County food-access profile · Wisconsin
Dodge County, WI
Dodge 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.
- 12.0%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 10.7%
- on SNAP
- 89K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
12.0% of Dodge County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 4.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.5%
- 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).
Dodge County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 12.0% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 20 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 10,637 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 Dodge County compares nationally
Dodge County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 12.0% low-access share that beats 25% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,344).
Dodge County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Dodge County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Dodge County vs. other Wisconsin counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Wisconsin
- Dodge 12
Dodge County, WI
12 % low-access
- Adams 9.9
Adams County, WI
9.9 % low-access
- Ashland
Ashland County, WI
28.5 % low-access
- Barron
Barron County, WI
17.8 % low-access
- Bayfield
Bayfield County, WI
30.2 % low-access
- Brown
Brown County, WI
25 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 88,759 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 10,637 |
| Low-Access Share | 12.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,412 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 88,742 |
| Median Household Income | $75,929 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.5%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,831 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.2% |
About 10.7% of Dodge County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 12.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,831 households here.
- 4.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $75,929 with a 8.5% 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 Dodge 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 10,637 residents, roughly 12.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,412 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (75.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Dodge County
Dodge County has 56 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 31
- a one oil llc 260, watertown
- beaver dam mobil 1, beaver dam
- brownsville bp, brownsville
- budh enterprises llc, randolph
- casey's general store 2005, beaver dam
- farmers market, beaver dam
- hi-way hop bp, lomira
- juneau 26 shell, juneau
- kwik trip 324, juneau
- kwik trip 332, horicon
- kwik trip 336, mayville
- kwik trip 346, beaver dam
- kwik trip 400, beaver dam
- kwik trip 488, mayville
- kwik trip 658, watertown
- kwik trip 782, horicon
- kwik trip 1207, waupun
- kwik trip 1736, lomira
- kwik trip 367, fox lake
- kwik trip 444, watertown
- kwik trip 785, beaver dam
- refuel pantry- hustisford, hustisford
- sam's bp/amoco, reeseville
- simar oil, beaver dam
- sofia mart, beaver dam
- station 67, ashippun
- station hustis llc, hustisford
- station neosho llc, neosho
- station ridge bp, iron ridge
- stop-n-go 1207, waupun
- the natural way, mayville
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- dollar general 6775, juneau
- dollar general 6985, lomira
- dollar general 12489, randolph
- dollar general 19998, fox lake
- dollar general 20759, horicon
- dollar general 23464, hustisford
- dollar general 23490, beaver dam
- dollar general 25533, theresa
- dollar tree 830, beaver dam
- family dollar store 10511, mayville
- walgreens 11253, beaver dam
- walgreens 11649, waupun
Super Store · 6
- leroy meats of horicon, horicon
- piggly wiggly #345, lomira
- piggly wiggly #82, mayville
- piggly wiggly #83, beaver dam
- walmart supercenter 1012, beaver dam
- watertown piggly wiggly 77, watertown
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 64084, beaver dam
- piggly wiggly 205, randolph
- piggly wiggly supermarket 304, juneau
- the market at beaver dam, beaver dam
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- leroy meats of fox lake, fox lake
- lupita's market, llc, beaver dam
Farmers' Market · 1
- beaver dam farmers market downtown, beaver dam
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Wisconsin
Compare Dodge County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Food access nationally, Wisconsin in context
Dodge County sits inside Wisconsin (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 Dodge County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Dodge County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Dodge County? ▼
Is Dodge County a food desert? ▼
What share of Dodge 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.