County food-access profile · Utah
Wasatch County, UT
Wasatch County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 43.0%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 1.0%
- on SNAP
- 37K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
43.0% of Wasatch County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 2.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 4.7%
- 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).
Wasatch County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 43.0% is well above the national share. 3 of the county's 4 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 10,128 people. 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 Wasatch County compares nationally
Wasatch County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 43.0% low-access share outpaces 90% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #316 most-affected nationwide.
Wasatch County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 4 census tracts in Wasatch County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Wasatch County vs. other Utah counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Utah
- Wasatch
Wasatch County, UT
43 % low-access
- Beaver 14.4
Beaver County, UT
14.4 % low-access
- Box Elder 16.8
Box Elder County, UT
16.8 % low-access
- Cache 33.3
Cache County, UT
33.3 % low-access
- Carbon 26
Carbon County, UT
26 % low-access
- Daggett
Daggett County, UT
100 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 23,530 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 10,128 |
| Low-Access Share | 43.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,608 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 36,642 |
| Median Household Income | $117,608 |
| Poverty Rate | 4.7%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 128 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 1.0%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 2.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.6% |
About 1.0% of Wasatch County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 43.0% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 1.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 128 households here.
- 2.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $117,608 with a 4.7% 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 Wasatch County
well above the national share
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.
An estimated 10,128 residents, roughly 43.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,608 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 1 tract (25.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Wasatch County
Wasatch County has 13 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 4 locations (31% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 4
- 7-eleven heber north 53604, heber city
- 7-eleven midway 53608 53608, midway
- 7-eleven heber south 53611, heber city
- maverik, inc 361, heber city
Super Store · 4
- lee's marketplace - heber 10813, heber city
- smith’s 214, heber city
- the market at midway 1619, midway
- walmart supercenter 4696, heber city
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollar tree 4865, heber city
- walgreens 11523, heber city
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys pizza 024, heber city
Farmers' Market · 1
- midway farmers market, midway
Supermarket · 1
- vitamin cottage natural food market u142, heber city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Utah
Compare Wasatch County vs Beaver County → · All Utah counties →
Food access nationally, Utah in context
Wasatch County sits inside Utah (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 Wasatch County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Wasatch County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Wasatch County? ▼
Is Wasatch County a food desert? ▼
What share of Wasatch 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.