County food-access profile · Ohio
Delaware County, OH
Delaware County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 44.1%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 3.6%
- on SNAP
- 227K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
44.1% of Delaware County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 35 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 23
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 3.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 4.7%
- 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).
Delaware County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 44.1% is well above the national share. 23 of the county's 35 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 76,767 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,217 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 Delaware County compares nationally
Delaware County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 44.1% low-access share outpaces 90% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #298 most-affected nationwide.
Delaware County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 35 census tracts in Delaware County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Delaware County vs. other Ohio counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio
- Delaware
Delaware County, OH
44.1 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, OH
22 % low-access
- Allen 17.4
Allen County, OH
17.4 % low-access
- Ashland 5
Ashland County, OH
5 % low-access
- Ashtabula
Ashtabula County, OH
21.9 % low-access
- Athens 17
Athens County, OH
17 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 35 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 174,214 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 23 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 76,767 |
| Low-Access Share | 44.1%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,217 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 226,834 |
| Median Household Income | $133,540 |
| Poverty Rate | 4.7%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,002 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 3.6%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 3.6% of Delaware County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 44.1% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 3.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,002 households here.
- 3.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Delaware County
well above the national share
1 of Delaware County's 35 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 2.9% of all its tracts.
A further 22 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 23.
An estimated 76,767 residents, roughly 44.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,217 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (34.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Delaware County
Delaware County has 100 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 46 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 46
- centerville market n/a, galena
- certified oil 400490, columbus
- certified oil corp 400139, delaware
- certified oil corp 400402, sunbury
- certified oil corp 400481, delaware
- chalet pizza and carry out, galena
- circle k 4705257, powell
- delaware food mart, delaware
- friendship 86, delaware
- getgo 3503, lewis center
- getgo 3507, westerville
- i-71 & 36/37 duchess 1620, sunbury
- i-71 & polaris parkway duchess 1622, columbus
- london rd oil inc, delaware
- meijer gas station 143, lewis center
- meijer gas station 181, westerville
- meijer gas station 249, delaware
- midway markets inc, ostrander
- n high 604, lewis center
- nyra & nyle llc, delaware
- phyllis ann's, columbus
- pilot travel center 14, sunbury
- pilot travel center 696, berkshire
- polaris 675, columbus
- polaris fashion mall duchess 1633, columbus
- redbank food & beverage, westerville
- rte. 42 duchess 1276, delaware
- sambucas country market and greenhouse, galena
- sawmill parkway duchess 1629, powell
- sheetz 702, delaware
- sheetz 708, delaware
- sheetz 725, columbus
- sheetz 733, powell
- sheetz 735, westerville
- sheetz 758, columbus
- sheetz 787, lewis center
- speedway 1404, delaware
- speedway 7775, delaware
- speedway 9171, lewis center
- speedway 9189, delaware
- speedway 9247, lewis center
- speedway 9376, lewis center
- sunbury 607, sunbury
- turkey hill 850722, lewis center
- turkey hill midwest 850711, westerville
- turkey hill minit market 850707, delaware
Combination Grocery/Other · 25
- cvs 3364, sunbury
- cvs 5457, powell
- cvs 6148, delaware
- cvs pharmacy 6164, delaware
- cvs/pharmacy 2381, lewis center
- dollar general 14578, ashley
- dollar general 5895, delaware
- discount drug mart 65, lewis center
- dollar general 13443, sunbury
- dollar general 25730, columbus
- dollar tree 1297, lewis center
- dollar tree 4037, delaware
- dollar tree 6412, delaware
- family dollar 12865, delaware
- royals african international food market, lewis center
- united dairy farmers 625, powell
- united dairy farmers 639, delaware
- united dairy farmers 662, lewis center
- united dairy farmers 673, sunbury
- united dairy farmers 674, columbus
- walgreens 6485, delaware
- walgreens 06116, shawnee hills
- walgreens 07940, westerville
- walgreens 11145, powell
- walgreens 13007, columbus
Super Store · 21
- bj's wholesale club 396, lewis center
- costco wholesale 0632, columbus
- fresh thyme market 309wtv, westerville
- giant eagle 6507, westerville
- giant eagle 6527, powell
- giant eagle 6527, powell
- kroger n-804, delaware
- kroger n-839, columbus
- kroger n-847 n847, westerville
- kroger n-857 n857, delaware
- kroger n-898, powell
- kroger 570, powell
- kroger n-802, sunbury
- kroger n-805, lewis center
- meijer 249, delaware
- meijer inc 143, lewis center
- meijer inc 181, westerville
- target store 1236, columbus
- target store 2851, powell
- walmart 1990, delaware
- walmart 2725, lewis center
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 61003, lewis center
- aldi 61006, powell
- aldi 02, delaware
- gordon food service store mp143, lewis center
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- al sham market llc, columbus
- the greater gouda, delaware
Farmers' Market · 1
- main street delaware farmers market, delaware
Large Grocery Store · 1
- carfagna's inc, columbus
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Ohio
Compare Delaware County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →
Food access nationally, Ohio in context
Delaware 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 Delaware County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Delaware County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Delaware County? ▼
Is Delaware County a food desert? ▼
What share of Delaware 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.