Podoconiosis is a neglected tropical disease that results in swelling of the lower legs and feet. It is common among barefoot individuals within defined areas due to the geochemical characteristics of the soil in these areas. Presence of podoconiosis and its huge burden among the affected people in north Ethiopia has previously been documented. Moreover, difference in the occurrence of the disease by area and among individuals had been observed. In the present study, we investigated individual factors for the occurrence of podoconiosis, by comparing individuals with podoconiosis and without podoconiosis that live in three areas with varying disease prevalence. We found that individuals with the disease, particularly women, were less educated, with lower income and less likely to be married, compared to healthy individuals. Moreover, more than one individual was found in most of the affected households. Podoconiosis-affected individuals started wearing shoes at later ages than healthy individuals, and their feet were observed to be more cracked and dirty. There is a recent increase in shoe-wearing among all study subjects. We concluded that intervention efforts should focus to address late age shoe-wearing and inequalities in education, income and marriage, between podoconiosis affected individuals, and particularly among female patients. In addition, the presence of more than one patient per household helps for targeted case identification for intervention.