Signature · 1 LILA tracts (50% of tracts)
Benewah County, ID
Benewah County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (50% of the book) alongside 23.3% low-access.
- 23.3%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 10.6%
- on SNAP
- 10K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Benewah County, ID
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 23.3% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.2 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 10.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 50% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Jerome County (+ 1.3 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Benewah County ranks #1,414 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #22 of 44 counties in ID (23.3% low-access; 1 food-desert tracts).
- #1,414
- national by low-access %
- #22
- in ID
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 858
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 1 LILA tracts (50% of tracts) .
How Benewah County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Benewah County's 23.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 55% of them and ranked #1,414 most-affected nationwide.
Benewah County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
2 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
All 2 of Benewah County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Benewah County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Idaho, not a full county-board reprint
- Clark
Clark 100%
100 % low-access
- Adams 25.5
Adams 25.5%
25.5 % low-access
- Jerome 24.6
Jerome 24.6%
24.6 % low-access
- Benewah 23.3
Benewah 23.3%
23.3 % low-access
- Custer 21.5
Custer 21.5%
21.5 % low-access
- Madison 21.5
Madison 21.5%
21.5 % low-access
- Gooding 0.8
Gooding 0.8%
0.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 2 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 9,285 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,165 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.3%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 858 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 10,142 |
| Median Household Income | $59,794 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.9%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 432 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
Slim SNAP store book in Benewah County
Benewah County has 5 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 3 locations (60% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Where the store book sits, by town
5 towns share the 5 authorized stores; Fernwood holds 20% of them. 4 of the 5 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Plummer, Saint Maries, St Maries, Tensed.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Fernwood | 1 | 1 |
| Plummer | 1 | none |
| Saint Maries | 1 | none |
| St Maries | 1 | none |
| Tensed | 1 | none |
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- archie's iga, st maries
- benewah family foods, plummer
- harvest foods, saint maries
Convenience Store · 1
- the big store, tensed
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- fernwood mercantile, fernwood
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Idaho
One of 43 counties in Idaho, 6 are shown here.
Compare Benewah County vs Ada County → · All Idaho counties →
Nationwide peers for Benewah County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Benewah County, both outside Idaho so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside ID (23.3% here).
- Cherokee County, IA · 23.3% low-access
- Dubuque County, IA · 23.3% low-access
- Larimer County, CO · 23.3% low-access
- Pope County, AR · 23.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside ID (10.6% here).
- Jones County, IA · 10.6% SNAP
- Sussex County, DE · 10.6% SNAP
- Bossier Parish, LA · 10.6% SNAP
- Presque Isle County, MI · 10.6% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Idaho among Mountain states
Idaho ranks 4th of 8 Mountain states by population-weighted low-access (25.8%). Benewah County, at 23.3%, runs 2.5 pts below the Idaho rate.
- New Mexico 31.7%
- Wyoming 29.7%
- Arizona 26.8%
- Idaho 25.8%
- Utah 23.9%
- Nevada 23.0%
- Montana 22.3%
- Colorado 21.5%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Benewah County, ID are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 16009. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.