PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Wisconsin

Shawano County, WI

Shawano County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

12.7%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
11.0%
on SNAP
41K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 WI

The food-access picture

12.7% of Shawano County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

4
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents
6.3%
households, no vehicle
11.1%
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).

Shawano County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 12.7% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 11 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 5,332 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,875 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 Shawano County compares nationally

Shawano County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 12.7% low-access share that beats 27% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,290).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Shawano County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 11 census tracts in Shawano County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Shawano County, WI USDA-defined food-access tiers: 7 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 11 tracts evaluated. 7 tracts adequate (63.6%) 1 tracts limited (9.1%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (27.3%) Adequate 64% Limited 9% Severe 27% Food-access tier distribution: Shawano County, WI
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Shawano County vs. other Wisconsin counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Wisconsin

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

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Shawano County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts11
Atlas Population (2010 basis)41,949
Low-Access Tracts4
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population5,332
Low-Access Share12.7%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,875

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Shawano County
IndicatorValue
Population41,039
Median Household Income$66,479
Poverty Rate11.1%below the national average
SNAP Households1,901
SNAP Participation Rate11.0%near the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.3%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.4%
SNAP participation in Shawano County 11.0%

About 11.0% of Shawano County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 12.7% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 11.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,901 households here.
  • 6.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 3 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 Shawano County

near the national share

3 of Shawano County's 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 27.3% of all its tracts.

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.

An estimated 5,332 residents, roughly 12.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 1,875 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 7 tracts (63.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Shawano County

Shawano County has 36 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 13 locations (36% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 13

  • angelica mini mart, pulaski
  • bonduel citgo, bonduel
  • kwik trip 620, shawano
  • kwik trip 621, bonduel
  • krakow one stop, krakow
  • lakeview convenience 0, cecil
  • reliance fuel, shawano
  • rstore 4486, tigerton
  • rstore 4499, wittenberg
  • shawano mini mart llc, shawano
  • true north energy 850, shawano
  • true north energy 851, wittenberg
  • true north energy 852, wittenberg

Combination Grocery/Other · 9

  • dollar general 10517, bonduel
  • dollar general 18755, birnamwood
  • dollar general 13790, wittenberg
  • dollar general 20206, gresham
  • dollar general 24987, cecil
  • dollar tree 957, shawano
  • family dollar 13591, marion
  • family dollar store 1570, shawano
  • walgreens #7615 07615, shawano

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 4

  • kropf's meat processing, bowler
  • pingel processing, shawano
  • pond hill processing llc, wittenberg
  • schmidt's slaughter house, bonduel

Super Store · 3

  • charlie's county market, shawano
  • walmart 2271, shawano
  • wittenberg sentry foods, wittenberg

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • jpl bowler 1, bowler
  • mattoon food market, mattoon

Small Grocery Store · 2

  • cedar street market & discount foods, tigerton
  • gresham mini mart llc, gresham

Bakery Specialty · 1

  • papa murphys wi107, shawano

Farmers' Market · 1

  • shawano farmers market, shawano

Supermarket · 1

  • aldi 64029, shawano

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Wisconsin

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 Shawano County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →

Food access nationally, Wisconsin in context

Shawano County sits inside Wisconsin (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; 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

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Shawano County has low food access? ▼
12.7% of residents in Shawano County, WI live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Shawano County? ▼
11.0% of households in Shawano County receive SNAP, covering 1,901 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Shawano County? ▼
The poverty rate in Shawano County, WI is 11.1%, with a median household income of $66,479 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Shawano County a food desert? ▼
3 of Shawano County's 11 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Shawano County households lack a vehicle? ▼
6.3% of households in Shawano County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.