County food-access profile · Wyoming
Laramie County, WY
Laramie County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 42.5%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 5.4%
- on SNAP
- 101K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
42.5% of Laramie County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 17
- low-access tracts
- 11K
- food-desert residents
- 5.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.9%
- 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).
Laramie County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 42.5% is well above the national share. 17 of the county's 20 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 38,986 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 10,923 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 Laramie County compares nationally
Laramie County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 42.5% low-access share outpaces 89% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #332 most-affected nationwide.
Laramie County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Laramie County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Laramie County vs. other Wyoming counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Wyoming
- Laramie
Laramie County, WY
42.5 % low-access
- Albany
Albany County, WY
28.8 % low-access
- Big Horn 18.7
Big Horn County, WY
18.7 % low-access
- Campbell
Campbell County, WY
36.7 % low-access
- Carbon
Carbon County, WY
57.8 % low-access
- Converse 12.2
Converse County, WY
12.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 91,738 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 17 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 38,986 |
| Low-Access Share | 42.5%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 10,923 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 101,060 |
| Median Household Income | $80,173 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,337 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.4%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
About 5.4% of Laramie County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 42.5% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,337 households here.
- 5.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Laramie County
well above the national share
4 of Laramie County's 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 20.0% of all its tracts.
A further 13 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 17.
An estimated 38,986 residents, roughly 42.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 10,923 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 3 tracts (15.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Laramie County
Laramie County has 59 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 32 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 32
- big d oil 28, cheyenne
- big d oil 29, cheyenne
- big d oil 3, cheyenne
- big d oil 30, cheyenne
- big d oil 31, cheyenne
- big d oil 32, cheyenne
- big d oil 48, cheyenne
- big d oil 56, cheyenne
- big d oil 58, cheyenne
- cheyenne gs, llc, cheyenne
- crystals one stop inc, cheyenne
- loaf n jug 750115, cheyenne
- loaf n jug 750116, cheyenne
- loaf n jug 750118, cheyenne
- loaf n jug 750119, cheyenne
- loaf n jug 750192, cheyenne
- loaf n jug 750193, cheyenne
- loaf n jug 750194, cheyenne
- loaf n jug 750195, cheyenne
- loves travel stop 220, cheyenne
- maverik 5063, cheyenne
- maverik 5249, cheyenne
- maverik 528, cheyenne
- maverik 557, cheyenne
- maverik, inc 426, cheyenne
- maverik, inc 754, cheyenne
- pilot travel center 402, cheyenne
- pilot travel center 759, cheyenne
- sapp bros travel center, cheyenne
- snyder food & gas inc, cheyenne
- ta cheyenne 187, burns
- tortilleria la paz llc, cheyenne
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- dollar general 20856, pine bluffs
- dollar general 21033, cheyenne
- dollar general 22848, cheyenne
- dollar tree 2697, cheyenne
- dollar tree 4035, cheyenne
- family dollar 5730, cheyenne
- family dollar store 10489, cheyenne
- walgreens 05838, cheyenne
- walgreens 09548, cheyenne
Super Store · 5
- king soopers 79, cheyenne
- sam's club 6430, cheyenne
- target stores t- 0224, cheyenne
- walmart 1315, cheyenne
- walmart supercenter 4653, cheyenne
Supermarket · 5
- albertsons 65, cheyenne
- albertsons 66, cheyenne
- safeway 2667, cheyenne
- sprouts farmers market 338, cheyenne
- vitamin cottage natural food markets inc u038, cheyenne
Farmers' Market · 2
- community action of laramie county, cheyenne
- wyfresh, cheyenne
Small Grocery Store · 2
- golden dragon 1, cheyenne
- la rosa market llc 1, cheyenne
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza wy006, cheyenne
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- whitts end cattle depot & farmstand, cheyenne
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- texas trail market, pine bluffs
Military Commissary · 1
- fe warren afb commissary 907, cheyenne
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Wyoming
Compare Laramie County vs Albany County → · All Wyoming counties →
Food access nationally, Wyoming in context
Laramie County sits inside Wyoming (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 Laramie County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Laramie County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Laramie County? ▼
Is Laramie County a food desert? ▼
What share of Laramie 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.