Signature · 93 SNAP-authorized stores
Fairfield County, OH
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Fairfield 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).
- 24.6%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 9.1%
- on SNAP
- 163K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Fairfield County, OH
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 24.6% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +2.5 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 6 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.1% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.1% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 21% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Franklin County ( -0.2 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Fairfield County ranks #1,319 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #28 of 88 counties in OH (24.6% low-access; 6 food-desert tracts).
- #1,319
- national by low-access %
- #28
- in OH
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- 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: 93 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Fairfield County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Fairfield County's 24.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 58% of them and ranked #1,319 most-affected nationwide.
Fairfield County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
28 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 6 LILA.
Fairfield County is mostly urban by USDA tract type (17 urban, 11 rural), so most of its low-access count comes from the 1-mile test; the 11 rural tracts are held to 10 miles.
Fairfield County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Ohio, not a full county-board reprint
- Warren
Warren 45.7%
45.7 % low-access
- Fairfield
Fairfield 24.6%
24.6 % low-access
- Franklin
Franklin 24.4%
24.4 % low-access
- Geauga
Geauga 24.4%
24.4 % low-access
- Seneca
Seneca 24.1%
24.1 % low-access
- Putnam
Putnam 23.9%
23.9 % low-access
- Morrow 2.2
Morrow 2.2%
2.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 28 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 146,156 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 36,013 |
| Low-Access Share | 24.6%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,755 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 163,453 |
| Median Household Income | $90,966 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.0%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,469 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.1%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
Thick SNAP store book in Fairfield County
Fairfield County has 93 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 43 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
13 towns share the 93 authorized stores; Lancaster holds 53% of them. 9 of the 13 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Amanda, Millersport, Bremen, Carroll, Stoutsville, Pleasantville and 3 more.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | 49 | 9 |
| Pickerington | 16 | 7 |
| Amanda | 5 | none |
| Millersport | 4 | none |
| Baltimore | 3 | 1 |
| Bremen | 3 | none |
| Carroll | 3 | none |
| Stoutsville | 3 | none |
| Pleasantville | 2 | none |
| Reynoldsburg | 2 | none |
Top 10 of 13 towns by store count.
Convenience Store · 43
- ameristop food mart 29316, lancaster
- amanda quick stop, amanda
- bremen petroleum llc, bremen
- certified oil corp 400211, lancaster
- circle k 4705264, lancaster
- circle k 4705556, lancaster
- circle k 4705691, millersport
- circle k 5263, pickerington
- circle k 5717, baltimore
- east lancaster duchess 1254, lancaster
- greg's marathon, lancaster
- jai guruji llc, lancaster
- jay mahant guru llc, lancaster
- lancaster duchess 1214, lancaster
- love's travel stop 872, lancaster
- mapco 1936, carroll
- marathon, lancaster
- meijer gas station 144, lancaster
- north memorial drive duchess 1178, lancaster
- one stop crossing, bremen
- par mar store 169, lancaster
- pickerington duchess 1274, pickerington
- pilot travel center 699, millersport
- pleasantville marathon, pleasantville
- reynoldsburg 614, reynoldsburg
- reynoldsburg duchess 1632, reynoldsburg
- round the clock buckeye station ltd, stoutsville
- route 22 sunoco, lancaster
- rram petroleum, lancaster
- rushville marathon, rushville
- sheetz 844, lancaster
- sims corner company, lancaster
- speedway 2356 2356, lancaster
- speedway 9179 9179, lancaster
- speedway 9226, carroll
- speedway 9271, pickerington
- speedway 9773 9773, lancaster
- stakely's watson 03, lancaster
- stoutsville mini mart, stoutsville
- sugar crossing convenience store 1, lancaster
- sunoco food mart, lancaster
- the beach stop market llc, thornville
- zane trace station, lancaster
Combination Grocery/Other · 27
- big lots 3031, lancaster
- cvs 6185, pickerington
- cvs 6188, lancaster
- dollar general 10440, lancaster
- dollar general 1729, lancaster
- dollar general 18953, millersport
- dollar general 19047, carroll
- dollar general 3279, lancaster
- dollar general 7340, baltimore
- dollar general 8899, lancaster
- dollar tree 16, lancaster
- dollartree 9026, pickerington
- discount drug mart 67, pickerington
- dollar general 15495, amanda
- dollar general 15761, pleasantville
- dollar general 16307, amanda
- dollar general 22511, stoutsville
- dollar general 24381, lancaster
- dollar general store 13027, bremen
- family dollar 11601, amanda
- family dollar 9048, millersport
- family dollar store 5684, lancaster
- family dollar store 6683, lancaster
- united dairy farmers 681, pickerington
- walgreens 07798, lancaster
- walgreens 09120, lancaster
- walgreens 12008, pickerington
Super Store · 10
- giant eagle 6514, pickerington
- giant eagle 6538, lancaster
- kroger 264, lancaster
- kroger 931, lancaster
- kroger n-532, pickerington
- kroger n538, pickerington
- meijer inc 144, lancaster
- meijer inc 246, canal winchester
- target store 990, lancaster
- walmart supercenter 3792, lancaster
Small Grocery Store · 4
- fred's food market, inc, lancaster
- keller market house, lancaster
- oakland grocery & hardware, amanda
- saraa grocery & beer llc, pickerington
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- annapurna market, pickerington
- druk international, pickerington
- gn international grocery llc, pickerington
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 61074 61074, lancaster
- aldi 61007, pickerington
- save a lot 21712, lancaster
Large Grocery Store · 2
- baltimore market iga, baltimore
- bay food market, lancaster
Farmers' Market · 1
- lancaster fresh market, inc, lancaster
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Ohio
One of 87 counties in Ohio, 6 are shown here.
Compare Fairfield County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →
Nationwide peers for Fairfield County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Fairfield County, both outside Ohio so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside OH (24.6% here).
- Uintah County, UT · 24.6% low-access
- Middlesex County, MA · 24.6% low-access
- Jerome County, ID · 24.6% low-access
- DeKalb County, GA · 24.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside OH (9.1% here).
- Durham County, NC · 9.1% SNAP
- Elko County, NV · 9.1% SNAP
- Adams County, NE · 9.1% SNAP
- Smith County, TX · 9.1% 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.
Ohio among East North Central states
Ohio ranks 2nd of 5 East North Central states by population-weighted low-access (25.1%). Fairfield County, at 24.6%, runs 0.5 pts below the Ohio rate.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Fairfield County, OH are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 39045. 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.