County food-access profile · Indiana
Kosciusko County, IN
Kosciusko 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.
- 19.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 5.2%
- on SNAP
- 80K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
19.5% of Kosciusko County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 5.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.8%
- 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).
Kosciusko County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 19.5% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 19 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 15,059 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 Kosciusko County compares nationally
Kosciusko County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 19.5% low-access share that beats 45% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,727).
Kosciusko County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 19 census tracts in Kosciusko County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Kosciusko County vs. other Indiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Indiana
- Kosciusko
Kosciusko County, IN
19.5 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, IN
17.5 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, IN
37.8 % low-access
- Bartholomew
Bartholomew County, IN
36.4 % low-access
- Benton 1.7
Benton County, IN
1.7 % low-access
- Blackford
Blackford County, IN
15.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 19 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 77,358 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 15,059 |
| Low-Access Share | 19.5%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,795 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 80,442 |
| Median Household Income | $75,317 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,652 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.2%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
About 5.2% of Kosciusko County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 19.5% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,652 households here.
- 5.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $75,317 with a 9.8% 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 Kosciusko County
near the national share
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 15,059 residents, roughly 19.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,795 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 14 tracts (73.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Kosciusko County
Kosciusko County has 64 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 33 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 33
- a1 express inc, warsaw
- asl food mart inc, silver lake
- circle k 4702453, warsaw
- casey's general store 3067, syracuse
- circle k 4702372, north webster
- family express 81, north webster
- family express 82, warsaw
- family express 83, leesburg
- family express 84, warsaw
- freedom express 79, etna green
- good to go 95, warsaw
- lassus handy dandy 33, warsaw
- lassus handy dandy 36, warsaw
- lassus handy dandy 40, leesburg
- lassus handy dandy 45, warsaw
- leesburg stop n go, leesburg
- mcclure oil 37, silver lake
- mcclure oil 55, syracuse
- meijer gas station 267, warsaw
- multani mart inc, warsaw
- murphy usa 6726, warsaw
- near me smoke & grocery, syracuse
- prazill petroleum llc, warsaw
- salem express inc, etna green
- speedway 6078, warsaw
- speedway 6139, pierceton
- syracuse quick mart, syracuse
- warsaw deli mart, warsaw
- warsaw quick stop, warsaw
- wilby's gas & goodies 1, pierceton
- wilby's gas & goodies 7, syracuse
- wilby's gas & goodies 8, syracuse
- wilby's gas & goodies 9, mentone
Combination Grocery/Other · 19
- cvs 6462, warsaw
- cvs 6499, syracuse
- cvs 6503, n wesbster
- dollar general 11425, north webster
- dollar general 1163, warsaw
- dollar general 320, warsaw
- dollar general 3723, warsaw
- dollar general 7880, pierceton
- dollar general 8115, syracuse
- dollar tree 1364, warsaw
- dollar general 16323, leesburg
- dollar general 19834, syracuse
- dollar general 20445, leesburg
- dollar general 24108, silver lake
- dollar general 24983, warsaw
- dollar general 6129, milford
- dollar general 7654, mentone
- dollar tree 8273, warsaw
- walgreens 07906, warsaw
Super Store · 5
- kroger 837, warsaw
- martin's super markets 2326, warsaw
- meijer 267, warsaw
- neighborhood fresh #3464 771, north webster
- walmart supercenter 1304, warsaw
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- owens fresh meat market, leesburg
- san jose fresh market, warsaw
- san jose fresh market 1, warsaw
- unl trading company llc, nappanee
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 62038 62038, warsaw
- neighborhood fresh #3474, syracuse
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- bales butcher shop, syracuse
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Indiana
Compare Kosciusko County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →
Food access nationally, Indiana in context
Kosciusko County sits inside Indiana (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 Kosciusko County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Kosciusko County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Kosciusko County? ▼
Is Kosciusko County a food desert? ▼
What share of Kosciusko 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.