PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Minnesota

Beltrami County, MN

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

32.3%
low-access pop.
5
food-desert tracts
13.5%
on SNAP
47K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MN

The food-access picture

32.3% of Beltrami County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

7
low-access tracts
7K
food-desert residents
5.9%
households, no vehicle
16.1%
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 Beltrami County's low-access share at 32.3%, above the national share. 7 of the county's 10 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 14,360 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,991 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 Beltrami County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Beltrami County's 32.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 75% of them and ranked #795 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Beltrami County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 10 census tracts in Beltrami 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 Beltrami County, MN USDA-defined food-access tiers: 3 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 5 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 10 tracts evaluated. 3 tracts adequate (30.0%) 2 tracts limited (20.0%) 5 tracts severe / food desert (50.0%) Adequate 30% Limited 20% Severe 50% Food-access tier distribution: Beltrami County, MN
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Beltrami County vs. other Minnesota counties

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

% 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 Beltrami County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts10
Atlas Population (2010 basis)44,442
Low-Access Tracts7
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)5
Low-Access Population14,360
Low-Access Share32.3%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population6,991

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Beltrami County
IndicatorValue
Population46,512
Median Household Income$68,975
Poverty Rate16.1%above the national average
SNAP Households2,447
SNAP Participation Rate13.5%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.9%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population4.2%
SNAP participation in Beltrami County 13.5%

About 13.5% of Beltrami County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 32.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 13.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,447 households here.
  • 5.9% 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 Beltrami County

above the national share

5 of Beltrami County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 50.0% of all its tracts.

A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.

An estimated 14,360 residents, roughly 32.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 6,991 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 3 tracts (30.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Beltrami County

Beltrami County has 39 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 17

  • 4th street tesoro, bemidji
  • 71 mart, bemidji
  • cenex north, bemidji
  • circle k 2746565, bemidji
  • holiday stationstore 2746104, bemidji
  • lakes market n/a, bemidji
  • lueken's food & fuel, bemidji
  • northdale oil, bemidji
  • northdale oil, bemidji
  • ortons bemidji cenex 225, bemidji
  • petes place south, bemidji
  • petro serve usa #57, bemidji
  • scenic store, pennington
  • simonson station - bemidji 11, bemidji
  • the other store, redby
  • village one stop, kelliher
  • wilton petroleum inc, bemidji

Combination Grocery/Other · 8

  • cvs 10756, bemidji
  • dollar general 18381, blackduck
  • dollar general 21383, bemidji
  • dollar general 23153, bemidji
  • dollar general 23743, bemidji
  • dollar tree 2435, bemidji
  • stittsworth meats, bemidji
  • walgreens 09633, bemidji

Super Store · 4

  • lueken's village foods south, bemidji
  • luekens food store, bemidji
  • target store 657, bemidji
  • walmart supercenter 3233, bemidji

Supermarket · 4

  • aldi 72117, bemidji
  • blackduck leevers foods, blackduck
  • harmony natural food cooperative, bemidji
  • red lake trading post, red lake

Farmers' Market · 3

  • ashange farmer's market, redlake
  • bemidji area farmers market, bemidji
  • bemidji's natural choice farmers market, bemidji

Bakery Specialty · 1

  • papa murphys take n bake pizza mn 052, bemidji

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • bemidji downtown meats, bemidji

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • ponemah market, ponemah

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Minnesota

Aitkin County
33.8% low-access · 8.9% SNAP
Anoka County
38.3% low-access · 7.2% SNAP
Becker County
34.5% low-access · 11.6% SNAP
Benton County
30.0% low-access · 8.6% SNAP
Big Stone County
38.4% low-access · 9.5% SNAP
Blue Earth County
38.9% low-access · 8.8% SNAP

Compare Beltrami County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →

Food access nationally, Minnesota in context

Beltrami County sits inside Minnesota (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 Beltrami County has low food access? ▼
32.3% of residents in Beltrami County, MN 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 Beltrami County? ▼
13.5% of households in Beltrami County receive SNAP, covering 2,447 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Beltrami County? ▼
The poverty rate in Beltrami County, MN is 16.1%, with a median household income of $68,975 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Beltrami County a food desert? ▼
5 of Beltrami County's 10 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 Beltrami County households lack a vehicle? ▼
5.9% of households in Beltrami 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.