PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Ohio

Guernsey County, OH

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Guernsey 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).

29.0%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
17.1%
on SNAP
38K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 OH

The food-access picture

29.0% of Guernsey County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

4
low-access tracts
5K
food-desert residents
8.8%
households, no vehicle
15.3%
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 Guernsey County's low-access share at 29.0%, above the national share. 4 of the county's 10 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 11,625 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,015 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 Guernsey County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Guernsey County's 29.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 68% of them and ranked #1,004 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Guernsey County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 10 census tracts in Guernsey County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Guernsey County, OH USDA-defined food-access tiers: 6 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 10 tracts evaluated. 6 tracts adequate (60.0%) 1 tracts limited (10.0%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (30.0%) Adequate 60% Limited 10% Severe 30% Food-access tier distribution: Guernsey County, OH
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Guernsey County vs. other Ohio counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Guernsey County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts10
Atlas Population (2010 basis)40,087
Low-Access Tracts4
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population11,625
Low-Access Share29.0%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population5,015

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Guernsey County
IndicatorValue
Population38,223
Median Household Income$58,478
Poverty Rate15.3%near the national average
SNAP Households2,790
SNAP Participation Rate17.1%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle8.8%near the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.4%
SNAP participation in Guernsey County 17.1%

About 17.1% of Guernsey County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 29.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 17.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,790 households here.
  • 8.8% 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 Guernsey County

above the national share

3 of Guernsey County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 30.0% of all its tracts.

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.

An estimated 11,625 residents, roughly 29.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 5,015 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 6 tracts (60.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Guernsey County

Guernsey County has 37 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 20 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 20

  • 821 carryout operating llc, byesville
  • bp, cambridge
  • bellstores 1070, cambridge
  • bellstores 1161, byesville
  • buffalo 1210, pleasant city
  • circle k 4705268, byesville
  • circle k 4705285, cambridge
  • dba hondros market and deli, cambridge
  • go mart 57, lore city
  • murphy usa 6731, cambridge
  • par mar store 231, cambridge
  • pilot travel center 6, cambridge
  • pranay international llc, cambridge
  • sallys shortcut llc, kimbolton
  • sheetz 387, cambridge
  • speedway 1017, lore city
  • speedway 5120, cambridge
  • stillion center market, cambridge
  • tajekam llc 2, cambridge
  • the pantry door and deli, cambridge

Combination Grocery/Other · 11

  • cvs 3472, cambridge
  • dollar general 592, cambridge
  • dollar general 8807, cambridge
  • dollar general 11101, byesville
  • dollar general 12326, pleasant city
  • dollar general 18418, lore city
  • dollar general 24127, senecaville
  • dollar general 31455, cumberland
  • dollar tree 1469, cambridge
  • family dollar 7, cambridge
  • giant eagle 2468, cambridge

Supermarket · 3

  • aldi 61004 61004, cambridge
  • cash saver 4, cambridge
  • riesbeck's food markets 6, cambridge

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • mk&j market llc, pleasant city

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • nature shack, quaker city

Super Store · 1

  • walmart supercenter 3262, cambridge

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Ohio

Adams County
22.0% low-access · 20.7% SNAP
Allen County
17.4% low-access · 13.8% SNAP
Ashland County
5.0% low-access · 8.9% SNAP
Ashtabula County
21.9% low-access · 18.2% SNAP
Athens County
17.0% low-access · 14.4% SNAP
Auglaize County
9.9% low-access · 6.8% SNAP

Compare Guernsey County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →

Food access nationally, Ohio in context

Guernsey County sits inside Ohio (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Guernsey County has low food access? ▼
29.0% of residents in Guernsey County, OH live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Guernsey County? ▼
17.1% of households in Guernsey County receive SNAP, covering 2,790 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Guernsey County? ▼
The poverty rate in Guernsey County, OH is 15.3%, with a median household income of $58,478 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Guernsey County a food desert? ▼
3 of Guernsey County's 10 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Guernsey County households lack a vehicle? ▼
8.8% of households in Guernsey County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.