County food-access profile · Ohio
Scioto County, OH
Most of Scioto County sits within reach of a supermarket, better than most U.S. counties. This profile covers who, if anyone, qualifies as a food desert here, plus the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 7.3%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 22.6%
- on SNAP
- 73K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
7.3% of Scioto County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 7.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 21.8%
- 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).
By the USDA's measure, Scioto County fares better than most: just 7.3% of residents live in a low-access tract, below the national share. Still, 4 of the county's 20 tracts meet that threshold, covering about 5,829 people who live far from a supermarket, and 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,562 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 Scioto County compares nationally
Food access in Scioto County compares favorably nationally: its 7.3% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 14% of them (rank #2,692).
Scioto County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Scioto County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Scioto County vs. other Ohio counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio
- Scioto 7.3
Scioto County, OH
7.3 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, OH
22 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, OH
17.4 % low-access
- Ashland 5
Ashland County, OH
5 % low-access
- Ashtabula
Ashtabula County, OH
21.9 % low-access
- Athens
Athens County, OH
17 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 79,499 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 5,829 |
| Low-Access Share | 7.3%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,562 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 72,627 |
| Median Household Income | $50,609 |
| Poverty Rate | 21.8%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,527 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 22.6%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.9%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.6% |
About 22.6% of Scioto County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 7.3% of residents are low-access, below the national share for U.S. counties.
- 22.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,527 households here.
- 7.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Scioto County
below the national share
2 of Scioto County's 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.0% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 5,829 residents, roughly 7.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,562 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 16 tracts (80.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Scioto County
Scioto County has 85 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 46 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 46
- 1st stop lucasville 104, lucasville
- 6th street carryout, portsmouth
- boland's mini mart, west portsmouth
- bear creek cash carry & pizza 1, lucasville
- briar patch, lucasville
- crabtree's market, lucasville
- clark's pump-n-shop 33, wheelersburg
- clark's pump-n-shop 34, portsmouth
- clark's pump-n-shop 45, portsmouth
- clark's pump-n-shop 55, portsmouth
- dash thru convenience store, portsmouth
- ez stop, portsmouth
- fastop drive thru, portsmouth
- franklin furnace 1st stop 29, franklin furnace
- gahm's food and drug, inc, lucasville
- in & out carryout 0, portsmouth
- kash stop, wheelersburg
- kash stop 5, portsmouth
- kash stop 7, franklin furnace
- kash stop c140, wheelersburg
- kinkers corner store #, south webste
- lucasville kash stop, lucasville
- oasis convenient mart, portsmouth
- ohio river road c-store n/a, portsmouth
- pap's carry out, new boston
- par mar store 189, lucasville
- patriots travel center, wheelersburg
- portsmouth quick stop 1, portsmouth
- prime mart, west portsmouth
- prime mart 2, portsmouth
- quick stop, portsmouth
- rarden 1st stop 53, rarden
- rosemount point 1st stop 37, portsmouth
- speedway 9734, lucasville
- speedway 9747, portsmouth
- super quik food store #10, west portsmouth
- super quik food store #7, portsmouth
- sciotoville 1st stop 86, portsmouth
- shawnee grocery, stout
- southern ohio antique mall and general store, wheelersburg
- speedeemart, wheelersburg
- srimaa, llc, portsmouth
- super quik 14, new boston
- weaver's gas & oil, w portsmouth
- wheelersburg 1st stop 87, wheelersburg
- zeena minford inc, minford
Combination Grocery/Other · 29
- cvs 3498, new boston
- cvs 7777, portsmouth
- cvs pharmacy 3416, portsmouth
- dollar general 2165, portsmouth
- dollar general 4822, new boston
- dollar general 15524, sciotoville
- dollar general 17904, franklin furnace
- dollar general 19693, west portsmouth
- dollar general 20453, portsmouth
- dollar general 21121, minford
- dollar general 22106, west portsmouth
- dollar general 23035, wheelersburg
- dollar general 2881, wheelersburg
- dollar general 8411, lucasville
- dollar general 9290, south webster
- dollar general store 17408, lucasville
- dollar tree 384, new boston
- dollar tree 7108, wheelersburg
- dollar tree 7488, lucasville
- dollar tree 7585, portsmouth
- family dollar 12398, lucasville
- family dollar 8787, otway
- family dollar store 1252, wheelersburg
- family dollar store 4114, portsmouth
- family dollar store 5027, lucasville
- family dollar store 5980, minford
- family dollar store 6325, west portsmouth
- family dollar store 922, portsmouth
- keeney's kitchen, lucasville
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 61013 61013, portsmouth
- deemer's foodfair 3418, wheelersburg
- gahm's market, lucasville
- save-a-lot 115, portsmouth
- westside iga, west portsmouth
Super Store · 3
- kroger n-575, portsmouth
- kroger n-664, wheelersburg
- walmart store 1564, new boston
Large Grocery Store · 1
- minford iga, minford
Small Grocery Store · 1
- country store foods, south webster
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Ohio
Compare Scioto County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →
Food access nationally, Ohio in context
Scioto County sits inside Ohio (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 Scioto County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Scioto County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Scioto County? ▼
Is Scioto County a food desert? ▼
What share of Scioto 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.