Signature · 40 SNAP-authorized stores
Wayne County, WV
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).
- 28.4%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 18.3%
- on SNAP
- 38K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Wayne County, WV
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-ELEVATED 28.4% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +6.3 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 18.3% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 9.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 9% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Jefferson County (+ 0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Wayne County ranks #1,059 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #12 of 52 counties in WV (28.4% low-access; 1 food-desert tracts).
- #1,059
- national by low-access %
- #12
- in WV
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 40 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Wayne County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Wayne County's 28.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,059 most-affected nationwide.
Wayne County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
11 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Wayne County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (6 rural, 5 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 5 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Wayne County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in West Virginia, not a full county-board reprint
- Gilmer
Gilmer 81.6%
81.6 % low-access
- Wood 29.8
Wood 29.8%
29.8 % low-access
- Jefferson 28.5
Jefferson 28.5%
28.5 % low-access
- Wayne 28.4
Wayne 28.4%
28.4 % low-access
- Hampshire 28.1
Hampshire 28.1%
28.1 % low-access
- Kanawha 27.7
Kanawha 27.7%
27.7 % low-access
- Pleasants 0
Pleasants 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 42,481 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,080 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.4%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,600 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 38,164 |
| Median Household Income | $58,878 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.6%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,879 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 18.3%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.0%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Wayne County
Wayne County has 40 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 19 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
13 towns share the 40 authorized stores; Huntington holds 15% of them. 9 of the 13 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Huntington, Fort Gay, Genoa, Kermit, Prichard, Crum and 3 more.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Huntington | 6 | none |
| Fort Gay | 5 | none |
| Kenova | 5 | 1 |
| Lavalette | 5 | 1 |
| Wayne | 5 | 1 |
| Ceredo | 4 | 1 |
| Genoa | 2 | none |
| Kermit | 2 | none |
| Prichard | 2 | none |
| Crum | 1 | none |
Top 10 of 13 towns by store count.
Convenience Store · 19
- camden corner market, huntington
- clark's pump-n-shop 15, lavalette
- clark's pump-n-shop 51, huntington
- clark's pump-n-shop 6, wayne
- fort gay exxon tiger mart 23, fort gay
- james grocery 1, dunlow
- little general 5080, genoa
- little general 5090, lavalette
- paddle creek marathon, fort gay
- par mar store 232, kermit
- par mar store 28, kenova
- pit stop 1, fort gay
- prichard mart 1, prichard
- queen's grocery inc., kiahsville
- speedway 9771, ceredo
- super quik 15, kenova
- wv 1 tiger mart 26, kenova
- wayne sunoco 24, wayne
- zip zone express 5, kermit
Combination Grocery/Other · 14
- cvs pharmacy 6350, ceredo
- dollar general 14395, huntington
- dollar general 18327, prichard
- dollar general 0933, wayne
- dollar general 1980, huntington
- dollar general 20319, fort gay
- dollar general 22738, wayne
- dollar general 23512, genoa
- dollar general 30003, huntington
- dollar general 3438, kenova
- dollar general 9595, lavalette
- dollar tree 2114, ceredo
- family dollar 11494, huntington
- family dollar store 2936, lavalette
Small Grocery Store · 3
- copley's market, crum
- rebel express, fort gay
- vernicks country corner, east lynn
Super Store · 2
- lavalette foodfair, lavalette
- walmart supercenter 2792, wayne
Supermarket · 2
- ceredo foodfair, ceredo
- save a lot, kenova
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in West Virginia
One of 54 counties in West Virginia, 6 are shown here.
Compare Wayne County vs Barbour County → · All West Virginia counties →
Nationwide peers for Wayne County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Wayne County, both outside West Virginia so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside WV (28.4% here).
- Skagit County, WA · 28.4% low-access
- Bexar County, TX · 28.4% low-access
- Orangeburg County, SC · 28.4% low-access
- McCurtain County, OK · 28.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside WV (18.3% here).
- Jackson County, TX · 18.3% SNAP
- Coshocton County, OH · 18.3% SNAP
- Nash County, NC · 18.3% SNAP
- McDowell County, NC · 18.3% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
West Virginia among South Atlantic states
West Virginia ranks 7th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (21.3%). Wayne County, at 28.4%, runs 7.1 pts above the West Virginia rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Wayne County, WV are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 54099. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.