PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Ohio

Williams County, OH

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Williams 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).

29.8%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
14.2%
on SNAP
37K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 OH

The food-access picture

29.8% of Williams County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

4
low-access tracts
4K
food-desert residents
5.5%
households, no vehicle
12.7%
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 Williams County's low-access share at 29.8%, above the national share. 4 of the county's 9 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 11,208 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,945 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 Williams County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Williams County's 29.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 70% of them and ranked #951 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Williams County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 9 census tracts in Williams 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 Williams County, OH USDA-defined food-access tiers: 5 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 9 tracts evaluated. 5 tracts adequate (55.6%) 3 tracts limited (33.3%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (11.1%) Adequate 56% Limited 33% Severe 11% Food-access tier distribution: Williams County, OH
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Williams County vs. other Ohio counties

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

% 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 Williams County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts9
Atlas Population (2010 basis)37,642
Low-Access Tracts4
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population11,208
Low-Access Share29.8%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,945

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Williams County
IndicatorValue
Population36,719
Median Household Income$61,048
Poverty Rate12.7%below the national average
SNAP Households2,195
SNAP Participation Rate14.2%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.5%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.6%
SNAP participation in Williams County 14.2%

About 14.2% of Williams County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 29.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 14.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,195 households here.
  • 5.5% 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 Williams County

above the national share

1 of Williams County's 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 11.1% 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 11,208 residents, roughly 29.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 3,945 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 5 tracts (55.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Williams County

Williams County has 36 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 16 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 16

  • 7-eleven 40441h, west unity
  • 7-eleven 40442h, west unity
  • bryan party pak, bryan
  • bryan shell n/a, bryan
  • burger dairy store, bryan
  • circle k 4705633, montpelier
  • circle k 5642, bryan
  • fountain city icehouse, bryan
  • holiday city sunoco, montpelier
  • lassus handy dandy 551, montpelier
  • love's travel stop 748, edon
  • luckystopbryan, bryan
  • montpelier main stop 2, montpelier
  • phil's one stop 18, edgerton
  • phil's one stop 24, edon
  • pilot 1056, edon

Combination Grocery/Other · 13

  • cvs 6181, bryan
  • dollar general 3405, bryan
  • dollar general 8312, montpelier
  • dollar general 10428, pioneer
  • dollar general 11306, west unity
  • dollar general 18189, stryker
  • dollar general 22462, bryan
  • dollar general 8420, edgerton
  • dollar tree 4607, bryan
  • family dollar 13447, pioneer
  • family dollar 13480, west unity
  • family dollar store 1175, montpelier
  • walgreens 10579, bryan

Super Store · 3

  • chief supermarket 116, bryan
  • miller's newmarket, montpelier
  • walmart super center 2191, bryan

Large Grocery Store · 2

  • edgerton village market, edgerton
  • two brothers market, montpelier

Farmers' Market · 1

  • williams county farmers market nafmnp, bryan

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • hometown meat market, pioneer

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Ohio

Adams County
22.0% low-access · 20.7% SNAP
Allen County
17.4% low-access · 13.8% SNAP
Ashland County
5.0% low-access · 8.9% SNAP
Ashtabula County
21.9% low-access · 18.2% SNAP
Athens County
17.0% low-access · 14.4% SNAP
Auglaize County
9.9% low-access · 6.8% SNAP

Compare Williams County vs Adams County → · All Ohio counties →

Food access nationally, Ohio in context

Williams County sits inside Ohio (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 Williams County has low food access? ▼
29.8% of residents in Williams County, OH 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 Williams County? ▼
14.2% of households in Williams County receive SNAP, covering 2,195 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Williams County? ▼
The poverty rate in Williams County, OH is 12.7%, with a median household income of $61,048 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Williams County a food desert? ▼
1 of Williams County's 9 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 Williams County households lack a vehicle? ▼
5.5% of households in Williams 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.