Signature · 90 SNAP-authorized stores
Howard County, IN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Howard 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).
- 27.0%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 11.4%
- on SNAP
- 84K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Howard County, IN
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 27.0% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +4.9 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 5 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 11.4% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 25% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Huntington County (+ 0.3 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Howard County ranks #1,147 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #28 of 89 counties in IN (27.0% low-access; 5 food-desert tracts).
- #1,147
- national by low-access %
- #28
- in IN
- 9
- 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: 90 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Howard County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Howard County's 27.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 63% of them and ranked #1,151 most-affected nationwide.
Howard County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
20 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 5 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Howard County has 14 urban and 6 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Howard County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Indiana, not a full county-board reprint
- Hendricks
Hendricks 51.5%
51.5 % low-access
- Morgan
Morgan 28.7%
28.7 % low-access
- Perry
Perry 28.6%
28.6 % low-access
- Huntington
Huntington 27.3%
27.3 % low-access
- Howard
Howard 27%
27 % low-access
- Jennings
Jennings 25.2%
25.2 % low-access
- Harrison 0
Harrison 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 82,752 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 22,313 |
| Low-Access Share | 27.0%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,639 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 83,752 |
| Median Household Income | $64,027 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.4%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,070 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
Thick SNAP store book in Howard County
Howard County has 90 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 53 locations (59% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 53
- a & c partnership inc - one stop express, kokomo
- arg18 inc, kokomo
- alto express kokomo, kokomo
- amoco petroleum, kokomo
- armaan petroleum inc, greentown
- buddy mart, kokomo
- buddys-mart, kokomo
- casey's 2273, kokomo
- casey's general store 2339, kokomo
- casey's general store 3506, greentown
- dixon pantry inc, kokomo
- fast lane food, kokomo
- fish chicken and shrimp market, kokomo
- hs foodmart inc, kokomo
- huck's 293, greentown
- jay partnership inc - one stop express 13, kokomo
- kokomo foodmart inc, kokomo
- komo petroleum inc, kokomo
- krishi enterprise - center food mart, kokomo
- mahik petroleum, kokomo
- marathon foodmart, kokomo
- mcclure oil 9, kokomo
- mcclure oil 53, russiaville
- meijer gas station 141, kokomo
- milkbarn food mart, kokomo
- morgan express incorporated, kokomo
- ohio street convenience inc - qwik stop 4, kokomo
- ohio street convenience inc - qwik stop 5, kokomo
- one stop express, kokomo
- one stop express, kokomo
- one stop express, kokomo
- one stop express, kokomo
- one stop express #21, kokomo
- one stop express 14, kokomo
- one stop express 15, kokomo
- pal32 inc, kokomo
- quick mart t/a buddys mart 4, kokomo
- roop partnership llc, russiaville
- russiaville food mart, russiaville
- s g mart, kokomo
- speedway 1213, kokomo
- speedway 5149, kokomo
- speedway 5154, kokomo
- speedway 5162, kokomo
- speedway 5163, kokomo
- speedway 8062, kokomo
- speedway 8063, kokomo
- storybook express, kokomo
- village pantry 5561, kokomo
- village pantry 5409, kokomo
- village pantry 5574, kokomo
- vp23 inc, kokomo
- woodys food stores #3 3, kokomo
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- cvs 2941, kokomo
- cvs 6536, kokomo
- cvs 6542, kokomo
- dollar general 1514, kokomo
- dollar general 3333, kokomo
- dollar general 4543, kokomo
- dollar general 7257, kokomo
- dollartree 8152, kokomo
- dollar general 11314, kokomo
- dollar general 18219, russiaville
- dollar general 21245, kokomo
- dollar general 21797, kokomo
- dollar general 25373, kokomo
- dollar general store 16911, greentown
- dollar tree 706, kokomo
- dollar tree 7091, kokomo
- family dollar store 3501, kokomo
- family dollar store 6276, kokomo
- walgreens 6944, kokomo
- walgreens 10073, kokomo
- walgreens 10074, kokomo
- woodys food store 4, kokomo
Super Store · 7
- kroger j-071, kokomo
- kroger j-109, kokomo
- meijer inc 141, kokomo
- sam's club 6424, kokomo
- save-a-lot 23775, kokomo
- target store 111, kokomo
- walmart 1962, kokomo
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- hungry asian market 1, kokomo
- spark innovations inc, greentown
- the sunspot natural market, kokomo
- waddell brothers grocery, russiaville
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 44007 44007, kokomo
- gordon food service store mp097, kokomo
Farmers' Market · 1
- kokomo downtown farmers market, kokomo
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- top banana farm market, kokomo
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Indiana
One of 91 counties in Indiana, 6 are shown here.
Compare Howard County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →
Nationwide peers for Howard County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Howard County, both outside Indiana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IN (27.0% here).
- McPherson County, KS · 27.0% low-access
- McPherson County, KS · 27.0% low-access
- Maui County, HI · 27.0% low-access
- Maui County, HI · 27.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IN (11.4% here).
- Des Moines County, IA · 11.4% SNAP
- Des Moines County, IA · 11.4% SNAP
- Finney County, KS · 11.4% SNAP
- Finney County, KS · 11.4% 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.
Food access nationally, Indiana in context
Howard County sits inside Indiana (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Howard County, IN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 18067. 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.