County food-access profile · West Virginia
Lewis County, WV
Lewis 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.
- 9.4%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 21.3%
- on SNAP
- 17K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
9.4% of Lewis County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 713
- food-desert residents
- 10.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.1%
- 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).
Lewis County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.4% per the USDA Atlas. 1 of the county's 5 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 1,534 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 713 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 Lewis County compares nationally
Lewis County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.4% low-access share that beats 19% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,532).
Lewis County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 5 census tracts in Lewis County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Lewis County vs. other West Virginia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in West Virginia
- Lewis 9.4
Lewis County, WV
9.4 % low-access
- Barbour 11.4
Barbour County, WV
11.4 % low-access
- Berkeley
Berkeley County, WV
38.8 % low-access
- Boone 6.6
Boone County, WV
6.6 % low-access
- Braxton
Braxton County, WV
18.3 % low-access
- Brooke
Brooke County, WV
16.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 16,372 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,534 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.4%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 713 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 16,740 |
| Median Household Income | $56,477 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.1%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,487 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 21.3%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 10.2%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.2% |
About 21.3% of Lewis County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 9.4% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 21.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,487 households here.
- 10.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Lewis County
near the national share
1 of Lewis County's 5 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.
An estimated 1,534 residents, roughly 9.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 713 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 4 tracts (80.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Lewis County
Lewis County has 25 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 14 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 14
- 7-eleven 35955, jane lew
- bfs foods 14, weston
- corner mart 2, weston
- go mart 4, weston
- go mart 89, jane lew
- janelew allstar foods, janelew
- little general 5320, weston
- midway mart, roanoke
- mountaineer mart 136, weston
- par mar store 163, jane lew
- par mar store 164, jane lew
- sheetz 206, weston
- somerville exxon, linn
- the y country store, walkersville
Combination Grocery/Other · 6
- cvs pharmacy 5947, weston
- dollar general 13287, jane lew
- dollar general 20215, weston
- dollar general 3842, weston
- dollar tree 6783, weston
- family dollar 12773, weston
Super Store · 2
- walmart supercenter 1653, weston
- weston shop n save express, weston
Farmers' Market · 1
- green acres farm and greenhouses llc weston, weston
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- tjs greenhouse and produce llc, horner
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- norman wine farms, janelew
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in West Virginia
Compare Lewis County vs Barbour County → · All West Virginia counties →
Food access nationally, West Virginia in context
Lewis County sits inside West Virginia (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 Lewis County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Lewis County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Lewis County? ▼
Is Lewis County a food desert? ▼
What share of Lewis 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.