County food-access profile · Wisconsin
Sheboygan County, WI
Sheboygan 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.
- 10.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 8.8%
- on SNAP
- 118K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
10.9% of Sheboygan County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 5.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.5%
- 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).
Sheboygan County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 10.9% per the USDA Atlas. 6 of the county's 26 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 12,588 residents who live far from a supermarket. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Sheboygan County compares nationally
Sheboygan County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 10.9% low-access share that beats 23% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,417).
Sheboygan County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 26 census tracts in Sheboygan County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Sheboygan County vs. other Wisconsin counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Wisconsin
- Sheboygan 10.9
Sheboygan County, WI
10.9 % low-access
- Adams 9.9
Adams County, WI
9.9 % low-access
- Ashland
Ashland County, WI
28.5 % low-access
- Barron
Barron County, WI
17.8 % low-access
- Bayfield
Bayfield County, WI
30.2 % low-access
- Brown
Brown County, WI
25 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 26 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 115,507 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,588 |
| Low-Access Share | 10.9%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,578 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 117,991 |
| Median Household Income | $73,094 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.5%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,354 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.8%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.7% |
About 8.8% of Sheboygan County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 10.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,354 households here.
- 5.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $73,094 with a 8.5% poverty rate.
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 Sheboygan County
near the national share
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 12,588 residents, roughly 10.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,578 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 20 tracts (76.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Sheboygan County
Sheboygan County has 77 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 41 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 41
- aaa cg travel center inc, cedar grove
- alex's corner market, sheboygan
- casey's 3794, random lake
- fast fill, sheboygan
- fountainpark stop-n-go, sheboygan
- harbor petro of sheboygan, sheboygan
- j mart 2, sheboygan falls
- j mart 3, sheboygan
- j mart 5, sheboygan
- jai marketing, sheboygan
- kwik trip 361, sheboygan
- kwik trip 470, plymouth
- kwik trip 780, sheboygan
- kwik trip 112, sheboygan falls
- kwik trip 1138, sheboygan
- kwik trip 1198, oostburg
- kwik trip 139, sheboygan
- kwik trip 679, sheboygan
- kwik trip 873, sheboygan
- kwik trip 897, sheboygan
- lesleys tax service inc & store, sheboygan
- loves travel stop 640, sheboygan
- meijer gas station 305, sheboygan
- paul food mart, sheboygan
- plymouth bp gas, plymouth
- plymouth shell 3, plymouth
- rstore 4514, elkhart lake
- rstore 4515, cascade
- rstore 4516, glenbeulah
- rstore 4518, plymouth
- rstore 4519, plymouth
- sheboygan minimart llc, sheboygan
- shell, sheboygan falls
- speedup 11, sheboygan
- speedup 7, sheboygan
- speedup 8, sheboygan falls
- speedup 9, sheboygan
- speedup10 mini mart, oostburg
- station 26, howards grove
- the pig stop, sheboygan
- union avenue bp, sheboygan
Combination Grocery/Other · 13
- cvs 10549, sheboygan
- dollar tree 4686, sheboygan
- dollartree 10253, sheboygan
- dollar tree 1772, sheboygan falls
- dollar tree 6643, sheboygan
- dollar tree 956, plymouth
- la conquistadora, sheboygan
- lucky star food market llc, sheboygan
- piggly wiggly 116, sheboygan falls
- walgreens 6570, sheboygan
- walgreens 01497, plymouth
- walgreens 06097, sheboygan
- walgreens 12020, sheboygan
Super Store · 11
- festival foods 21, sheboygan
- meijer store 305, sheboygan
- pick 'n save 432, sheboygan
- pick 'n save 6343, plymouth
- piggly wiggly #336, plymouth
- piggly wiggly supermarket 331, sheboygan
- piggly wiggly supermarket 332, sheboygan
- target store 1880, sheboygan falls
- walmart 1276, sheboygan
- walmart 3497, plymouth
- walmart supercenter 3324, sheboygan
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 64094, sheboygan
- miesfelds market, sheboygan
- piggly wiggly 160, oostburg
- piggly wiggly 333, sheboygan
Bakery Specialty · 2
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza wi068, plymouth
- papa murphy's wi020, sheboygan
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- toys grocery, sheboygan
- union asian market, sheboygan
Farmers' Market · 1
- sheboygan county interfaith organization, sheboygan
Large Grocery Store · 1
- piggly wiggly #159, cedar grove
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- vinai butcher shop, cleveland
Small Grocery Store · 1
- bees oriental store, sheboygan
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Wisconsin
Compare Sheboygan County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Food access nationally, Wisconsin in context
Sheboygan County sits inside Wisconsin (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 Sheboygan County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Sheboygan County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Sheboygan County? ▼
Is Sheboygan County a food desert? ▼
What share of Sheboygan 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.