County food-access profile · Wisconsin
Waukesha County, WI
Waukesha 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.
- 41.2%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 4.4%
- on SNAP
- 412K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
41.2% of Waukesha County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 86 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 56
- low-access tracts
- 20K
- food-desert residents
- 3.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 5.2%
- 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).
Waukesha County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 41.2% is well above the national share. 56 of the county's 86 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 160,448 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 19,985 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 Waukesha County compares nationally
Waukesha County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 41.2% low-access share outpaces 88% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #364 most-affected nationwide.
Waukesha County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 86 census tracts in Waukesha County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Waukesha County vs. other Wisconsin counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Wisconsin
- Waukesha
Waukesha County, WI
41.2 % 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 | 86 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 389,891 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 56 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 160,448 |
| Low-Access Share | 41.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 19,985 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 411,762 |
| Median Household Income | $106,076 |
| Poverty Rate | 5.2%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,378 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
About 4.4% of Waukesha County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 41.2% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 4.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,378 households here.
- 3.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Waukesha County
well above the national share
4 of Waukesha County's 86 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 4.7% of all its tracts.
A further 52 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 56.
An estimated 160,448 residents, roughly 41.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 19,985 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 30 tracts (34.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Waukesha County
Waukesha County has 205 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 80 locations (39% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 80
- 124th street inc, brookfield
- 401 mobil, waukesha
- 7-eleven 35844h, sussex
- 7-eleven 35846j, brookfield
- 7-eleven store 35840j, brookfield
- 7-eleven store 35845j, oconomowoc
- bb mart, menomonee falls
- bp pantry 41, pewaukee
- casey's 3710, waukesha
- citgo national, new berlin
- devi corner llc, waukesha
- falls clark, menomonee falls
- genesee shell, mukwonago
- gogo petroleum llc main street shell 2, waukesha
- grand ave hometown, waukesha
- grandview corner pump, waukesha
- greenfield bp, brookfield
- grewal gas & food mart inc, waukesha
- jetz 4527, muskego
- jilly's elm grove, elm grove
- kwik trip 373, waukesha
- kwik trip 417, oconomowoc
- kwik trip 425, waukesha
- kwik trip 446, oconomowoc
- kwik trip 687, wales
- kwik trip 1080, muskego
- kwik trip 1124, sussex
- kwik trip 1219, waukesha
- kwik trip 1283, hartland
- kwik trip 1299, lisbon
- kwik trip 184, pewaukee
- kwik trip 239, big bend
- kwik trip 244, menomonee falls
- kwik trip 278, waukesha
- kwik trip 282, mukwonago
- kwik trip 360, oconomowoc
- kwik trip 396, pewaukee
- kwik trip 436, waukesha
- kwik trip 499, new berlin
- kwik trip 527, waukesha
- kwik trip 534, new berlin
- kwik trip 586, butler
- kwik trip 664, muskego
- kwik trip 858, oconomowoc
- kwik trip 865, pewaukee
- kwik trip 892, menomonee falls
- kwik trip 968, waukesha
- kwik trip 969, waukesha
- kwik trip 970, waukesha
- kwik trip 971, new berlin
- kwik trip 972, delafield
- kwik trip 973, sussex
- kwik trip 977, new berlin
- lannon bp, lannon
- lilly mart, menomonee falls
- main street bp, menomonee falls
- marathon 233, menomonee falls
- meijer gas station 275, pewaukee
- meijer gas station 276, waukesha
- mobil, sussex
- oconomowoc bp, oconomowoc
- okauchee bp, okauchee
- pkk1, waukesha
- quarry mart, inc, sussex
- quick mart, new berlin
- ruchika enterprise, new berlin
- speedway 4119, waukesha
- speedway 4179, oconomowoc
- speedway 4226, menomonee falls
- speedway 4540, new berlin
- speedway 46063, waukesha
- speedway 46063, new berlin
- stoneridge market, waukesha
- stop-n-go 1526, pewaukee
- stop-n-go 358, wales
- sunset bp, waukesha
- sussex convenience, sussex
- vallecha ventures llc, pewaukee
- village pumper two, mukwonago
- waukesha bp llc, waukesha
Super Store · 52
- costco wholesale 1212, new berlin
- costco 1209, menomonee falls
- costco wholesale 1101, pewaukee
- fresh thyme market 702brk, brookfield
- good harvest market, pewaukee
- meijer 275, pewaukee
- meijer 276, waukesha
- metro market 315, pewaukee
- metro market 6301, brookfield
- metro market 6413, oconomowoc
- metro market 892, menomonee falls
- metro mart 388, oconomowoc
- piggly wiggly 092, hartland
- piggly wiggly 093, oconomowoc
- piggly wiggly 220, muskego
- pick 'n save 6308, waukesha
- pick 'n save 6368, brookfield
- pick 'n save 6374, pewaukee
- pick 'n save 6380, sussex
- pick 'n save 6381, muskego
- pick 'n save 6382, new berlin
- pick 'n save 6384, mukwonago
- pick 'n save 6386, wales
- pick 'n save 6397, brookfield
- pick 'n save 6398, hartland
- pick 'n save 6415, waukesha
- pick 'n save 6853, brookfield
- pick 'n save marketplace 6889, menomonee falls
- piggly wiggly supermarket 364, menomonee falls
- sentry foods 2825, delafield
- sam's club 8164, waukesha
- sendik's fine foods, inc., brookfield
- sendik's meadowbrook 18, waukesha
- sendik's olympia 20, oconomowoc
- sendiks corners 16, brookfield
- sendiks elm grove 5, elm grove
- sendiks hartland 12, hartland
- sendiks new berlin 9, new berlin
- target 2780, brookfield
- target store 1311, new berlin
- target store 2546, waukesha
- target store 82, waukesha
- target store 863, menomonee falls
- target store 864, delafield
- walmart 1571, mukwonago
- walmart 3322, pewaukee
- walmart supercenter 1635, waukesha
- walmart supercenter 1678, delafield
- walmart supercenter 4677, muskego
- walmart supercenter 5438, new berlin
- woodman's food market 40, waukesha
- woodmans food market 39, menomonee falls
Combination Grocery/Other · 43
- big bend food & beverage, big bend
- cvs 6855, brookfield
- cvs 8764, pewaukee
- cvs 8947, waukesha
- dollartree 9104, pewaukee
- dollartree 9600, brookfield
- dollartree 9606, sussex
- dollar general 10855, mukwonago
- dollar general 21577, waukesha
- dollar general 22466, eagle
- dollar tree 3280, pewaukee
- dollar tree 3746, menomonee falls
- dollar tree 4115, delafield
- dollar tree 4167, brookfield
- dollar tree 4350, waukesha
- dollar tree 5901, waukesha
- dollar tree 6187, oconomowoc
- dollar tree 8288, muskego
- dollar tree 9273, mukwonago
- dollar tree 9369, brookfield
- dollar tree 987, new berlin
- taj grocery, brookfield
- walgreens 05636, waukesha
- walgreens 7039, mukwonago
- walgreens 02752, elm grove
- walgreens 03567, oconomowoc
- walgreens 03883, waukesha
- walgreens 04672, brookfield
- walgreens 04888, brookfield
- walgreens 05002, menomonee falls
- walgreens 05309, pewaukee
- walgreens 05466, waukesha
- walgreens 07143, menomonee falls
- walgreens 07259, new berlin
- walgreens 07603, muskego
- walgreens 07730, waukesha
- walgreens 07731, sussex
- walgreens 07797, brookfield
- walgreens 09365, hartland
- walgreens 11636, muskego
- walgreens 12021, wales
- walgreens 3615, waukesha
- walgreens 5281, delafield
Supermarket · 12
- aldi 46036 46036, oconomowoc
- aldi 60075 60075, brookfield
- aldi 64025, menomonee falls
- aldi 64036, muskego
- aldi 64049, waukesha
- aldi 64059, waukesha
- aldi 64092, delafield
- aldi 64015, pewaukee
- aldi 64046, mukwonago
- panos fresh market, waukesha
- piggly wiggly #142, sussex
- trader joe's 726, brookfield
Bakery Specialty · 7
- papa murphy's, pewaukee
- papa murphy's wi021, menominee falls
- papa murphy's wi047, sussex
- papa murphy's wi091, menominee falls
- papa murphy's wi122, waukesha
- papa murphys wi 013, new berlin
- papa murphys wi036, oconomowoc
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- health hut bf, brookfield
- raja bazaar, brookfield
- sri gayathri foods, brookfield
- zaika mart grill & groceries, brookfield
Farmers' Market · 3
- brookfield farmers market, brookfield
- menomonee falls village market, menomonee falls
- mukwonago farmers market nafmnp, mukwonago
Small Grocery Store · 3
- bill's self service station, north prairie
- cinco de mayo supermarket, waukesha
- farmer's market to go llc, brookfield
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- roberts specialty meats llc, waukesha
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Wisconsin
Compare Waukesha County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Food access nationally, Wisconsin in context
Waukesha 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 Waukesha County has low food access? ▼
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Is Waukesha County a food desert? ▼
What share of Waukesha 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.