County food-access profile · Ohio
Wayne County, OH
Wayne County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 16.5%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 8.2%
- on SNAP
- 117K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
16.5% of Wayne County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 32 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 10.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.4%
- 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).
Wayne County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 16.5% per the USDA Atlas. 7 of the county's 32 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 18,870 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,544 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
Wayne County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 16.5% low-access share that beats 36% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,994).
Wayne County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 32 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 Ohio counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio
- Wayne
Wayne County, OH
16.5 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, OH
22 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, OH
17.4 % low-access
- Ashland 5
Ashland County, OH
5 % low-access
- Ashtabula
Ashtabula County, OH
21.9 % low-access
- Athens
Athens County, OH
17 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 32 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 114,520 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 18,870 |
| Low-Access Share | 16.5%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,544 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 116,588 |
| Median Household Income | $73,574 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.4%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,632 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.2%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 10.0%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.7% |
About 8.2% of Wayne County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 16.5% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,632 households here.
- 10.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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
near the national share
2 of Wayne County's 32 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 6.3% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 18,870 residents, roughly 16.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,544 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 25 tracts (78.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Wayne County
Wayne County has 82 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 33 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 33
- bellstores 1016, wooster
- bellstores 1017, wooster
- bellstores 1018, dalton
- bellstores 1030, shreve
- bellstores 1048, dalton
- bellstores 1050, wooster
- bellstores 1051, orrville
- bellstores 1054, mount eaton
- bellstores 1078, orrville
- bellstores 1111, wooster
- bellstores 1131, wooster
- bellstores 1159, wooster
- bellstores 1165, wooster
- bellstores 1083, west salem
- bellstores 1157, apple creek
- circle k 4705440, wooster
- circle k 4705441, creston
- circle k 5587, rittman
- hillcrest bp, wooster
- meijer gas station 330, wooster
- mikes food market, wooster
- minit mart 600787, rittman
- minit mart 600788, wooster
- minit mart 600794, doylestown
- orrville gas mart, orrville
- par mar store 235, wooster
- rittman quick food mart, rittman
- smithville 1111, smithville
- speedway 1052, orrville
- speedway 1200, wooster
- speedway 9219, wooster
- tienda la familia llc 1, orrville
- wooster natural foods, wooster
Combination Grocery/Other · 31
- baylobsters ii cafe & fish market, wooster
- cvs 3321, wooster
- cvs 4605, orrville
- cvs pharmacy 11396, shreve
- dollar general 10076, shreve
- dollar general 10156, orrville
- dollar general 11031, creston
- dollar general 11143, dalton
- dollar general 14356, wooster
- dollar general 15127, wooster
- dollar general 3324, wooster
- dollar general 8013, rittman
- dollar general 8805, west salem
- discount drug mart 30, wooster
- dollar general 19799, smithville
- dollar general 20615, marshallville
- dollar general 21228, wooster
- dollar general 21662, wooster
- dollar general 22742, fredericksburg
- dollar general 23922, apple creek
- dollar general 25128, wooster
- dollar general 2589, apple creek
- dollar general 30425, wooster
- dollar tree 1363, wooster
- dollar tree 7970, wooster
- dollar tree 8270, orrville
- dollar tree 8314, rittman
- family dollar 8561, wooster
- family dollar store 2230, rittman
- family dollar store 2367, orrville
- kidron town and country store, apple creek
Super Store · 7
- buehler's fresh foods 01, wooster
- buehler's fresh foods 04, orrville
- buehler's fresh foods 09, wooster
- meijer 330, wooster
- orrville save-a-lot 24664, orrville
- walmart supercenter 1812, wooster
- wooster save-a-lot 24520, wooster
Large Grocery Store · 5
- 3d meats, dalton
- canaan meats ltd., wooster
- local roots market and cafe, wooster
- marshallville packing co inc, marshallville
- sweethaven of shreve inc, shreve
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 63009 63009, wooster
- aldi 63044, wooster
- iga, rittman
- marc's-wooster 74wo, wooster
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- shreve custom meats & bake shop, shreve
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- red tomato market, llc, mount eaton
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Ohio
Compare Wayne County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →
Food access nationally, Ohio in context
Wayne County sits inside Ohio (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.