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Signature · 8.0% SNAP (14th pct in WI)

Portage County, WI

Portage County lands in the lower national band on low-access (12.0%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.

12.0%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
8.0%
on SNAP
71K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 WI

USDA FARA access plate

County Portage County, WI

LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR

  • LA-MODERATE 12.0% low-access
  • BELOW-NATIONAL -10.1 pts vs US
  • LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-LIGHT 8.0% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 3.9% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Dodge County (+ 0.0 pts)

Lower-band low-access

Portage County lands in the lower national band (12.0%, #2,342 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.

#2,342
national by low-access %
#53
in WI
5
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents

Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.

Signature read: 8.0% SNAP (14th pct in WI) (-4.1 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .

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).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Portage County's lower-band USDA tier split

14 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .

Food access tier distribution for Portage County, WI USDA-defined food-access tiers: 9 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 5 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 14 tracts evaluated. 9 tracts adequate (64.3%) 5 tracts limited (35.7%) Adequate 64% Limited 36% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Portage County, WI
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Portage County has 7 urban and 7 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.

Portage County vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in Wisconsin, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Portage County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts14
Atlas Population (2010 basis)70,019
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population8,392
Low-Access Share12.0%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,803

ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Portage County
IndicatorValue
Population70,832
Median Household Income$76,070
Poverty Rate10.1%below the national average
SNAP Households2,387
SNAP Participation Rate8.0%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle3.9%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population4.2%

Thick SNAP store book 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 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.

Adams County
9.9% low-access · 14.6% SNAP
Ashland County
28.5% low-access · 14.3% SNAP
Barron County
17.8% low-access · 11.5% SNAP
Bayfield County
30.2% low-access · 11.6% SNAP
Brown County
25.0% low-access · 10.5% SNAP
Buffalo County
23.3% low-access · 10.5% SNAP

Compare Portage County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →

Counties near Portage County's lower low-access or SNAP band

SNAP-led peer set first for Portage County (8.0%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Wisconsin.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside WI (12.0% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside WI (8.0% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Portage County inside a lower low-access state context

Portage County sits inside Wisconsin (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

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 Portage County, WI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 55097. 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.