County food-access profile · Ohio
Erie County, OH
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Erie 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).
- 22.2%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 11.4%
- on SNAP
- 75K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
22.2% of Erie County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 6.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.0%
- 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).
USDA data puts Erie County's low-access share at 22.2%, above the national share. 8 of the county's 18 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 17,125 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,315 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 Erie County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Erie County's 22.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 52% of them and ranked #1,518 most-affected nationwide.
Erie County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 18 census tracts in Erie County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Erie County vs. other Ohio counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio
- Erie
Erie County, OH
22.2 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, OH
22 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, OH
17.4 % low-access
- Ashland 5
Ashland County, OH
5 % low-access
- Ashtabula
Ashtabula County, OH
21.9 % low-access
- Athens
Athens County, OH
17 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 18 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 77,079 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 17,125 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.2%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,315 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 74,581 |
| Median Household Income | $71,993 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.0%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,695 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.4% |
About 11.4% of Erie County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 22.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,695 households here.
- 6.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 tracts 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 Erie County
above the national share
3 of Erie County's 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 16.7% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 17,125 residents, roughly 22.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,315 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 10 tracts (55.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Erie County
Erie County has 78 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 42 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 42
- 7-eleven 21206, sandusky
- aunt ruth's family store, vermilion
- circle k, sandusky
- circle k 5259, milan
- dairy stop, vermilion
- dave's food mart avery, milan
- dick's carry-out, sandusky
- flash drive thru 1, sandusky
- friendship 83, sandusky
- friendship 84, sandusky
- friendship 96, sandusky
- getgo 3238, vermilion
- hy-miler 2205, sandusky
- hy-miler 2200, sandusky
- hy-miler 2204, sandusky
- hy-miler 2220, sandusky
- hy-miler 2221, sandusky
- hy-miler 2234, huron
- hy-miler 2235, huron
- hy-miler 2236, huron
- jaylaxmi sandusky corp, sandusky
- love's travel stop 980, milan township
- manki 1008 llc, sandusky
- meijer gas station 142, sandusky
- mickey mart 12, birmingham
- mickey mart 28, sandusky
- mickey mart 35, huron
- mickey mart 36, sandusky
- mickey mart 38, castalia
- mickey mart 49, sandusky
- mickey mart 51, vermilion
- mickey mart 58 58, berlin heights
- mickey mart 61, sandusky
- murphy usa 6933, sandusky
- perkins convenience food mart, sandusky
- sailor's wine and deli, vermilion
- sandusky food and wine, sandusky
- speedway 3326, vermilion
- speedway 3667, sandusky
- speedway 7330, sandusky
- strawberry hill market, sandusky
- variety village drive thru n/a, sandusky
Combination Grocery/Other · 23
- cvs 2345, sandusky
- cornell's foods 1, huron
- dollar general 11175, vermilion
- dollar general 19511, huron
- dollar general 4116, sandusky
- dollar general 9406, sandusky
- dollartree 10296, sandusky
- dollartree 6921, huron
- discount drug mart 14, sandusky
- discount drug mart 24, huron
- discount drug mart 29, vermilion
- dollar general 11, sandusky
- dollar general 14705, birmingham
- dollar general 14867, huron
- dollar general 15757, castalia
- dollar general 16777, vermilion
- dollar general 23286, sandusky
- dollar general 30576, milan
- dollar tree 775, sandusky
- dollar tree 8361, vermilion
- dollartree 8894, sandusky
- family dollar store 1967, sandusky
- family dollar store 7280, sandusky
Super Store · 6
- giant eagle 1238, vermilion
- kroger 858, sandusky
- meijer inc 142, sandusky
- sam's club 4962, sandusky
- target store 2159, sandusky
- walmart 1628, sandusky
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- bay meats, sandusky
- castalia market, castalia
Small Grocery Store · 2
- huron market, huron
- la latinoamericana, sandusky
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 63062 63062, sandusky
- gordon food service store mp054, sandusky
Farmers' Market · 1
- sandusky farmers market n/a, sandusky
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Ohio
Food access nationally, Ohio in context
Erie 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 Erie County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Erie County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Erie County? ▼
Is Erie County a food desert? ▼
What share of Erie 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.