County food-access profile · Wisconsin
Portage County, WI
Portage 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.
- 12.0%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 8.0%
- on SNAP
- 71K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
12.0% of Portage County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 3.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.1%
- 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).
Portage County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 12.0% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 14 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 8,392 residents who live far from a supermarket. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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
Portage County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 12.0% low-access share that beats 25% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,344).
Portage County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 14 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 Wisconsin counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Wisconsin
- Portage 12
Portage County, WI
12 % low-access
- Adams 9.9
Adams County, WI
9.9 % low-access
- Ashland
Ashland County, WI
28.5 % low-access
- Barron
Barron County, WI
17.8 % low-access
- Bayfield
Bayfield County, WI
30.2 % low-access
- Brown
Brown County, WI
25 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 14 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 70,019 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,392 |
| Low-Access Share | 12.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,803 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 70,832 |
| Median Household Income | $76,070 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.1%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,387 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.2% |
About 8.0% of Portage County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 12.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,387 households here.
- 3.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $76,070 with a 10.1% poverty rate.
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
near the national share
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 8,392 residents, roughly 12.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,803 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (64.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Portage County
Portage County has 53 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 25 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 25
- fuel on #55 20, stevens point
- fuel on #58, stevens point
- fuel on 57, stevens point
- kwik trip 338, plover
- kwik trip 183, stevens point
- kwik trip 202, plover
- kwik trip 298, plover
- kwik trip 342, stevens point
- kwik trip 691, stevens point
- kwik trip 863, stevens point
- la poblanita mexican grocery store, plover
- plover express mart, plover
- plover motomart 3404, plover
- refuel pantry-bancroft, bancroft
- refuel pantry-church point, stevens point
- refuel pantry-division point, stevens point
- refuel pantry-main point, stevens point
- reliance fuel llc 79, rosholt
- rstore 4479, plover
- rstore 4487, stevens point
- rstore 4494, plover
- the store 52, plover
- the store 80, junction city
- westside mobil, stevens point
- z's roadside convenience, stevens point
Combination Grocery/Other · 11
- dollar tree 1298, plover
- dollartree 8786, stevens point
- dollar general 16673, amherst
- dollar general 20418, rosholt
- dollar general 22700, plover
- dollar general 25974, junction city
- dollar general 9945, stevens point
- dollar tree 3896, stevens point
- skis meat market, stevens point
- walgreens 06935, stevens point
- walgreens 11278, stevens point
Super Store · 5
- festival foods 51, stevens point
- metro market 101, plover
- metro market 132, stevens point
- target store 806, stevens point
- walmart 1828, plover
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- nutrition discount center 2, stevens point
- peoples meat market, stevens point
- point market and vietnamese restaurant llc, stevens point
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 64051, stevens point
- amherst family foods, amherst
- save a lot 45165, stevens point
Bakery Specialty · 2
- papa murphy's plover wi124, plover
- papa murphy's stevens point wi002, stevens point
Farmers' Market · 2
- stevens point area winter farmers market, stevens point
- stevens point farmers market association cooperati, stevens point
Large Grocery Store · 1
- stevens point area co-op, stevens point
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- asian american market, stevens point
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Wisconsin
Compare Portage County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Food access nationally, Wisconsin in context
Portage County sits inside Wisconsin (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.