County food-access profile · Ohio
Wood County, OH
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Wood 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).
- 30.8%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 6.9%
- on SNAP
- 132K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
30.8% of Wood County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 28 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 10K
- food-desert residents
- 5.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.2%
- 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).
USDA data puts Wood County's low-access share at 30.8%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 28 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 38,667 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 10,091 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 Wood County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Wood County's 30.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 72% of them and ranked #887 most-affected nationwide.
Wood County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 28 census tracts in Wood County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Wood County vs. other Ohio counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Ohio
- Wood
Wood County, OH
30.8 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, OH
22 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, OH
17.4 % low-access
- Ashland 5
Ashland County, OH
5 % low-access
- Ashtabula
Ashtabula County, OH
21.9 % low-access
- Athens
Athens County, OH
17 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 28 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 125,488 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 38,667 |
| Low-Access Share | 30.8%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 10,091 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 132,064 |
| Median Household Income | $74,216 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,766 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.9%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.4% |
About 6.9% of Wood County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 30.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,766 households here.
- 5.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Wood County
above the national share
3 of Wood County's 28 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.7% of all its tracts.
A further 8 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 38,667 residents, roughly 30.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 10,091 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 17 tracts (60.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Wood County
Wood County has 86 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 46 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 46
- 7 eleven 19779b, walbridge
- ameristop food mart 29601, perrysburg
- buck rd 517, rossford
- buddy place, risingsun
- campus mart oh. inc, bowling green
- circle k 4705443, perrysburg
- circle k 4705669, bowling green
- circle k 4705670, bowling green
- circle k 4705672, bowling green
- circle k 5636, fostoria
- circle k 5640, bowling green
- circle k 5645, perrysburg
- circle k 5647, northwood
- flowers bakery outlet 1191, northwood
- friendship 78, wayne
- friendship 92, grand rapids
- fuel mart 641, perrysburg
- fuel mart 767, bradner
- gas & express marts bg, bowling green
- hy-miler 2253, northwood
- love's travel stop 356, north baltimore
- love's travel stop 456, perrysburg
- meijer gas station 156, bowling green
- meijer gas station 211, rossford
- petro perrysburg 317, perrysburg
- petro shopping center 325, north baltimore
- pilot travel center 12, perrysburg
- pilot travel center 700, perrysburg
- rick's carryout, portage
- rossford carryout, rossford
- s and g dm ltd 30, northwood
- s and g stores ii llc 100, perrysburg
- s and g stores ii llc 101, rossford
- s and g stores ii llc 102, rossford
- s and g stores ii llc 99, perrysburg
- s and g stores llc 36, millbury
- s and g stores llc 91, perrysburg
- sheetz 861, north baltimore
- speedway 2866, perrysburg
- speedway 3604, northwood
- speedway 3614, perrysburg
- speedway 3642, rossford
- speedway 3643, northwood
- speedway 3664, perrysburg
- speedway 5253 5253, bowling green
- weston market, weston
Combination Grocery/Other · 23
- cvs pharmacy 10248, bowling green
- dollar general 11282, walbridge
- dollar general 13981, pemberville
- dollar general 6691, perrysburg
- dollar general 7149, bowling green
- dollar general 991, fostoria
- dollar tree 0698, northwood
- dollartree 10754, bowling green
- dollar general 10410, n baltimore
- dollar general 10840, risingsun
- dollar general 15186, grand rapids
- dollar general 20403, rossford
- dollar general 20730, weston
- dollar general 21251, bradner
- dollar general 21287, perrysburg
- dollar general 22694, northwood
- dollar general 30672, cygnet
- dollar general store 12620, millbury
- dollar tree 2084, perrysburg
- dollar tree 72, bowling green
- kazmaier's market, perrysburg
- walgreens 09409, perrysburg
- walgreens 10868, bowling green
Super Store · 9
- costco wholesale 1194, perrysburg
- kroger 548, perrysburg
- kroger n-878, bowling green
- meijer inc 156, bowling green
- meijer inc 211, rossford
- target store 1317, rossford
- walmart 1913, bowling green
- walmart supercenter 4479, perrysburg
- walt churchill's market, perrysburg
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 60047 60047, rossford
- aldi 63071 63071, bowling green
- great scot 90, north baltimore
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- my protein locker 1, perrysburg
- north baltimore custom cuts & retail, north baltimore
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- belleville market, bowling green
- true spice, perrysburg
Large Grocery Store · 1
- frobose market iga, pemberville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Ohio
Food access nationally, Ohio in context
Wood County sits inside Ohio (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 Wood County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Wood County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Wood County? ▼
Is Wood County a food desert? ▼
What share of Wood 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.