County food-access profile · Ohio
Portage County, OH
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Portage 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).
- 34.7%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 10.2%
- on SNAP
- 162K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
34.7% of Portage County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 35 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 17
- low-access tracts
- 16K
- food-desert residents
- 6.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.7%
- 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 Portage County's low-access share at 34.7%, above the national share. 17 of the county's 35 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 56,048 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 15,554 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 Portage County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Portage County's 34.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 80% of them and ranked #612 most-affected nationwide.
Portage County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 35 census tracts in Portage County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Portage County vs. other Ohio counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio
- Portage
Portage County, OH
34.7 % 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 | 35 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 161,419 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 17 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 56,048 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 15,554 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 161,956 |
| Median Household Income | $75,766 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,649 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.2%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.4% |
About 10.2% of Portage County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 34.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,649 households here.
- 6.6% 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 Portage County
above the national share
6 of Portage County's 35 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 17.1% of all its tracts.
A further 11 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 17.
An estimated 56,048 residents, roughly 34.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 15,554 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 18 tracts (51.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Portage County
Portage County has 125 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 48 locations (38% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 48
- a & n mantua inc, mantua
- aurora 125, aurora
- avenue market and deli, mogadore
- certified oil corp 400410, ravenna
- chestnut convenient no, ravenna
- circle k 4705360, rootstown
- circle k 4705363, randolph
- circle k 4705364, ravenna
- circle k 4705366, streetsboro
- circle k 4705368, streetsboro
- circle k 4705369, kent
- circle k 4705371, atwater
- circle k 4705683, windham
- circle k 5568, ravenna
- clark ravenna, ravenna
- freedom sunoco, ravenna
- gas usa & hanini grubbs, kent
- getgo 3327, ravenna
- gr424, ravenna
- haylett's save 4 store, mantua
- jag mini mart, garrettsville
- jimmy d's lil store, mantua
- love's travel stop 881, diamond
- mapco 978, streetsboro
- mapco 979, ravenna
- mantua petroleum llc, mantua
- mantua quick mart, mantua
- marathon gas and beverage, mantua
- meijer gas station 317, kent
- murphy usa 7515, kent
- on the fly bp, ravenna
- palmyra little village shopper llc, diamond
- par mar store 170, mogadore
- ravenna mini mart, llc, ravenna
- rebel 909, kent
- safeway kent, kent
- sheetz 266, streetsboro
- sheetz 301, ravenna
- sheetz 390, kent
- sheetz 452, kent
- sheetz 864, kent
- speedway 3390, streetsboro
- speedway 3505, garrettsville
- speedway 3632, kent
- speedway 9175, ravenna
- wafa market, ravenna
- westside food mart, kent
- windham gas station, windham
Combination Grocery/Other · 45
- cvs 3090, mogadore
- cvs 3358, ravenna
- cvs 3393, aurora
- cvs 3980, kent
- cvs 4807, streetsboro
- dollar general 14559, windham
- dollar general 18765, ravenna
- dollar general 18985, ravenna
- dollar general 6232, kent
- dollar general 6679, rootstown
- dollar general 9266, windham
- dollartree 8607, ravenna
- discount drug mart 55, kent
- dollar general 11731, atwater
- dollar general 11935, ravenna
- dollar general 17614, mogadore
- dollar general 20047, deerfield
- dollar general 20219, garrettsville
- dollar general 20279, mogadore
- dollar general 21133, ravenna
- dollar general 21231, kent
- dollar general 2260, ravenna
- dollar general 22645, mantua
- dollar general 23057, ravenna
- dollar general 25029, suffield
- dollar general 2775, streetsboro
- dollar general 31235, kent
- dollar general 31418, ravenna
- dollar general 6748, mantua
- dollar tree 3509, streetsboro
- dollar tree 3732, raveena
- dollar tree 3854, aurora
- dollar tree 3876, kent
- dollar tree 5922, kent
- family dollar store 1246, ravenna
- family dollar store 4140, garrettsville
- family dollar store 7204, deerfield
- kent food market, kent
- rufener hilltop farms, mogadore
- sammy's food mart #1, streetsboro
- stahl's farm market, inc, ravenna
- walgreens 05639, kent
- walgreens 09346, streetsboro
- walgreens 10567, aurora
- walgreens 10784, ravenna
Super Store · 10
- acme 7, kent
- duma meats, inc, mogadore
- giant eagle 4095, rootstown
- giant eagle 5863, streetsboro
- giant eagle 6348, ravenna
- meijer 317, kent
- target store 2157, streetsboro
- walmart supercenter 3722, kent
- walmart supercenter 2313, streetsboro
- walmart supercenter 2506, ravenna
Supermarket · 10
- aldi 63007 63007, streetsboro
- aldi 63053, ravenna
- aldi 63083, kent
- aldi 63091, streetsboro
- heinen's inc 8, aurora
- marc's 45, aurora
- marc's 56, ravenna
- marc's 72kt, kent
- save a lot 30057, garrettsville
- sky plaza iga, garrettsville
Small Grocery Store · 5
- bonner farms meats llc, garrettsville
- fruitlands farm market llc, deerfield
- kent natural foods, kent
- portage meats & deli, rootstown
- scott farm market & greenhouse, kent
Farmers' Market · 4
- garrettsville farmers market, garrettsville
- haymaker farmers' market, kent
- kent state farmers market, kent
- thrive together farmers market ffab, ravenna
Large Grocery Store · 2
- buckeye quality meats, llc, streetsboro
- edinburg corner store, rootstown
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- c & c custom meats, ravenna
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Ohio
Compare Portage County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →
Food access nationally, Ohio in context
Portage 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 Portage County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Portage County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Portage County? ▼
Is Portage County a food desert? ▼
What share of Portage 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.