Signature · 48 SNAP-authorized stores
Columbia County, WI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Columbia 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).
- 20.7%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 8.9%
- on SNAP
- 58K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Columbia County, WI
LA-ELEVATED · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ELEVATED 20.7% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -1.4 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.9% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Fond du Lac County (+ 0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Columbia County ranks #1,624 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #33 of 71 counties in WI (20.7% low-access).
- #1,624
- national by low-access %
- #33
- in WI
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- 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: 48 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Columbia County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Columbia County's 20.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 48% of them and ranked #1,634 most-affected nationwide.
Columbia County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
12 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Columbia County has 3 urban and 9 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.
Columbia County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Wisconsin, not a full county-board reprint
- Richland
Richland 52.9%
52.9 % low-access
- Manitowoc
Manitowoc 21.5%
21.5 % low-access
- Fond du Lac 20.8
Fond du Lac 20.8%
20.8 % low-access
- La Crosse 20.8
La Crosse 20.8%
20.8 % low-access
- Columbia 20.7
Columbia 20.7%
20.7 % low-access
- Racine 19.6
Racine 19.6%
19.6 % low-access
- Pepin 0
Pepin 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 12 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 56,833 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 11,783 |
| Low-Access Share | 20.7%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,660 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 58,272 |
| Median Household Income | $85,351 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.8%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,162 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.9%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.8% |
Thick SNAP store book in Columbia County
Columbia County has 48 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 23 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 23
- columbus market, columbus
- fort bp, portage
- harmony grove petroleum, llc, lodi
- jim's bp, portage
- kwik trip 314, pardeeville
- kwik trip 635, lodi
- kwik trip 653, portage
- kwik trip 683, portage
- kwik trip 764, portage
- kwik trip 808, columbus
- kwik trip 1118, wisconsin dells
- liberty station-portage, portage
- lodi kwik mart, lodi
- love's travel stop 637, poynette
- market basket, portage
- northpoint plaza, poynette
- pardeevill e one stop 4, pardeeville
- portage mobil, portage
- portage one stop, portage
- refuel pantry- cascade, portage
- refuel pantry- columbus west, columbus
- refuel pantry- dells, wisconsin dells
- refuel pantry-fall river station, fall river
Combination Grocery/Other · 13
- dollar general 10422, columbus
- dollar general 10602, pardeeville
- dollartree 9485, columbus
- dollar general 22586, portage
- dollar general 23915, wisconsin dells
- dollar general 30657, wyocena
- dollar general store 13348, lodi
- dollar tree 1035, portage
- dollar tree 4649, wisconsin dells
- family dollar 11141, poynette
- lodi sausage company, lodi
- walgreens 07732, portage
- walgreens 10396, columbus
Super Store · 8
- festival foods 38, portage
- maurer's market, wisconsin dells
- pick 'n save 6392, columbus
- piggly wiggly #107, pardeeville
- piggly wiggly #294, poynette
- piggly wiggly supermarket 291, lodi
- walmart 1799, portage
- walmart supercenter 3505, wisconsin dells
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys wi052, portage
Farmers' Market · 1
- summers family market nafmnp, fall river
Small Grocery Store · 1
- b & b bent and dent groceries, arlington
Supermarket · 1
- aldi 64039, portage
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 Columbia County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Nationwide peers for Columbia County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Columbia 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 (20.7% here).
- Sanpete County, UT · 20.7% low-access
- Sanpete County, UT · 20.7% low-access
- Parker County, TX · 20.7% low-access
- Parker County, TX · 20.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside WI (8.9% here).
- Iron County, UT · 8.9% SNAP
- Iron County, UT · 8.9% SNAP
- Knox County, TN · 8.9% SNAP
- Knox County, TN · 8.9% 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
Columbia 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 Columbia County, WI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 55021. 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.