Signature · 12.9% SNAP (88th pct in IN)
Lake County, IN
Lake County stands out on SNAP (12.9%, +0.8 pts vs U.S.) with 34.4% low-access from USDA FARA 2019.
- 34.4%
- low-access pop.
- 31
- food-desert tracts
- 12.9%
- on SNAP
- 500K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Lake County, IN
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 34.4% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +12.3 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 31 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 12.9% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 26% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Wayne County (+ 0.0 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Lake County sits in the upper national band (34.4%, #639 of 3,079) with 31 LILA tracts.
- #639
- national by low-access %
- #12
- in IN
- 63
- low-access tracts
- 52K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 12.9% SNAP (88th pct in IN) (+0.8 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Lake County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Lake County's 34.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 79% of them and ranked #646 most-affected nationwide.
Lake County's elevated USDA tier split
117 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 31 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Lake County has 111 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.
Lake County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Indiana, not a full county-board reprint
- Hendricks
Hendricks 51.5%
51.5 % low-access
- Madison
Madison 35.4%
35.4 % low-access
- Lake
Lake 34.4%
34.4 % low-access
- Wayne
Wayne 34.4%
34.4 % low-access
- Dearborn
Dearborn 34.2%
34.2 % low-access
- Delaware
Delaware 34%
34 % low-access
- Harrison 0
Harrison 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 117 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 496,005 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 63 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 31 |
| Low-Access Population | 170,674 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 51,764 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 500,379 |
| Median Household Income | $71,493 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.3%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 25,127 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.9%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
Thick SNAP store book in Lake County
Lake County has 441 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 130 locations (29% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 130
- 1 stop hammond inc, hammond
- 3101 food & fuel, gary
- 49 & broadway inc., gary
- 5th ave citgo, gary
- 5th plaza convenience & beauty, gary
- 7 elephant, lake station
- 7-eleven #30167b 30167b, griffith
- a & k gas & mini mart, inc, gary
- a & s gas & mini mart inc, gary
- abu ross, inc., east chicago
- ah chase petroleum inc, gary
- ah citgo gary inc, gary
- aladdin pita restaurant & food mart, merrillville
- all star, gary
- allstar, merrillville
- b & d snack shack, dyer
- bp gas, east chicago
- barbara's cupcakes creations and cakes, merrillville
- barfi petroleum llc, gary
- broadway food shop, east chicago
- broadway gas mini mart, gary
- broadway mini mart, gary
- buddy petroleum inc/ d mart, gary
- buy-n-save inc, gary
- casey's 2193, cedar lake
- casey's 2257, lowell
- casey's 2265, griffith
- casey's 2352, dyer
- casey's 6947, hammond
- casey's general store 3573, crown point
- cedar lake convenience store, cedar lake
- cedar lakes travel center inc, cedar lake
- chicken littles food & deli llc, hammond
- circle k 2435, schererville
- citgo, gary
- citgo 1, gary
- citgo 5285, merrillville
- citgo gas & food 105, east chicago
- city, gary
- cline avenue food mart, schererville
- columbus mobil, east chicago
- county line market, lake station
- crown point marathon, crown point
- db food mart, munster
- dev petroleum inc t/a citgo, east chicago
- eagle gas, gary
- eagle gas, lake station
- f e 66 crown point interstate 66, crown point
- fe64-crown point north 64, crown point
- fe67 - lowell 67, lowell
- fabs mini mart inc., hammond
- family express 14, crown point
- family express 57, merrillville
- family express 60, hobart
- family express 61, griffith
- family express 74, cedar lake
- family express 75, griffith
- family express 76, lowell
- family express 8, hobart
- family express 88, st. john
- family express 9, hobart
- fe65-crown point south 65, crown point
- fe69-highland 69, highland
- five star bp, crown point
- food center, gary
- grant mini food mart, gary
- gill 35 inc, hobart
- golo, gary
- golo 61st, merrillville
- golo gas and food gasstation, east chicago
- graham c-stores co - munster 201, munster
- grand food mart on calume 1, hammond
- grand foods, hammond
- grand prix, hammond
- grant fuel inc, gary
- grant gas inc, gary
- grant golo, gary
- gur inc n/a, hammond
- hammond tobacco & deli, hammond
- hessville gas mart inc, hammond
- himmat, gary
- hs golo mini mart inc, gary
- indiana convenience store, lake station
- indyham business two inc, hammond
- indyhigh business inc, highland
- jt petroleum inc, east chicago
- k & d marathon inc., hammond
- k & m mart, gary
- kennedy golo inc, hammond
- krupa petroleum inc, gary
- kwik mart, hammond
- lake george marathon, hobart
- lake petroleum inc, lake station
- lake station fuel & mini mart inc, lake station
- lake station mini mart inc., lake station
- love's travel stop 417, gary
- luke 271, crown point
- lukes 220, east chicago
- lukes 230, merrillville
- lukes 231, hobart
- lukes 232, hobart
- lukes 233, hobart
- lukes 235, lake station
- lukes 236, hammond
- lukes 240, hammond
- lukes 241, cedar lake
- lukes 242, schererville
- lukes 251, griffith
- lukes 253, griffith
- lukes 255, hammond
- lukes 257, hammond
- lukes 261, hobart
- lukes 264, hammond
- lukes 265, hammond
- lukes 267, hammond
- lukes 270, schererville
- lukes 273, merrillville
- lukes 275, hammond
- lukes 293, merrillville
- m&a gas mini mart inc, gary
- mike's gas stop, inc., lake station
- magic mart inc, gary
- malik gas & food inc - always open, dyer
- marathon, hobart
- marathon, merrillville
- masela gas inc, gary
- mds sales llc, gary
- meijer gas station 165, merrillville
- meijer gas station 170, highland
- metro foods, gary
Combination Grocery/Other · 119
- al salam market 1, highland
- cvs 10176, merrillville
- cvs 10259, dyer
- cvs 2519, schererville
- cvs 2520, hammond
- cvs 2542, highland
- cvs 2665, crown point
- cvs 434, hobart
- cvs 6912, cedar lake
- cvs 6913, hobart
- cvs 6917, merrillville
- cvs pharmacy 04368, munster
- cvs pharmacy 10824, crown point
- cvs pharmacy 10962, gary
- cvs pharmacy 3398, crown point
- cvs pharmacy 8518, highland
- dollar general 10346, merrillville
- dollar general 11137, hobart
- dollar general 14437, schererville
- dollar general 1589, hobart
- dollar general 19108, gary
- dollar general 2192, crown point
- dollar general 2364, cedar lake
- dollar general 2941, hobart
- dollar general 4622, highland
- dollar general 7563, merrillville
- dollar general 7657, lowell
- dollar tree 0632, griffith
- dollar tree 2466, merrillville
- dollar tree 6159, merrillville
- dollartree 9181, merrillville
- dollartree 9817, lake station
- dollar general 11495, hammond
- dollar general 11782, east chicago
- dollar general 11846, lake station
- dollar general 13413, whiting
- dollar general 15126, schneider
- dollar general 20235, griffith
- dollar general 21372, gary
- dollar general 21382, gary
- dollar general 22073, hammond
- dollar general 23528, gary
- dollar general 23641, dyer
- dollar general 23934, hobart
- dollar general 30197, schererville
- dollar general 30671, hobart
- dollar general 7782, crown point
- dollar general store 10276, dyer
- dollar general store 13095, hammond
- dollar general store 13140, east chicago
- dollar tree 1284, hobart
- dollar tree 1318, crown point
- dollar tree 3780, whiting
- dollar tree 5435, gary
- dollar tree 5694, hammond
- dollar tree 5895, east chicago
- dollar tree 6024, hghland
- dollar tree 6052, hammond
- dollar tree 6060, munster
- dollar tree 6289, dyer
- dollar tree 7600, saint john
- dollar tree 7898, schererville
- dollar tree 912, schererville
- family dollar 10370, gary
- family dollar 11884, crown point
- family dollar 1214, hammond
- family dollar 12260, gary
- family dollar 1228, gary
- family dollar 12824, gary
- family dollar 1404, whiting
- family dollar 2071, hammond
- family dollar 2215, hammond
- family dollar 5236, gary
- family dollar 5618, hammond
- family dollar 6873, east chicago
- family dollar 6937, gary
- family dollar 7073, gary
- family dollar 7244, hammond
- family dollar 7582, gary
- family dollar 8527, griffith
- family dollar 8984, hammond
- family dollar store 10357, hammond
- family dollar store 10371, hammond
- family dollar store 10372, lowell
- family dollar store 1600, lake station
- family dollar store 2042, merrillville
- family dollar store 3442, cedar lake
- family dollar store 4459, merrillville
- family dollar store 5988, hobart
- family dollar store 7334, merrillville
- family dollar stores 11405, gary
- fishermen's island seafood market, merrillville
- t & m international market, merrillville
- walgreen's 6906, merrillville
- walgreens 05194, lowell
- walgreens 06000, schererville
- walgreens 06106, dyer
- walgreens 07708, munster
- walgreens 09290, gary
- walgreens 3352, hammond
- walgreens 4241, griffith
- walgreens 4276, saint john
- walgreens 4462, hammond
- walgreens 4750, merrillville
- walgreens 4829, crown point
- walgreens 5628, hammond
- walgreens 5727, cedar lake
- walgreens 6733, lake station
- walgreens 04486, schererville
- walgreens 04668, crown point
- walgreens 06216, hobart
- walgreens 06691, highland
- walgreens 10123, crown point
- walgreens 10529, east chicago
- walgreens 10534, whiting
- walgreens 12109, hammond
- walgreens 12788, griffith
- walgreens 12812, crown point
- walgreens 5787, schererville
Bakery Specialty · 1
- la rancherita bakery, east chicago
Showing 250 of 441 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
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 Lake County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →
Counties near Lake County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Lake County (12.9%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Indiana.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IN (34.4% here).
- Lake County, IL · 34.4% low-access
- Lake County, IL · 34.4% low-access
- Barton County, KS · 34.4% low-access
- Barton County, KS · 34.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IN (12.9% here).
- Randolph County, IL · 12.9% SNAP
- Randolph County, IL · 12.9% SNAP
- Johnson County, IL · 12.9% SNAP
- Johnson County, IL · 12.9% 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.
Lake County inside a higher low-access state context
Lake 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 Lake County, IN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 18089. 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.