Signature · 40.4% low-access (88th pct)
Porter County, IN
Porter County sits in the upper national band on low-access (40.4%, +18.3 pts vs U.S.), with SNAP/vehicle context from ACS 2024.
- 40.4%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 5.6%
- on SNAP
- 175K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Porter County, IN
LA-SEVERE · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-SEVERE 40.4% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +18.3 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 5 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 5.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 16% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Tippecanoe County ( -0.2 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Porter County sits in the upper national band (40.4%, #387 of 3,079) with 5 LILA tracts.
- #387
- national by low-access %
- #3
- in IN
- 19
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 40.4% low-access (88th pct) (+18.3 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Porter County compares nationally
Porter County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 40.4% low-access share outpaces 88% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #388 most-affected nationwide.
Porter County's elevated USDA tier split
31 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 5 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Porter County has 24 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.
Porter County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Indiana, not a full county-board reprint
- Hendricks
Hendricks 51.5%
51.5 % low-access
- Porter
Porter 40.4%
40.4 % low-access
- Tippecanoe
Tippecanoe 40.2%
40.2 % low-access
- Vigo
Vigo 38.8%
38.8 % low-access
- Warrick
Warrick 38.6%
38.6 % low-access
- Vanderburgh
Vanderburgh 37.9%
37.9 % low-access
- Harrison 0
Harrison 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 31 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 164,343 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 19 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 66,467 |
| Low-Access Share | 40.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 13,057 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 174,818 |
| Median Household Income | $87,972 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,825 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.6%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
Thick SNAP store book in Porter County
Porter County has 109 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 60 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 60
- 7-eleven 15534, valparaiso
- 7-eleven 40513h, portage
- 7-eleven 40514h, portage
- american gas company, valparaiso
- casey's 3988, valparaiso
- casey's general store 3462, hebron
- casey's general store 3682, valparaiso
- casey's general store 3683, valparaiso
- dune's service station, portage
- fe 63 portage south 63, portage
- family express 1, valparaiso
- family express 15, kouts
- family express 2, valparaiso
- family express 21, valparaiso
- family express 23, valparaiso
- family express 26, hebron
- family express 3, valparaiso
- family express 31, chesterton
- family express 4, valparaiso
- family express 42, valparaiso
- family express 5, valparaiso
- family express 52, portage
- family express 53, valpariaso
- family express 7, valparaiso
- family express inc - fe70 valpo viking 70, valparaiso
- hudson clark, portage
- lang gas & food mart, portage
- lukes 202, valparaiso
- lukes 223, valparaiso
- lukes 224, valparaiso
- lukes 249, portage
- lukes 298, chesterton
- marathon 1, michigan city
- max's grab n go 6, chesterton
- mcr short stop llc, portage
- meijer gas station 266, portage
- meijer gas station 297, valparaiso
- murphy usa 7532, valparaiso
- pilot travel center 36, valparaiso
- pilot travel center 445, burns harbor
- pilot travel center 653, lowell
- portage bp incorporated, portage
- porter zip foods inc, chesterton
- sangha petroleum, chesterton
- sg&a inc., chesterton
- speedway 5522, chesterton
- speedway 6621, valparaiso
- speedway 6630, valparaiso
- speedway 6663, portage
- speedway 6673, valparaiso
- speedway 6675, portage
- speedway 6686, chesterton
- speedway 6748, michigan city
- speedway 7519, portage
- speedway 7524, valparaiso
- sunrise health foods two, valparaiso
- v shore stop, chesterton
- virk's new mart store, michigan city
- valpo petroleum incorporated, valparaiso
- virk's hometown mart, chesterton
Combination Grocery/Other · 28
- cvs 6905, valparaiso
- cvs 6910, chesterton
- cvs 6911, portage
- cvs pharmacy 6915, valparaiso
- dollar general 10030, kouts
- dollar general 15021, porter
- dollar general 2804, valparaiso
- dollar general 4101, valparaiso
- dollar general 7365, hebron
- dollartree 11017, valparaiso
- dollartree 6003, chesterton
- dollar general 19838, portage
- dollar general 20119, valparaiso
- dollar general 20601, valpariaso
- dollar general 20910, chesterton
- dollar general 21702, valparaiso
- dollar general 31065, hebron
- dollar tree 5518, valparaiso
- dollar tree 5691, portage
- dollar tree 6048, hebron
- family dollar store 1831, valparaiso
- family dollar store 2921, portage
- walgreens 4946, chesterton
- walgreens 5241, valparaiso
- walgreens 03680, valparaiso
- walgreens 12074, hebron
- walgreens 13949, portage
- walgreens 4560, portage
Supermarket · 12
- aldi 62011 62011, portage
- aldi 62037 62037, valparaiso
- aldi 62040, valparaiso
- aldi 62049, chesterton
- jewel food store 1189, chesterton
- save-a-lot 24869, kouts
- save-a-lot food store 21315, valparaiso
- strack & van til 8748, chesterton
- strack & van til 8749, valparaiso
- strack & van til 8750, valparaiso
- town & country market 8782, portage
- town and country market 8780, valparaiso
Super Store · 5
- meijer 266, portage
- meijer store 297, valparaiso
- target store 1286, valparaiso
- walmart 1479, valparaiso
- walmart 2544, portage
Farmers' Market · 1
- coffee creek farmers market, chesterton
Large Grocery Store · 1
- valparaiso beef mart, valparaiso
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- el sabor poblano fresh market, valparaiso
Small Grocery Store · 1
- san joses fresh market, portage
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Indiana
One of 91 counties in Indiana, 6 are shown here.
Compare Porter County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →
Counties near Porter County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Porter County, both outside Indiana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IN (40.4% here).
- Pasco County, FL · 40.4% low-access
- Pasco County, FL · 40.4% low-access
- Wagoner County, OK · 40.4% low-access
- Wagoner County, OK · 40.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IN (5.6% here).
- Leavenworth County, KS · 5.6% SNAP
- Leavenworth County, KS · 5.6% SNAP
- Howard County, MD · 5.6% SNAP
- Howard County, MD · 5.6% 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.
Porter County inside a higher low-access state context
Porter County sits inside Indiana (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
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 Porter County, IN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 18127. 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.