Signature · 10.7% low-access (22nd pct)
Ritchie County, WV
Ritchie County lands in the lower national band on low-access (10.7%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 10.7%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 15.9%
- on SNAP
- 8K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Ritchie County, WV
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 10.7% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -11.4 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 15.9% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Morgan County ( -0.6 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Ritchie County lands in the lower national band (10.7%, #2,429 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,429
- national by low-access %
- #36
- in WV
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 496
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 10.7% low-access (22nd pct) (-11.4 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Ritchie County compares nationally
Ritchie County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 10.7% low-access share that beats 22% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,429).
Ritchie County's lower-band USDA tier split
3 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 3 of Ritchie County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Ritchie County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in West Virginia, not a full county-board reprint
- Gilmer
Gilmer 81.6%
81.6 % low-access
- Marshall 11.5
Marshall 11.5%
11.5 % low-access
- Barbour 11.4
Barbour 11.4%
11.4 % low-access
- Ritchie 10.7
Ritchie 10.7%
10.7 % low-access
- Morgan 10.1
Morgan 10.1%
10.1 % low-access
- Mingo 9.9
Mingo 9.9%
9.9 % low-access
- Pleasants 0
Pleasants 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 3 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 10,449 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,120 |
| Low-Access Share | 10.7%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 496 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 8,286 |
| Median Household Income | $50,582 |
| Poverty Rate | 21.6%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 540 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.8%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.4% |
SNAP retailers in Ritchie County
Ritchie County has 19 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 9 locations (47% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Where the store book sits, by town
6 towns share the 19 authorized stores; Pennsboro holds 32% of them. 4 of the 6 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Harrisville, Cairo, Ellenboro, Smithville.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsboro | 6 | 1 |
| Harrisville | 5 | none |
| Cairo | 2 | none |
| Ellenboro | 2 | none |
| Saint Marys | 2 | 1 |
| Smithville | 2 | none |
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- dollar general 908, harrisville
- dollar general 13423, pennsboro
- dollar general 23242, smithville
- dollar general 31124, pennsboro
- family dollar store 1025, pennsboro
- family dollar store 4934, harrisville
- harrisville shop n save express, harrisville
- walgreens 17935, saint marys
- walgreens 18423, harrisville
Convenience Store · 7
- 7-eleven 35953h, pennsboro
- bailey brothers, smithville
- get fueled up llc, cairo
- go mart 103, ellenboro
- little general 4225, pennsboro
- par mar store 21, harrisville
- rt 16 fuel center, ellenboro
Small Grocery Store · 1
- cairo meat and grocery, cairo
Super Store · 1
- st marys galaxy, saint marys
Supermarket · 1
- pennsboro save a lot 45075, pennsboro
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in West Virginia
One of 54 counties in West Virginia, 6 are shown here.
Compare Ritchie County vs Barbour County → · All West Virginia counties →
West Virginia among South Atlantic states
West Virginia ranks 7th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (21.3%). Ritchie County, at 10.7%, runs 10.6 pts below the West Virginia rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Ritchie County, WV are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 54085. 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.