Signature · 4.8% SNAP (7th pct in IA)
Benton County, IA
Benton County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 17.0%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 4.8%
- on SNAP
- 26K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Benton County, IA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 17.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -5.1 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 4.8% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Muscatine County (+ 0.0 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Benton County ranks #1,939 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #47 of 98 counties in IA (17.0% low-access).
- #1,939
- national by low-access %
- #47
- in IA
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- 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: 4.8% SNAP (7th pct in IA) (-7.3 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Benton County compares nationally
Benton County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.0% low-access share that beats 38% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,939).
Benton County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
7 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Benton County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (6 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Benton County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Benton 17
Benton 17%
17 % low-access
- Muscatine 17
Muscatine 17%
17 % low-access
- Buena Vista 16.6
Buena Vista 16.6%
16.6 % low-access
- Monona 16.3
Monona 16.3%
16.3 % low-access
- Jasper 16.2
Jasper 16.2%
16.2 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 26,076 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,427 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.0%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,116 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 25,724 |
| Median Household Income | $86,962 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.4%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 491 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.8%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
SNAP retailers in Benton County
Benton County has 23 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 11 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
9 towns share the 23 authorized stores; Vinton holds 30% of them. 6 of the 9 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Atkins, Urbana, Keystone, Newhall, Norway, Van Horne.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Vinton | 7 | 2 |
| Belle Plaine | 5 | 1 |
| Atkins | 3 | none |
| Shellsburg | 2 | 1 |
| Urbana | 2 | none |
| Keystone | 1 | none |
| Newhall | 1 | none |
| Norway | 1 | none |
| Van Horne | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 11
- casey's 4317, vinton
- casey's general store 3513, belle plaine
- casey's 4647, atkins
- casey's general store 3294, urbana
- casey's general store 3717, vinton
- kwik star 1076, vinton
- shellsburgs quickstop, shellsburg
- the depot atkins llc, atkins
- the depot norway llc, norway
- the depot van horne llc, van horne
- zip mart, belle plaine
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- dollar general 22854, newhall
- dollar general 23186, atkins
- dollar general 25492, keystone
- dollar general 3819, vinton
- dollar general 6648, belle plaine
- dollar general store 17431, urbana
- family dollar 13149, vinton
- family dollar 13643, belle plaine
Super Store · 2
- dollar fresh 1825, vinton
- fareway stores, inc. 462, vinton
Large Grocery Store · 1
- country foods, belle plaine
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- shellsburg grocery, shellsburg
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Iowa
One of 98 counties in Iowa, 6 are shown here.
Compare Benton County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Nationwide peers for Benton County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Benton County (4.8%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Iowa.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IA (17.0% here).
- Grand Traverse County, MI · 17.0% low-access
- Lancaster County, NE · 17.0% low-access
- Lauderdale County, AL · 17.0% low-access
- Montgomery County, NC · 17.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (4.8% here).
- Fayette County, GA · 4.8% SNAP
- Livingston County, MI · 4.8% SNAP
- Ralls County, MO · 4.8% SNAP
- Holmes County, OH · 4.8% 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.
Iowa among West North Central states
Iowa ranks 7th of 7 West North Central states by population-weighted low-access (20.0%). Benton County, at 17.0%, runs 3.0 pts below the Iowa rate.
- South Dakota 29.1%
- North Dakota 28.9%
- Minnesota 27.4%
- Kansas 26.4%
- Missouri 24.9%
- Nebraska 21.9%
- Iowa 20.0%
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 Benton County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19011. 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.