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Signature · 9.6% low-access (20th pct)

Jefferson County, WI

Jefferson County lands in the lower national band on low-access (9.6%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.

9.6%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
9.2%
on SNAP
86K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 WI

USDA FARA access plate

County Jefferson County, WI

LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR

  • LA-MODERATE 9.6% low-access
  • BELOW-NATIONAL -12.5 pts vs US
  • LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-LIGHT 9.2% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 4.6% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Sauk County (+ 0.1 pts)

Lower-band low-access

Jefferson County lands in the lower national band (9.6%, #2,513 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.

#2,513
national by low-access %
#64
in WI
6
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents

Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.

Signature read: 9.6% low-access (20th pct) (-12.5 pts vs U.S. low-access).

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).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Jefferson County's lower-band USDA tier split

20 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .

Food access tier distribution for Jefferson County, WI USDA-defined food-access tiers: 14 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 6 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 20 tracts evaluated. 14 tracts adequate (70.0%) 6 tracts limited (30.0%) Adequate 70% Limited 30% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Jefferson County, WI
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Jefferson County has 9 urban and 11 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.

Jefferson County vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in Wisconsin, not a full county-board reprint

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

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Jefferson County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts20
Atlas Population (2010 basis)83,686
Low-Access Tracts6
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population7,997
Low-Access Share9.6%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population2,011

ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Jefferson County
IndicatorValue
Population86,003
Median Household Income$83,750
Poverty Rate8.1%well below the national average
SNAP Households3,213
SNAP Participation Rate9.2%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.6%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population3.8%

Thick SNAP store book 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 stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).

Other Counties in Wisconsin

One of 71 counties in Wisconsin, 6 are shown here.

Adams County
9.9% low-access · 14.6% SNAP
Ashland County
28.5% low-access · 14.3% SNAP
Barron County
17.8% low-access · 11.5% SNAP
Bayfield County
30.2% low-access · 11.6% SNAP
Brown County
25.0% low-access · 10.5% SNAP
Buffalo County
23.3% low-access · 10.5% SNAP

Compare Jefferson County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →

Counties near Jefferson County's lower low-access or SNAP band

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Jefferson County, both outside Wisconsin so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside WI (9.6% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside WI (9.2% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Jefferson County inside a lower low-access state context

Jefferson County sits inside Wisconsin (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; 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

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 Jefferson County, WI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 55055. 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.