County food-access profile · Wisconsin
Washington County, WI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Washington 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).
- 33.0%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 5.1%
- on SNAP
- 138K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
33.0% of Washington County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 15
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 3.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 5.8%
- 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 Washington County's low-access share at 33.0%, above the national share. 15 of the county's 28 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 43,495 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 Washington County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Washington County's 33.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 76% of them and ranked #739 most-affected nationwide.
Washington County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 28 census tracts in Washington County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Washington County vs. other Wisconsin counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Wisconsin
- Washington
Washington County, WI
33 % 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 | 28 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 131,887 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 15 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 43,495 |
| Low-Access Share | 33.0%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,086 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 137,879 |
| Median Household Income | $96,359 |
| Poverty Rate | 5.8%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,920 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.1%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.7% |
About 5.1% of Washington County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 33.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,920 households here.
- 3.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $96,359 with a 5.8% 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 Washington County
above the national share
A further 15 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 15.
An estimated 43,495 residents, roughly 33.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 6,086 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 13 tracts (46.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Washington County
Washington County has 68 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (46% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 31
- barton mart inc, west bend
- casey's 3768, hartford
- countrymart bp, richfield
- gateway bp, germantown
- hartford amoco, hartford
- j-stop citgo, kewaskum
- kwik trip 450, slinger
- kwik trip 655, hartford
- kohn's filling station, inc., kewaskum
- kwik trip 1002, west bend
- kwik trip 1013, richfield
- kwik trip 1058, west bend
- kwik trip 1062, west bend
- kwik trip 1082, west bend
- kwik trip 1108, colgate
- kwik trip 136, west bend
- kwik trip 631, germantown
- kwik trip 631, germantown
- main street mobile, west bend
- mayfield mobil, richfield
- nsm enterprises, milwaukee
- pioneer travel plaza, richfield
- refuel pantry- addison, hartford
- refuel pantry- west bend, west bend
- rstore 4517, kewaskum
- sherazi enterprises, allenton
- speedway 4465, germantown
- speedway 4495, germantown
- station 33, hartford
- stop-n-go 1528, hartford
- university mobil, west bend
Super Store · 16
- festival foods 47, hartford
- laatsch's piggly wiggly 145, kewaskum
- meijer 299, west bend
- pick 'n save 6357, germantown
- pick 'n save 6417, west bend
- pick 'n save 6430, west bend
- piggly wiggly supermarket #087, hartford
- piggly wiggly supermarket 84, west bend
- piggly wiggly supermarket 89, hubertus
- piggly wiggly supermarket 90, jackson
- piggly wiggly supermarket 91, slinger
- sendiks germantown 8, germantown
- sendiks west bend 10, west bend
- walmart 1515, germantown
- walmart supercenter 2658, west bend
- walmart supercenter 5463, hartford
Combination Grocery/Other · 14
- dollartree 10007, hubertus
- dollar general 10015, west bend
- dollar general 21987, slinger
- dollar general 30769, allenton
- dollar tree 2902, west bend
- dollar tree 3206, germantown
- dollar tree 4578, hartford
- dollar tree 5554, germantown
- dollar tree 6789, west bend
- walgreens #6960 06960, hartford
- walgreens 05427, germantown
- walgreens 11676, jackson
- walgreens 13088, west bend
- walgreens 13683, west bend
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 64024, hartford
- aldi 64031, west bend
- aldi 64067, germantown
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys pizza wi034, west bend
Large Grocery Store · 1
- west bend sausage plus, west bend
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- la cabana, west bend
Small Grocery Store · 1
- la mexicana, west bend
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Wisconsin
Compare Washington County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Food access nationally, Wisconsin in context
Washington 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 Washington County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Washington County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Washington County? ▼
Is Washington County a food desert? ▼
What share of Washington 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.