PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Nebraska

Wheeler County, NE

Wheeler 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.

89.1%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
2.8%
on SNAP
847
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 NE

The food-access picture

89.1% of Wheeler County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.

1
low-access tracts
256
food-desert residents
3.6%
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).

Wheeler County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 89.1% is well above the national share. 1 of the county's 1 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 729 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.

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 Wheeler County compares nationally

Wheeler County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 89.1% low-access share outpaces 97% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #83 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Wheeler County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 1 census tracts in Wheeler 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 Wheeler County, NE USDA-defined food-access tiers: 0 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 1 tracts evaluated. 1 tracts limited (100.0%) Adequate 0% Limited 100% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Wheeler County, NE
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Wheeler County vs. other Nebraska counties

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

% 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 Wheeler County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts1
Atlas Population (2010 basis)818
Low-Access Tracts1
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population729
Low-Access Share89.1%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population256

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Wheeler County
IndicatorValue
Population847
Median Household Income$70,250
Poverty Rate5.2%well below the national average
SNAP Households10
SNAP Participation Rate2.8%well below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle3.6%well below the national average
Group-Quarters PopulationN/A
SNAP participation in Wheeler County 2.8%

About 2.8% of Wheeler County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 89.1% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 2.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 10 households here.
  • 3.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • Median household income is $70,250 with a 5.2% poverty rate.

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 Wheeler County

well above the national share

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 1.

An estimated 729 residents, roughly 89.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 256 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

Other Counties in Nebraska

Adams County
35.0% low-access · 9.1% SNAP
Antelope County
12.9% low-access · 4.7% SNAP
Arthur County
100.0% low-access · 5.9% SNAP
Banner County
98.5% low-access · 1.3% SNAP
Blaine County
100.0% low-access
Boone County
12.3% low-access · 3.9% SNAP

Compare Wheeler County vs Adams County → · All Nebraska counties →

Food access nationally, Nebraska in context

Wheeler County sits inside Nebraska (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 Wheeler County has low food access? ▼
89.1% of residents in Wheeler County, NE 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 Wheeler County? ▼
2.8% of households in Wheeler County receive SNAP, covering 10 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Wheeler County? ▼
The poverty rate in Wheeler County, NE is 5.2%, with a median household income of $70,250 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Wheeler County a food desert? ▼
0 of Wheeler County's 1 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). No tracts here meet both conditions in the 2019 Atlas.
What share of Wheeler County households lack a vehicle? ▼
3.6% of households in Wheeler 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.