County food-access profile · Indiana
Grant County, IN
Grant 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.
- 17.2%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 13.8%
- on SNAP
- 66K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
17.2% of Grant County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 6.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.8%
- 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).
Grant County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 17.2% per the USDA Atlas. 7 of the county's 16 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 12,080 residents who live far from a supermarket. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,781 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 Grant County compares nationally
Grant County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.2% low-access share that beats 38% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,933).
Grant County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 16 census tracts in Grant County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Grant County vs. other Indiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Indiana
- Grant
Grant County, IN
17.2 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, IN
17.5 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, IN
37.8 % low-access
- Bartholomew
Bartholomew County, IN
36.4 % low-access
- Benton 1.7
Benton County, IN
1.7 % low-access
- Blackford
Blackford County, IN
15.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 16 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 70,061 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,080 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.2%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,781 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 66,295 |
| Median Household Income | $53,522 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,698 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.8%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 8.1% |
About 13.8% of Grant County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 17.2% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,698 households here.
- 6.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Grant County
near the national share
5 of Grant County's 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 31.3% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 12,080 residents, roughly 17.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,781 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (56.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Grant County
Grant County has 83 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 51 locations (61% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 51
- branson food mart, marion
- casey's 3735, gas city
- cardinals oil inc, upland
- casey's general store 2917, marion
- circle k 4702201, marion
- circle k 4702202, gas city
- circle k 4702212, marion
- circle k 4702214, marion
- circle k 4702221, jonesboro
- drakes fast lane, swayzee
- food mart, marion
- gas city oil inc, gas city
- good to go 14, marion
- happy discount tobacco shop inc, marion
- jn14 inc, marion
- johnson's amoco 2, matthews
- love's travel stop 323, marion
- mj95 incorporated, marion
- marion bp, marion
- marion c mart inc, marion
- marion go mart llc, marion
- marion mart llc, marion
- marion petroleum inc, marion
- marion stop n go inc, marion
- mcclure oil 10, gas city
- mcclure oil 11, upland
- mcclure oil 12, marion
- mcclure oil 2, marion
- mcclure oil 3, marion
- mcclure oil 4, marion
- mcclure oil 59, gas city
- mcclure oil 06, marion
- mcclure oil 15, marion
- mcclure oil 7, gas city
- meijer gas station 153, marion
- mv mart, gas city
- pilot travel center 1086, marion
- ps upland inc, upland
- quickway marion inc, marion
- rai bro corporation, marion
- route22 petroleum inc, marion
- speedway 1038, marion
- speedway 6050, marion
- speedway 6051, marion
- station 50 llc, gas city
- sunoco quick mart, marion
- swayzee stop, swayzee
- sweetser food mart inc, sweetser
- village pantry 5579, fairmount
- village pantry 5636, gas city
- way to go inc, marion
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- cvs 2484, marion
- cvs 6621, marion
- cvs 6626, gas city
- dollar general 131, marion
- dollar general 18562, sweetser
- dollar general 19797, marion
- dollar general 2612, gas city
- dollar general 3332, marion
- dollar general 7369, marion
- dollartree 8967, marion
- dollar general 19589, upland
- dollar general 22835, swayzee
- dollar general 23100, van buren
- dollar general store 17289, fairmount
- dollar tree 1285, marion
- family dollar 8786, marion
- family dollar store 3691, gas city
- family dollar store 3844, marion
- family dollar store 5451, marion
- walgreens 05663, marion
Super Store · 4
- meijer 153, marion
- needler's fresh market 922, marion
- ruler 239, marion
- walmart 1294, marion
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 44018 44018, marion
- horner's butcher block, marion
- neighborhood fresh 3444, gas city
Large Grocery Store · 2
- dollarsmart, upland
- fairmount market n/a, fairmount
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza in041, marion
Delivery Route · 1
- marden's dairy products, marion
Small Grocery Store · 1
- la mexicana, marion
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Indiana
Compare Grant County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →
Food access nationally, Indiana in context
Grant County sits inside Indiana (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 Grant County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Grant County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Grant County? ▼
Is Grant County a food desert? ▼
What share of Grant 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.