County food-access profile · Wisconsin
Grant County, WI
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.
- 12.0%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 10.6%
- on SNAP
- 52K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
12.0% of Grant County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 4.9%
- 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).
Grant County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 12.0% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 12 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 6,135 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,888 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 12.0% low-access share that beats 25% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,344).
Grant County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 12 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 Wisconsin counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Wisconsin
- Grant 12
Grant 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 | 12 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 51,208 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,135 |
| Low-Access Share | 12.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,888 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 51,770 |
| Median Household Income | $66,858 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.0%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,122 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 7.3% |
About 10.6% of Grant 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.
- 10.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,122 households here.
- 4.9% 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 Grant County
near the national share
3 of Grant County's 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 25.0% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 6,135 residents, roughly 12.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,888 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 7 tracts (58.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Grant County
Grant County has 47 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 16 locations (34% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 16
- 12 baskets llc, platteville
- bloomington stop n go, llc, bloomington
- casey's 3841, kieler
- casey's general store 1867, fennimore
- casey's general store 1872, boscobel
- dickeyville store, dickeyville
- driftless stores, platteville
- hartig drug 15, platteville
- kwik trip 339, cuba city
- kwik trip 755, fennimore
- kwik trip 795, platteville
- kwik trip 1117, lancaster
- kwik trip 1196, platteville
- kwik trip 231, boscobel
- los amigos fresh market llc, platteville
- stop-n-go 1509, platteville
Combination Grocery/Other · 11
- best family market, lancaster
- dollar general 6960, lancaster
- dollar general 21082, fennimore
- dollar general 25739, hazel green
- dollar general 6805, boscobel
- dollar general 6806, cuba city
- dollar tree 4034, platteville
- family dollar 11966, muscoda
- family dollar 13577, boscobel
- hauber processing inc, dickeyville
- walgreens 12498, platteville
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 64078, platteville
- bender's foods 8849, muscoda
- benders foods 4, fennimore
- piggly wiggly 401, platteville
- piggly wiggly 404, boscobel
- piggly wiggly 406, lancaster
- thompson super valu, cuba city
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- bloomington meats ii, llc, bloomington
- gander premium angus beef na, woodman
- the meat schoppe, llc, lancaster
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- hazel green hardware llc, hazel green
- kieler's store, dickeyville
- okey's market, cassville
Farmers' Market · 2
- boscobel farmers market, boscobel
- platteville farmer's market, inc., platteville
Small Grocery Store · 2
- country view market, platteville
- the farmacy, bagley
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys wi069, platteville
Large Grocery Store · 1
- mills' market inc, montfort
Super Store · 1
- walmart 958, platteville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Wisconsin
Compare Grant County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Food access nationally, Wisconsin in context
Grant 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 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.