County food-access profile · Indiana
Wayne County, IN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Wayne 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).
- 34.4%
- low-access pop.
- 7
- food-desert tracts
- 15.1%
- on SNAP
- 66K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
34.4% of Wayne County residents live in a low-access area, and 7 of its 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 11K
- food-desert residents
- 8.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.9%
- 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 Wayne County's low-access share at 34.4%, above the national share. 9 of the county's 17 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 23,735 people. 7 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 11,461 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 Wayne County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Wayne County's 34.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 79% of them and ranked #646 most-affected nationwide.
Wayne County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 17 census tracts in Wayne County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Wayne County vs. other Indiana counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Indiana
- Wayne
Wayne County, IN
34.4 % 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 | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 68,917 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 7 |
| Low-Access Population | 23,735 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 11,461 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 66,397 |
| Median Household Income | $55,692 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.9%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,080 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.1%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.9%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.1% |
About 15.1% of Wayne County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 34.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,080 households here.
- 8.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 7 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 Wayne County
above the national share
7 of Wayne County's 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 41.2% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.
An estimated 23,735 residents, roughly 34.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 11,461 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (47.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Wayne County
Wayne County has 63 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 35 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 35
- bk mart inc, richmond
- casey's general store 3630, centerville
- ekam inc, richmond
- fountain city food mart inc, fountain city
- gb quick stop inc, richmond
- guruu corp, richmond
- love's travel stops 222, richmond
- main street shell 203, cambridge city
- martins country mart, fountain city
- meijer gas station 155, richmond
- midtown countrymark 116, richmond
- milk house, inc. 3, richmond
- murphy usa 6719, richmond
- ns12 inc, richmond
- paris market incorporated, dublin
- paul's mart llc, richmond
- pike countrymark 117, richmond
- radfords meat market and deli, richmond
- ria corporation, richmond
- richmond village mart inc, richmond
- richmond50 inc, richmond
- round barn shell 206, richmond
- sk hope corporation, richmond
- speedup 5, centerville
- speedway 1209, richmond
- speedway 1230, richmond
- speedway 5031, richmond
- speedway 5204, richmond
- speedway 8033, cambridge city
- speedway 8081, hagerstown
- the milk house, richmond
- the milk house 2, richmond
- university shell 205, richmond
- village pantry 5529, centerville
- village pantry 5629, cambridge city
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- cvs 3162, richmond
- cvs 6636, richmond
- cvs 6646, cambridge city
- dollar general 11287, centerville
- dollar general 14558, richmond
- dollar general 20161, richmond
- dollar general 4102, cambridge city
- dollartree 8722, richmond
- dollar general 16345, richmond
- dollar general 16446, hagerstown
- dollar general 21880, richmond
- dollar general 24802, dublin
- dollar general 2910, richmond
- dollar general store 12902, richmond
- dollar tree 710, richmond
- family dollar store 1548, richmond
- walgreens 09128, richmond
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 44014 44014, richmond
- american food lines inc, cambridge city
- needler's fresh market 930, richmond
- richmond save-a-lot 23888, richmond
Super Store · 3
- kroger 914, richmond
- meijer inc 155, richmond
- walmart supercenter 1745, richmond
Farmers' Market · 2
- centerville farmers market, centerville
- richmond farmers market, richmond
Large Grocery Store · 1
- lucky's supermarket inc, hagerstown
Small Grocery Store · 1
- el trebol mexican market & restaurant 1, richmond
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Indiana
Compare Wayne County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →
Food access nationally, Indiana in context
Wayne 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 Wayne County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Wayne County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Wayne County? ▼
Is Wayne County a food desert? ▼
What share of Wayne 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.