.5%
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).

Boone County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 17.9% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 10 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 10,157 residents who live far from a supermarket. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.

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 Boone County compares nationally

Boone County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.9% low-access share that beats 40% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,873).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Boone County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 10 census tracts in Boone County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Boone County, IN USDA-defined food-access tiers: 5 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 5 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 10 tracts evaluated. 5 tracts adequate (50.0%) 5 tracts limited (50.0%) Adequate 50% Limited 50% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Boone County, IN
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Boone County vs. other Indiana counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Indiana

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Boone County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts10
Atlas Population (2010 basis)56,640
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population10,157
Low-Access Share17.9%below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,396

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Boone County
IndicatorValue
Population74,718
Median Household Income$111,250
Poverty Rate4.5%well below the national average
SNAP Households1,067
SNAP Participation Rate3.7%well below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle2.4%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.9%
SNAP participation in Boone County 3.7%

About 3.7% of Boone County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 17.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 3.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,067 households here.
  • 2.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • Median household income is $111,250 with a 4.5% poverty rate.

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 Boone County

near the national share

A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.

An estimated 10,157 residents, roughly 17.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 1,396 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 5 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Boone County

Boone County has 47 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 25 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 25

  • casey's general store 2063, lebanon
  • casey's general store 4033, lebanon
  • crane63 inc, whitestown
  • family express 56, lebanon
  • getgo 3564, zionsville
  • highway petro inc, lebanon
  • j & j petroleum inc, lebanon
  • jr food mart, lebanon
  • ja petroleum inc, lebanon
  • jl food mart inc, jamestown
  • lebanon food mart, lebanon
  • lebanon shell petroleum inc, lebanon
  • love's travel stop 459, whitestown
  • mapco 989, whitestown
  • mc clure oil 52, lebanon
  • meijer gas station 152, zionsville
  • murphy express 8816, lebanon
  • pilot travel center 652, lebanon
  • rickers 7545, whitestown
  • speedway 1302, lebanon
  • speedway 1316, zionsville
  • speedway 8065, lebanon
  • thorntown petroleum inc, thorntown
  • village pantry 5630, zionsville
  • whitestown petroleum inc, whitestown

Combination Grocery/Other · 11

  • cvs 6666, lebanon
  • cvs pharmacy 4727, zionsville
  • cvs pharmacy 6565, zionsville
  • dollar general 4735, lebanon
  • dollar tree 2334, lebanon
  • dollar general 19635, jamestown
  • dollar general 20619, thorntown
  • dollar general store 12511, lebanon
  • dollar tree 7748, whitestown
  • walgreens 01444, lebanon
  • walgreens 15181, zionsville

Super Store · 4

  • kroger j-940, lebanon
  • kroger 333, zionsville
  • meijer 152, zionsville
  • walmart 1275, lebanon

Farmers' Market · 2

  • lebanon city market, lebanon
  • zionsville farmer's market, zionsville

Supermarket · 2

  • aldi 44050 44050, lebanon
  • aldi 44087, whitestown

Bakery Specialty · 1

  • papa murphy's pizza in074, zionsville

Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1

  • beckys market, lebanon

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • 7m's lebanon iga 1171, lebanon

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Indiana

Adams County
17.5% low-access · 6.6% SNAP
Allen County
37.8% low-access · 9.1% SNAP
Bartholomew County
36.4% low-access · 7.4% SNAP
Benton County
1.7% low-access · 11.7% SNAP
Blackford County
15.2% low-access · 14.6% SNAP
Brown County
3.0% low-access · 4.9% SNAP

Compare Boone County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →

Food access nationally, Indiana in context

Boone County sits inside Indiana (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Boone County has low food access? ▼
17.9% of residents in Boone County, IN live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Boone County? ▼
3.7% of households in Boone County receive SNAP, covering 1,067 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Boone County? ▼
The poverty rate in Boone County, IN is 4.5%, with a median household income of $111,250 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Boone County a food desert? ▼
0 of Boone County's 10 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). No tracts here meet both conditions in the 2019 Atlas.
What share of Boone County households lack a vehicle? ▼
2.4% of households in Boone County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.