County food-access profile · Wisconsin
Winnebago County, WI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Winnebago 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).
- 37.0%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 9.6%
- on SNAP
- 172K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
37.0% of Winnebago County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 23
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
- 5.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.3%
- 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 Winnebago County's low-access share at 37.0%, above the national share. 23 of the county's 41 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 61,797 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 13,451 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 Winnebago County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Winnebago County's 37.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 83% of them and ranked #517 most-affected nationwide.
Winnebago County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 41 census tracts in Winnebago County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Winnebago County vs. other Wisconsin counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Wisconsin
- Winnebago
Winnebago County, WI
37 % low-access
- Adams 9.9
Adams County, WI
9.9 % low-access
- Ashland
Ashland County, WI
28.5 % low-access
- Barron
Barron County, WI
17.8 % low-access
- Bayfield
Bayfield County, WI
30.2 % low-access
- Brown
Brown County, WI
25 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 41 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 166,994 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 23 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 61,797 |
| Low-Access Share | 37.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 13,451 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 171,769 |
| Median Household Income | $74,925 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,976 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.9% |
About 9.6% of Winnebago County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 37.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,976 households here.
- 5.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 tracts 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 Winnebago County
above the national share
5 of Winnebago County's 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 12.2% of all its tracts.
A further 18 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 23.
An estimated 61,797 residents, roughly 37.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 13,451 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 18 tracts (43.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Winnebago County
Winnebago County has 114 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 60 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 60
- 21 shell 826, oshkosh
- 2nd chance goods, oshkosh
- 9th avenue bp, oshkosh
- air bp, oshkosh
- av foodmart inc., menasha
- circle k 2746553, menasha
- corner store, oshkosh
- food mart / deep petroleum, neenah
- fox point petro, neenah
- good to go shell, appleton
- holiday stationstore 2746572, oshkosh
- jackson mobil na, oshkosh
- jackson st shell, oshkosh
- kwik trip 457, oshkosh
- kwik trip 612, winneconne
- kwik trip 628, larsen
- kwik trip 741, oshkosh
- kwik trip 784, omro
- krist food mart 056, neenah
- kwik trip 1099, menasha
- kwik trip 1132, omro
- kwik trip 297, menasha
- kwik trip 434, neenah
- kwik trip 639, appleton
- kwik trip 742, oshkosh
- kwik trip 743, menasha
- kwik trip 862, oshkosh
- kwik trip 871, oshkosh
- kwik trip 881, oshkosh
- kwik trip 882, oshkosh
- kwik trip 883, neenah
- mahabai llc, neenah
- main st citgo, neenah
- mediterranean food store, oshkosh
- menasha 824, neenah
- menasha gas inc., menasha
- menasha marathon, menasha
- menasha moto mart 3411, menasha
- minu jts wash and mart, oshkosh
- mobil west 12, neenah
- nayarit market mexico, oshkosh
- neenah bp, neenah
- northbound trail, fremont
- omro bp, omro
- quik mart menasha inc, menasha
- refuel pantry-neenah, neenah
- refuel pantry-planeview, oshkosh
- refuel pantry-quent's, oshkosh
- rstore 4520, oshkosh
- rstore 4521, oshkosh
- rstore 4522, oshkosh
- rstore 4523, oshkosh
- shivam petro inc, oshkosh
- shaliz enterprises llc, oshkosh
- shivkush llc - citgo, oshkosh
- tobacco outlet plus 526, neenah
- true north energy 831, oshkosh
- valley mobil 26, appleton
- winneconne 825, winneconne
- witzel petro, oshkosh
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- cvs 5936, neenah
- cvs pharmacy 4380, oshkosh
- dollar general 6432, omro
- dollar tree 1105, menasha
- dollar tree 2321, neenah
- dollar general 13175, menasha
- dollar general 21847, neenah
- dollar general 23681, larsen
- dollar tree 5056, oshkosh
- dollar tree 826, oshkosh
- family dollar 8804, oshkosh
- family dollar store 10035, oshkosh
- family dollar store 1485, oshkosh
- family dollar store 1518, menasha
- walgreens 04533, oshkosh
- walgreens 05280, oshkosh
- walgreens 3851, menasha
- walgreens 7835, oshkosh
- walgreens 03392, neenah
- walgreens 10236, neenah
Super Store · 14
- festival foods 23, neenah
- festival foods 33, menasha
- festival foods 7, oshkosh
- pick 'n save 478, oshkosh
- pick 'n save 5375, oshkosh
- pick 'n save 6412, neenah
- pick 'n save 8124, neenah
- pick 'n save 8187, appleton
- piggly wiggly #243, oshkosh
- piggly wiggly supermarket 242, omro
- piggly wiggly winneconne 387, winneconne
- target store 807, oshkosh
- walmart 1430, oshkosh
- walmart 2986, neenah
Medium Grocery Store · 9
- all in one african food market, oshkosh
- amadi african market & imports, appleton
- golden ocean foods, oshkosh
- kountry pride farms, sausage and meat shop, omro
- niemuths southside market, appleton
- quinto sol 2, appleton
- wagner market, oshkosh
- wakanda african shop, appleton
- xiangkhouang market, oshkosh
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 64095, oshkosh
- aldi 64037, neenah
- piggly wiggly 38, menasha
Bakery Specialty · 2
- papa murphys wi016, oshkosh
- papa murphys wi033, neenah
Farmers' Market · 2
- future neenah farmers market, neenah
- oshkosh saturday farmers market, oshkosh
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- becks meat processing llc, oshkosh
- becks meat processing llc, oshkosh
Large Grocery Store · 1
- oshkosh food co-op, oshkosh
Small Grocery Store · 1
- white dragon oriental store, oshkosh
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Wisconsin
Compare Winnebago County vs Adams County → · All Wisconsin counties →
Food access nationally, Wisconsin in context
Winnebago County sits inside Wisconsin (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Winnebago County has low food access? ▼
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What is the poverty rate in Winnebago County? ▼
Is Winnebago County a food desert? ▼
What share of Winnebago County households lack a vehicle? ▼
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.