County food-access profile · Ohio
Madison County, OH
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Madison 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).
- 36.3%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 9.7%
- on SNAP
- 44K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
36.3% of Madison County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 3.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.5%
- 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 Madison County's low-access share at 36.3%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 12 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 15,768 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,577 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 Madison County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Madison County's 36.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 83% of them and ranked #545 most-affected nationwide.
Madison County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 12 census tracts in Madison County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Madison County vs. other Ohio counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio
- Madison
Madison County, OH
36.3 % 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 | 12 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 43,435 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 15,768 |
| Low-Access Share | 36.3%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,577 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 44,423 |
| Median Household Income | $87,045 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.5%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,522 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 10.1% |
About 9.7% of Madison County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 36.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,522 households here.
- 3.3% 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 Madison County
above the national share
1 of Madison County's 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 8.3% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 15,768 residents, roughly 36.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,577 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 7 tracts (58.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Madison County
Madison County has 35 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 21 locations (60% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 21
- bp subway, mt sterling
- casey's general store 3846, london
- certified oil corp 400142, west jefferson
- certified oil corp 400142, west jefferson
- fascar drive thru, mount sterling
- lakeside plaza, london
- london foodmart, london
- london gas shell, london
- london one stop, london
- love's travel stop 969, west jefferson
- main street deli, west jefferson
- mikes pit stop, plain city
- pilot travel center 454, london
- rich oil 3765 3765, london
- sheetz 770, london
- speedway 1137, london
- speedway 5360, london
- sterling crossing, mount sterling
- sterling one stop, mount sterling
- ta london 024, london
- west jefferson shell, west jefferson
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- cvs 6191, london
- dollar general 13936, plain city
- dollar general 20756, mount sterling
- dollar general 30137, london
- dollar general store 17256, west jefferson
- dollar tree 3895, london
- family dollar 7879, west jefferson
- family dollar store 1916, mount sterling
- family dollar store 2612, london
Farmers' Market · 2
- plain city farmers' market nafmnp, plain city
- procter store, london
Super Store · 2
- kroger 388, london
- walmart 5203, london
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- bismiallah, london
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Ohio
Compare Madison County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →
Food access nationally, Ohio in context
Madison 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 Madison County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Madison County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Madison County? ▼
Is Madison County a food desert? ▼
What share of Madison 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.