County food-access profile · Ohio
Licking County, OH
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Licking 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).
- 35.1%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 11.9%
- on SNAP
- 182K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
35.1% of Licking County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 32 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 20
- low-access tracts
- 14K
- food-desert residents
- 5.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.2%
- 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 Licking County's low-access share at 35.1%, above the national share. 20 of the county's 32 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 58,515 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 13,652 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 Licking County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Licking County's 35.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 81% of them and ranked #589 most-affected nationwide.
Licking County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 32 census tracts in Licking County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Licking County vs. other Ohio counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio
- Licking
Licking County, OH
35.1 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, OH
22 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, OH
17.4 % low-access
- Ashland 5
Ashland County, OH
5 % low-access
- Ashtabula
Ashtabula County, OH
21.9 % low-access
- Athens
Athens County, OH
17 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 32 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 166,492 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 20 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 58,515 |
| Low-Access Share | 35.1%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 13,652 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 181,837 |
| Median Household Income | $84,426 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 8,177 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.9%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
About 11.9% of Licking County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 35.1% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 8,177 households here.
- 5.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Licking County
above the national share
6 of Licking County's 32 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 18.8% of all its tracts.
A further 14 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 20.
An estimated 58,515 residents, roughly 35.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 13,652 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (37.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Licking County
Licking County has 134 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 67 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 67
- alfaa 24 24, newark
- alfaa 25 25, newark
- babananak fuel inc, alexandria
- bellstores 1155, johnstown
- bellstores 1160, thornville
- best fuels, newark
- big corner store 1, newark
- buckeye lake duchess 1256, buckeye lake
- certified oil co 400486, granville
- certified oil corp 400073, newark
- certified oil corp 400274, granville
- certified oil corp 400274, granville
- certified oil corp 400404, summit station
- certified oil corp 400423, hebron
- church street 1124, newark
- circle k 4705302, newark
- circle k 4705692, utica
- circle k 4705695, johnstown
- circle k 5304, reynoldsburg
- dayton road duchess 1253, newark
- deo drive duchess 1248, newark
- duchess 1278, new albany
- duchess shoppe 1252, etna
- east main street 1227, newark
- etna duchess 1203, pataskala
- etna shell, pataskla
- fredonia general store llc, newark
- getgo 3523, heath
- heath duchess 1238, heath
- hebron 1113, hebron
- jefferson woods 1201, newark
- johnstown duchess 1217, johnstown
- love's travel stop 892, etna
- mc market, newark
- murphy usa 6859, newark
- partyhouse carryout, newark
- pataskala duchess 1105, pataskala
- pataskala shell 50, pataskala
- pilot travel center 285, hebron
- r 13 duchess 1202, newark
- r carryout, heath
- rocky fork grocery, newark
- stop mart, newark
- saks market llc, newark
- shannon's carryout, newark
- sheetz 730, newark
- sheetz 768, etna
- sheetz 781, heath
- sheetz 822, reynoldsburg
- speedway 1129 1129, newark
- speedway 1170, heath
- speedway 1878, kirkersville
- speedway 5108 5108, newark
- speedway 8015, heath
- speedway 8600, etna
- speedway 8640, newark
- speedway 9194 9194, newark
- speedway 9312 9312, newark
- speedway 9385, hebron
- sunoco village crossing, newark
- ta hebron 039, hebron
- thornville duchess 1072, thornville
- turkey hill midwest 850702, heath
- union street duchess 1155, newark
- utica duchess 1225, utica
- vannatta's right choice, newark
- village market, saint louisville
Combination Grocery/Other · 37
- cvs 1756, reynoldsburg
- cvs 2405, newark
- cvs 3094, newark
- cvs 3174, newark
- cvs 396, granville
- cvs 5425, pataskala
- cvs 5654, johnstown
- dollar general 10711, johnstown
- dollar general 13821, newark
- dollar general 14289, gratiot
- dollar general 1688, heath
- dollar general 539, pataskala
- dollar general 8977, buckeye lake
- dollar general 9236, newark
- dollar general 15444, reynoldsburg
- dollar general 16965, hebron
- dollar general 22147, etna
- dollar general 22427, newark
- dollar general 24772, newark
- dollar general 30110, newark
- dollar general 30196, kirkersville
- dollar general 30557, granville
- dollar tree 15, heath
- dollar tree 4957, newark
- dollar tree 5066, pataskala
- dollar tree 6600, johnstown
- family dollar 11245, hanover
- family dollar 11283, newark
- family dollar 3165, newark
- family dollar 5964, newark
- family dollar store 9184, utica
- gurung mart, etna
- ross' granville market, granville
- united dairy farmers 657, newark
- united dairy farmers 668, pataskala
- walgreens 7541, newark
- walgreens 10810, heath
Super Store · 10
- giant eagle 6523, newark
- kroger 543, reynoldsburg
- kroger 926, newark
- kroger n-591, pataskala
- kroger n-621, hebron
- kroger 128, newark
- kroger n-546, johnstown
- target store 989, heath
- walmart 1594, heath
- walmart 3580, newark
Medium Grocery Store · 7
- al's meat market, newark
- fresh international market, etna
- pataskala meats, pataskala
- rittberger market at the lake, buckeye lake
- sk mart llc, pataskala
- stop & save carryout 2024 llc, newark
- taylor rd asian market, reynoldsburg
Small Grocery Store · 5
- glenn's market, newark
- haat bazar llc, reynoldsburg
- makalu enterprises ohio llc, pataskala
- market basket, newark
- white feather farms of ohio, inc., pataskala
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 61054 61054, heath
- aldi 75058 75058, newark
- gordon food service store mp106, heath
- save a lot 21694, newark
Farmers' Market · 2
- canal market district and enterprise hub, newark
- johnstown farmers market, johnstown
Large Grocery Store · 1
- suvidha international grocery 002, etna
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- the block & cleaver, newark
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Ohio
Compare Licking County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →
Food access nationally, Ohio in context
Licking County sits inside Ohio (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 Licking County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Licking County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Licking County? ▼
Is Licking County a food desert? ▼
What share of Licking 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.