County food-access profile · Indiana
Porter County, IN
Porter County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 40.4%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 5.6%
- on SNAP
- 175K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
40.4% of Porter County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 31 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 19
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
- 3.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.6%
- 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).
Porter County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 40.4% is well above the national share. 19 of the county's 31 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 66,467 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 13,057 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 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: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 31 census tracts in Porter County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Porter County vs. other Indiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Indiana
- Porter
Porter County, IN
40.4 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, IN
17.5 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, IN
37.8 % low-access
- Bartholomew
Bartholomew County, IN
36.4 % low-access
- Benton 1.7
Benton County, IN
1.7 % low-access
- Blackford 15.2
Blackford County, IN
15.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| 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 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| 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% |
About 5.6% of Porter County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 40.4% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,825 households here.
- 3.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Porter County
well above the national share
5 of Porter County's 31 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 16.1% of all its tracts.
A further 14 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 19.
An estimated 66,467 residents, roughly 40.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 13,057 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (38.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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 retailers.
Other Counties in Indiana
Compare Porter County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →
Food access nationally, Indiana in context
Porter County sits inside Indiana (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 Porter County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Porter County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Porter County? ▼
Is Porter County a food desert? ▼
What share of Porter 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.