County food-access profile · Indiana
Vanderburgh County, IN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Vanderburgh 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).
- 37.9%
- low-access pop.
- 9
- food-desert tracts
- 11.2%
- on SNAP
- 180K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
37.9% of Vanderburgh County residents live in a low-access area, and 9 of its 49 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 23
- low-access tracts
- 21K
- food-desert residents
- 8.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.3%
- 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).
USDA data puts Vanderburgh County's low-access share at 37.9%, above the national share. 23 of the county's 49 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 68,117 people. 9 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 20,871 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 Vanderburgh County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Vanderburgh County's 37.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 84% of them and ranked #491 most-affected nationwide.
Vanderburgh County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 49 census tracts in Vanderburgh County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Vanderburgh County vs. other Indiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Indiana
- Vanderburgh
Vanderburgh County, IN
37.9 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, IN
17.5 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, IN
37.8 % low-access
- Bartholomew
Bartholomew County, IN
36.4 % low-access
- Benton 1.7
Benton County, IN
1.7 % low-access
- Blackford
Blackford County, IN
15.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 49 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 179,703 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 23 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 9 |
| Low-Access Population | 68,117 |
| Low-Access Share | 37.9%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 20,871 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 180,117 |
| Median Household Income | $61,648 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.3%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 8,778 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.2%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.0%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.4% |
About 11.2% of Vanderburgh County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 37.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 8,778 households here.
- 8.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 9 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 Vanderburgh County
above the national share
9 of Vanderburgh County's 49 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 18.4% of all its tracts.
A further 14 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 23.
An estimated 68,117 residents, roughly 37.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 20,871 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 26 tracts (53.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Vanderburgh County
Vanderburgh County has 169 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 80 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 80
- boehne camp 805, evansville
- bonkers, evansville
- burkhardt motomart 3207, evansville
- casey's 3968, evansville
- casey's 3877, evansville
- casey's general store 2228, evansville
- casey's general store 2296, evansville
- casey's general store 3073, evansville
- circle h, evansville
- circle k 120, evansville
- circle k 4700091, evansville
- circle k 4700142, evansville
- circle k 4700143, evansville
- circle k 4702414, evansville
- circle k 4702416, evansville
- circle k 4702836, evansville
- circle k 84, evansville
- circle k 93, evansville
- covert mart inc, evansville
- devraj llc, evansville
- dollar variety, evansville
- evansville motomart 3202, evansville
- earth food mart, evansville
- evansville grocery 839, evansville
- everest food mart, evansville
- ez mini mart, evansville
- fast stop, evansville
- fast track plaza, evansville
- firefly, evansville
- green river motomart 4202, evansville
- gas and food mart, evansville
- gasoline alley 01, evansville
- giant 811, evansville
- giant 812, evansville
- giant 826, evansville
- giant 842, evansville
- gn llc, evansville
- gsas petroleum inc, evansville
- haynies corner mart, evansville
- huck's 324, evansville
- huck's 337, evansville
- huck's 383, evansville
- huck's 399, evansville
- huck's 402, evansville
- jags foodmart llc, evansville
- jbmdg llc t/a down town food mart, evansville
- jimtown food mart, evansville
- jk mart inc, evansville
- kmt inc, evansville
- kmt inc, evansville
- ksn petroleum, evansville
- lkmdg llc, evansville
- m d s food mart inc, evansville
- mach 1 20, evansville
- mariner motomart 3206, evansville
- meijer gas station 287, evansville
- namaste food mart, evansville
- oakhill oil inc, evansville
- premila corporation, evansville
- quick shop, evansville
- right stuff, evansville
- riverside food mart, evansville
- sam foodmart, evansville
- speedway 1448, evansville
- srmg llc, evansville
- st joe mini mart 2, evansville
- stringtown smoke and convenience, evansville
- sunny mart, evansville
- sunoco - fasttrack plaza morgan, evansville
- the windmill food and bakery, evansville
- thorntons 82, evansville
- thorntons 83, evansville
- thorntons 84, evansville
- thorntons 85, evansville
- us mart inc, evansville
- university food mart 001, evansville
- virginia food mart, evansville
- xpress mart, evansville
- xpress mart i, evansville
- xpress petroleum incorporated, evansville
Combination Grocery/Other · 46
- cvs 3448, evansville
- cvs 44, evansville
- cvs 6251, evansville
- cvs 6252, evansville
- cvs 6253, evansville
- cvs 6254, evansville
- cvs 6255, evansville
- cvs 6258, evansville
- cvs 7045, evansville
- cvs 7653, evansville
- dollar general 0959, evansville
- dollar general 11539, evansville
- dollar general 1620, evansville
- dollar general 2760, evansville
- dollar general 2763, evansville
- dollar general 6626, evansville
- dollar general 9430, evansville
- dollar tree 1541, evansville
- dollartree 10370, evansville
- dollartree 8820, evansville
- dollartree 9024, evansville
- dollar general 11697, evansville
- dollar general 20372, evansville
- dollar general 21411, evansville
- dollar general 24125, evansville
- dollar general 24978, evansville
- dollar general 25323, evansville
- dollar general 25620, evansville
- dollar general 2693, evansville
- dollar general 30167, evansville
- dollar general 9721, evansville
- dollar general store 12132, evansville
- dollar general store 12805, evansville
- dollar tree 2148, evansville
- dollar tree 2482, evansville
- dollar tree 6574, evansville
- dollar tree 6850, evansville
- family dollar store 1549, evansville
- family dollar store 5245, evansville
- family dollar store 887, evansville
- store pwodwi lakay llc, evansville
- swagat indian market, evansville
- walgreens 6152, evansville
- walgreens 09321, evansville
- walgreens 10939, evansville
- walgreens 15099, evansville
Super Store · 20
- buehlers buy low 452, evansville
- buehlers iga 453, evansville
- costco wholesale 1331, evansville
- fresh thyme market 213eve, evansville
- meijer 287, evansville
- ruler food store 227, evansville
- ruler food store 233, evansville
- ruler food store 235, evansville
- schnucks evansville north 704, evansville
- schnucks evansville west 705, evansville
- sam's club 8123, evansville
- schnucks 708, evansville
- schnucks 742, evansville
- schnucks green river 728, evansville
- target store 108, evansville
- target store 1481, evansville
- walmart 1341, evansville
- walmart 5372, evansville
- walmart neighborhood market 5452, evansville
- walmart supercenter 1263, evansville
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 60074 60074, evansville
- aldi 61009 61009, evansville
- gordon food service store mp112, evansville
- grocery outlet 5532, evansville
- simpson's supermarket 454, evansville
- the fresh market 130, evansville
- wesselman's 8, evansville
Small Grocery Store · 5
- el sabroso, evansville
- family caribbean market, evansville
- la mexicana international market llc, evansville
- s&j caribbean retail llc, evansville
- sr na market llc, evansville
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- china lu market, evansville
- el paisano store 1, evansville
- half price market, evansville
- las americas store & restaurant, evansville
Farmers' Market · 3
- evansville farmers market, evansville
- franklin street bazaar, evansville
- market on main, evansville
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza, evansville
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- nourish community food buying club-urban seeds, evansville
Large Grocery Store · 1
- aihua international market, evansville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- the old fashioned butcher shoppe, inc, evansville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Indiana
Compare Vanderburgh County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →
Food access nationally, Indiana in context
Vanderburgh County sits inside Indiana (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 Vanderburgh County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Vanderburgh County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Vanderburgh County? ▼
Is Vanderburgh County a food desert? ▼
What share of Vanderburgh 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.