Signature · 23.3% low-access (55th pct)
Buffalo County, WI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Buffalo 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).
- 23.3%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 10.5%
- on SNAP
- 13K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Buffalo County, WI
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ELEVATED 23.3% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.2 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 10.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Marathon County ( -0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Buffalo County ranks #1,415 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #26 of 71 counties in WI (23.3% low-access).
- #1,415
- national by low-access %
- #26
- in WI
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 734
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 23.3% low-access (55th pct) (+1.2 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Buffalo County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Buffalo County's 23.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 55% of them and ranked #1,421 most-affected nationwide.
Buffalo County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Buffalo County has 0 urban and 5 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Buffalo County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Wisconsin, not a full county-board reprint
- Richland
Richland 52.9%
52.9 % low-access
- Wood
Wood 24.7%
24.7 % low-access
- Crawford
Crawford 23.9%
23.9 % low-access
- Buffalo
Buffalo 23.3%
23.3 % low-access
- Marathon
Marathon 23.2%
23.2 % low-access
- Chippewa
Chippewa 22%
22 % low-access
- Pepin 0
Pepin 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 13,587 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,166 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.3%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 734 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 13,393 |
| Median Household Income | $70,479 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.4%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 598 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
SNAP retailers in Buffalo County
Buffalo County has 9 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 5 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 5
- b&s express, cochrane
- kwik trip 802, alma
- kwik trip 835, fountain city
- kwik trip 1298, mondovi
- refuel pantry- nelson, nelson
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- dollar general 10001, mondovi
- dollar general 17792, cochrane
- family dollar 13623, mondovi
Super Store · 1
- hansen's iga - mondovi 9, mondovi
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Wisconsin
One of 71 counties in Wisconsin, 6 are shown here.
Compare Buffalo County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Nationwide peers for Buffalo County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Buffalo County, both outside Wisconsin so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside WI (23.3% here).
- Lycoming County, PA · 23.3% low-access
- Lycoming County, PA · 23.3% low-access
- Randolph County, NC · 23.3% low-access
- Randolph County, NC · 23.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside WI (10.5% here).
- Warren County, VA · 10.5% SNAP
- Warren County, VA · 10.5% SNAP
- Amherst County, VA · 10.5% SNAP
- Amherst County, VA · 10.5% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Food access nationally, Wisconsin in context
Buffalo County sits inside Wisconsin (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Buffalo County, WI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 55011. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.