Signature · 4.5% low-access (9th pct)
Whitley County, IN
Whitley County lands in the lower national band on low-access (4.5%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 4.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 35K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Whitley County, IN
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 4.5% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -17.6 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 6.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Gibson County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Whitley County lands in the lower national band (4.5%, #2,843 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,843
- national by low-access %
- #79
- in IN
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 404
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 4.5% low-access (9th pct) (-17.6 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Whitley County compares nationally
Food access in Whitley County compares favorably nationally: its 4.5% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 9% of them (rank #2,843).
Whitley County's lower-band USDA tier split
7 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Whitley County has 1 urban and 6 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Whitley County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Indiana, not a full county-board reprint
- Hendricks
Hendricks 51.5%
51.5 % low-access
- Vermillion 4.7
Vermillion 4.7%
4.7 % low-access
- Gibson 4.6
Gibson 4.6%
4.6 % low-access
- Switzerland 4.6
Switzerland 4.6%
4.6 % low-access
- Whitley 4.5
Whitley 4.5%
4.5 % low-access
- Ripley 4.3
Ripley 4.3%
4.3 % low-access
- Harrison 0
Harrison 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 33,292 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,512 |
| Low-Access Share | 4.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 404 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 34,618 |
| Median Household Income | $78,083 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 906 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
SNAP retailers in Whitley County
Whitley County has 21 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 8 locations (38% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- busco iga, churubusco
- cvs 6502, columbia city
- cvs 6504, churubusco
- dollar general 1136, columbia city
- dollar general 11134, churubusco
- dollar general 8689, south whitley
- dollar tree 6102, columbia city
- dollar tree 6961, churubusco
Convenience Store · 8
- circle k 4702449, churubusco
- circle k 4702450, churubusco
- circle k 4702454, columbia city
- columbia city foodmart inc, columbia city
- gsl petroleum inc, columbia city
- lassus handy dandy 049, churubusco
- lassus handy dandy 30, columbia city
- speedway 8035, columbia city
Super Store · 2
- kroger j-874, columbia city
- walmart 1425, columbia city
Farmers' Market · 1
- whitley county farmers market, columbia city
Large Grocery Store · 1
- churubusco sav-u-mor, churubusco
Supermarket · 1
- aldi 44047 44047, columbia city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Indiana
One of 91 counties in Indiana, 6 are shown here.
Compare Whitley County vs Adams County → · All Indiana counties →
Counties near Whitley County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Whitley County, both outside Indiana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IN (4.5% here).
- Piscataquis County, ME · 4.5% low-access
- Piscataquis County, ME · 4.5% low-access
- Gadsden County, FL · 4.5% low-access
- Gadsden County, FL · 4.5% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IN (6.5% here).
- Cedar County, IA · 6.5% SNAP
- Cedar County, IA · 6.5% SNAP
- Hancock County, IA · 6.5% SNAP
- Hancock County, IA · 6.5% 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.
Whitley County inside a lower low-access state context
Whitley County sits inside Indiana (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Whitley County, IN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 18183. 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.