County food-access profile · Wisconsin
Jefferson County, WI
Jefferson 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.
- 9.6%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 9.2%
- on SNAP
- 86K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
9.6% of Jefferson County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 4.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.1%
- 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).
Jefferson County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.6% per the USDA Atlas. 6 of the county's 20 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 7,997 residents who live far from a supermarket. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Jefferson County compares nationally
Jefferson County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.6% low-access share that beats 20% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,517).
Jefferson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Jefferson County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Jefferson County vs. other Wisconsin counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Wisconsin
- Jefferson 9.6
Jefferson County, WI
9.6 % 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 | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 83,686 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 7,997 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.6%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,011 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 86,003 |
| Median Household Income | $83,750 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.1%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,213 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.2%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.8% |
About 9.2% of Jefferson County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 9.6% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,213 households here.
- 4.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $83,750 with a 8.1% poverty rate.
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 Jefferson County
near the national share
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 7,997 residents, roughly 9.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,011 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 14 tracts (70.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Jefferson County
Jefferson County has 51 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 24 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 24
- a&a oil, jefferson
- casey's general store 3712, fort atkinson
- casey's general store 3713, jefferson
- church st shell, watertown
- jefferson petroleum company, jefferson
- jefferson travel plaza, jeffreson
- johnson creek bp, johnson creek
- kwik trip 306, lake mills
- kwik trip 354, watertown
- kwik trip 366, waterloo
- kwik trip 439, fort atkinson
- kwik trip 487, johnson creek
- kwik trip 1121, watertown
- kwik trip 1506, fort atkinson
- kwik trip 872, jefferson
- lower spring lake bp, palmyra
- manns filling inc, lake mills
- palmyra citgo 1, palmyra
- refuel pantry-watertown, watertown
- ron's market, helenville
- shell food & liquor, fort atkinson
- speedway 4178, watertown
- station ixonia llc, ixonia
- watertown bp mart, watertown
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- dollar general 6861, lake mills
- dollar general 15975, waterloo
- dollar general 23433, palmyra
- dollar general 6887, watertown
- dollar tree 4379, watertown
- dollar tree 7905, jefferson
- family dollar store 6250, fort atkinson
- walgreens 05136, watertown
- walgreens 01976, fort atkinson
- walgreens 11176, lake mills
Super Store · 7
- festival foods 28, fort atkinson
- lake mills market, lake mills
- pick 'n save 6396, fort atkinson
- pick 'n save 6888, watertown
- piggly wiggly #170, waterloo
- walmart 1776, watertown
- walmart supercenter 3499, jefferson
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- guanajuato produce, fort atkinson
- jim and judy's foods, palmyra
- la tienda mexicana inc, fort atkinson
- mercadito la rosita, watertown
Bakery Specialty · 2
- papa murphy's pizza wi059, fort atkinson
- papa murphy's take n bake pizza wi022, watertown
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 64026, watertown
- piggly wiggly 41, jefferson
Farmers' Market · 1
- fort farmers market, fort atkinson
Large Grocery Store · 1
- glenn's market & catering inc, watertown
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Wisconsin
Compare Jefferson County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Food access nationally, Wisconsin in context
Jefferson 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 Jefferson County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Jefferson County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Jefferson County? ▼
Is Jefferson County a food desert? ▼
What share of Jefferson 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.