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Signature · 7.5% SNAP (14th pct in OH)

Van Wert County, OH

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Van Wert County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).

20.2%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
7.5%
on SNAP
29K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 OH

USDA FARA access plate

County Van Wert County, OH

LA-ELEVATED · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED

  • LA-ELEVATED 20.2% low-access
  • BELOW-NATIONAL -1.9 pts vs US
  • LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
  • SNAP-LIGHT 7.5% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 3.6% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-MIXED 11% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Clark County (+ 0.1 pts)

The food-access picture

According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Van Wert County ranks #1,675 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #42 of 88 counties in OH (20.2% low-access; 1 food-desert tracts).

#1,675
national by low-access %
#42
in OH
2
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents

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).

Signature read: 7.5% SNAP (14th pct in OH) (-4.6 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .

How Van Wert County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Van Wert County's 20.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 47% of them and ranked #1,675 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Van Wert County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Van Wert County, OH USDA-defined food-access tiers: 7 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 9 tracts evaluated. 7 tracts adequate (77.8%) 1 tracts limited (11.1%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (11.1%) Adequate 78% Limited 11% Severe 11% Food-access tier distribution: Van Wert County, OH
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Van Wert County has 5 urban and 4 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.

Van Wert County low-access neighbourhood

Poles + nearest peers in Ohio, not a full county-board reprint

% 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 Van Wert County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts9
Atlas Population (2010 basis)28,744
Low-Access Tracts2
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population5,816
Low-Access Share20.2%near the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,966

ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Van Wert County
IndicatorValue
Population28,826
Median Household Income$67,917
Poverty Rate9.0%below the national average
SNAP Households867
SNAP Participation Rate7.5%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle3.6%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.1%

SNAP retailers in Van Wert County

Van Wert County has 20 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 11 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 11

  • brookside convenience store, van wert
  • casey's 3742, van wert
  • danny food mart 010, convoy
  • lassus handy dandy 557, van wert
  • marathon gas station, grover hill
  • ohio city express, ohio city
  • one stop shop, van wert
  • partee shop 1, van wert
  • speedway 1507 1507, delphos
  • tyler's short stop, van wert
  • willshire road dog 107, willshire

Combination Grocery/Other · 5

  • cvs 3312, van wert
  • dollar general 3030, van wert
  • dollar general 21510, convoy
  • dollar general 30507, ohio city
  • dollar tree 4824, van wert

Super Store · 2

  • ruler's 243, van wert
  • walmart 1333, van wert

Supermarket · 2

  • chief supermarket 71, van wert
  • save a lot 30138, van wert

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).

Other Counties in Ohio

One of 87 counties in Ohio, 6 are shown here.

Adams County
22.0% low-access · 20.7% SNAP
Allen County
17.4% low-access · 13.8% SNAP
Ashland County
5.0% low-access · 8.9% SNAP
Ashtabula County
21.9% low-access · 18.2% SNAP
Athens County
17.0% low-access · 14.4% SNAP
Auglaize County
9.9% low-access · 6.8% SNAP

Compare Van Wert County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →

Nationwide peers for Van Wert County's low-access or SNAP share

SNAP-led peer set first for Van Wert County (7.5%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Ohio.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside OH (20.2% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside OH (7.5% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Food access nationally, Ohio in context

Van Wert County sits inside Ohio (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; 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

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 Van Wert County, OH are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 39161. 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.