PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Ohio

Knox County, OH

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

20.3%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
10.5%
on SNAP
63K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 OH

The food-access picture

20.3% of Knox County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

5
low-access tracts
4K
food-desert residents
6.3%
households, no vehicle
11.6%
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 Knox County's low-access share at 20.3%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 12 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 12,375 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,625 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 Knox County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Knox County's 20.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 47% of them and ranked #1,668 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Knox County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 12 census tracts in Knox 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 Knox County, OH USDA-defined food-access tiers: 7 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 12 tracts evaluated. 7 tracts adequate (58.3%) 2 tracts limited (16.7%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (25.0%) Adequate 58% Limited 17% Severe 25% Food-access tier distribution: Knox County, OH
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Knox 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 Knox County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts12
Atlas Population (2010 basis)60,921
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population12,375
Low-Access Share20.3%near the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,625

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Knox County
IndicatorValue
Population63,142
Median Household Income$73,878
Poverty Rate11.6%below the national average
SNAP Households2,462
SNAP Participation Rate10.5%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.3%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population5.3%
SNAP participation in Knox County 10.5%

About 10.5% of Knox County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 20.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 10.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,462 households here.
  • 6.3% 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 Knox County

above the national share

3 of Knox 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 12,375 residents, roughly 20.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 3,625 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 Knox County

Knox County has 37 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 14 locations (38% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 14

  • bellstores 1121, fredericktown
  • certified oil corp 400159, mt. vernon
  • five point drive-thru, mount vernon
  • hmr petroleum inc, mount vernon
  • mt. vernon duchess 1204, mount vernon
  • par mar store 238, howard
  • sandusky foodmart, mount vernon
  • shell, centerburg
  • speedway 9193 9193, mount vernon
  • town center market # 290, mount vernon
  • town center market # 291, mount vernon
  • town center market 800, howard
  • town center market 801, mount vernon
  • webb's marathon 1, centerburg

Combination Grocery/Other · 12

  • cvs 6151, mount vernon
  • dollar general 10622, mount vernon
  • dollar general 18743, martinsburg
  • dollar general 2140, mount vernon
  • dollar general 5894, fredericktown
  • dollar general 9587, centerburg
  • dollar tree 2536, mount vernon
  • dollar general 11029, mt vernon
  • dollar general 11881, howard
  • dollar general 20078, mount vernon
  • dollar general 23841, danville
  • family dollar store 8050, danville

Medium Grocery Store · 3

  • danville supermarket, llc, danville
  • don leo's market llc, danville
  • friendly meadows country store llc, walhonding

Supermarket · 3

  • aldi 61001 61001, mount vernon
  • bakers iga, mount vernon
  • lanning's foods, mount vernon

Large Grocery Store · 2

  • centerburg cardinal supermarket inc, centerburg
  • smithhisler meats, inc., mount vernon

Super Store · 2

  • kroger n-820, mt vernon
  • walmart 2149, mount vernon

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • dee jays custom butchering and processing, fredericktown

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 Knox County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →

Food access nationally, Ohio in context

Knox 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 Knox County has low food access? ▼
20.3% of residents in Knox 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 Knox County? ▼
10.5% of households in Knox County receive SNAP, covering 2,462 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Knox County? ▼
The poverty rate in Knox County, OH is 11.6%, with a median household income of $73,878 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Knox County a food desert? ▼
3 of Knox County's 12 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 Knox County households lack a vehicle? ▼
6.3% of households in Knox 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.