PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · West Virginia

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 2019 Census ACS 2024 WV

The food-access picture

28.4% of Wayne County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

4
low-access tracts
5K
food-desert residents
9.0%
households, no vehicle
14.6%
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 28.4%, above the national share. 4 of the county's 11 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 12,080 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,600 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 28.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,059 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Wayne County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 11 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).

Food access tier distribution for Wayne County, WV USDA-defined food-access tiers: 7 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 11 tracts evaluated. 7 tracts adequate (63.6%) 3 tracts limited (27.3%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (9.1%) Adequate 64% Limited 27% Severe 9% Food-access tier distribution: Wayne County, WV
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Wayne County vs. other West Virginia counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in West Virginia

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Wayne County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts11
Atlas Population (2010 basis)42,481
Low-Access Tracts4
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population12,080
Low-Access Share28.4%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population4,600

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Wayne County
IndicatorValue
Population38,164
Median Household Income$58,878
Poverty Rate14.6%near the national average
SNAP Households2,879
SNAP Participation Rate18.3%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle9.0%near the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.5%
SNAP participation in Wayne County 18.3%

About 18.3% of Wayne County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 28.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 18.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,879 households here.
  • 9.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 1 tract 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

1 of Wayne County's 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 9.1% of all its tracts.

A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.

An estimated 12,080 residents, roughly 28.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 4,600 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 7 tracts (63.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers 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.

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 retailers.

Other Counties in West Virginia

Barbour County
11.4% low-access · 19.5% SNAP
Berkeley County
38.8% low-access · 11.6% SNAP
Boone County
6.6% low-access · 22.0% SNAP
Braxton County
18.3% low-access · 22.0% SNAP
Brooke County
16.9% low-access · 14.1% SNAP
Cabell County
8.3% low-access · 16.7% SNAP

Compare Wayne County vs Barbour County → · All West Virginia counties →

Food access nationally, West Virginia in context

Wayne County sits inside West Virginia (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

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? ▼
28.4% of residents in Wayne County, WV live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Wayne County? ▼
18.3% of households in Wayne County receive SNAP, covering 2,879 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Wayne County? ▼
The poverty rate in Wayne County, WV is 14.6%, with a median household income of $58,878 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Wayne County a food desert? ▼
1 of Wayne County's 11 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Wayne County households lack a vehicle? ▼
9.0% of households in Wayne County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.