Signature · 6.6% low-access (13th pct)
Oconto County, WI
Oconto County lands in the lower national band on low-access (6.6%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 6.6%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 9.0%
- on SNAP
- 40K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Oconto County, WI
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ADEQUATE 6.6% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -15.5 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.0% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Polk County ( -0.8 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Oconto County lands in the lower national band (6.6%, #2,725 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,725
- national by low-access %
- #68
- in WI
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 829
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 6.6% low-access (13th pct) (-15.5 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Oconto County compares nationally
Food access in Oconto County compares favorably nationally: its 6.6% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 13% of them (rank #2,725).
Oconto County's lower-band USDA tier split
10 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
All 10 of Oconto County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Oconto County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Wisconsin, not a full county-board reprint
- Richland
Richland 52.9%
52.9 % low-access
- Iowa 8.6
Iowa 8.6%
8.6 % low-access
- Milwaukee 8.6
Milwaukee 8.6%
8.6 % low-access
- Green Lake 8.3
Green Lake 8.3%
8.3 % low-access
- Oconto 6.6
Oconto 6.6%
6.6 % low-access
- Polk 5.8
Polk 5.8%
5.8 % low-access
- Pepin 0
Pepin 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 37,660 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,488 |
| Low-Access Share | 6.6%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 829 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 39,589 |
| Median Household Income | $75,049 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.2%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,510 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
Thick SNAP store book in Oconto County
Oconto County has 38 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 19 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
12 towns share the 38 authorized stores; Oconto holds 26% of them. 7 of the 12 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Suring, Abrams, Lena, Mountain, Little Suamico, Pulaski and 1 more.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Oconto | 10 | 1 |
| Gillett | 7 | 1 |
| Lakewood | 4 | 1 |
| Suring | 4 | none |
| Oconto Falls | 3 | 1 |
| Abrams | 2 | none |
| Lena | 2 | none |
| Mountain | 2 | none |
| Little Suamico | 1 | none |
| Pulaski | 1 | none |
Top 10 of 12 towns by store count.
Convenience Store · 19
- 828 pulaski 828, pulaski
- brookside shell, abrams
- dino stop abrams 7847, abrams
- dino stop little suamico 7845, little suamico
- gillett shell, gillett
- kelly lake kwik stop, suring
- krist food mart 078, suring
- krist food mart 084, oconto
- krist food mart 82, oconto falls
- kwik trip 233, oconto
- kwik trip 587, lena
- martin's junction, suring
- north chase citgo, sobieski
- oconto bp, oconto
- reliance fuel llc the store 65, oconto
- rstore 4485, gillett
- rstore 4502, mountain
- true north energy 830, oconto
- true north energy 832, lakewood
Combination Grocery/Other · 11
- dollar general 21191, suring
- dollar general 21658, lena
- dollar general 22944, oconto falls
- dollar general 23863, lakewood
- dollar general 24181, gillett
- dollar general 24434, mountain
- dollar general 6588, oconto
- dollar tree 8311, oconto
- family dollar store 3013, oconto
- family dollar store 7187, lakewood
- family dollar store 9424, gillett
Super Store · 3
- iverson's piggly wiggly, oconto falls
- lakewood supervalu, lakewood
- thompson's county market, oconto
Small Grocery Store · 2
- el hidalguense grocery store, gillett
- la mexicana, gillett
Large Grocery Store · 1
- pat's market, gillett
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- wisco meat's, oconto
Supermarket · 1
- mike's supermarket, townsend
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Wisconsin
One of 71 counties in Wisconsin, 6 are shown here.
Compare Oconto County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Counties near Oconto County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Oconto County, both outside Wisconsin so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside WI (6.6% here).
- Boone County, WV · 6.6% low-access
- Northumberland County, PA · 6.6% low-access
- Curry County, OR · 6.6% low-access
- Seneca County, NY · 6.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside WI (9.0% here).
- Guadalupe County, TX · 9.0% SNAP
- Butler County, PA · 9.0% SNAP
- Hancock County, OH · 9.0% SNAP
- Carteret County, NC · 9.0% 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.
Wisconsin among East North Central states
Wisconsin ranks 4th of 5 East North Central states by population-weighted low-access (21.4%). Oconto County, at 6.6%, runs 14.8 pts below the Wisconsin rate.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Oconto County, WI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 55083. 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.