Signature · 3 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts)
Benton County, MN
Benton County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 3 LILA tracts (33.3% of the book) alongside 30.0% low-access.
- 30.0%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 8.6%
- on SNAP
- 42K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Benton County, MN
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 30.0% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +7.9 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.1% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 33% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Nobles County ( -0.5 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Benton County sits in the upper national band (30.0%, #933 of 3,079) with 3 LILA tracts.
- #933
- national by low-access %
- #35
- in MN
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 3 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts) .
How Benton County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Benton County's 30.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 70% of them and ranked #934 most-affected nationwide.
Benton County's elevated USDA tier split
9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Benton County has 5 urban and 4 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Benton County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Minnesota, not a full county-board reprint
- Red Lake
Red Lake 99.2%
99.2 % low-access
- Steele 30.9
Steele 30.9%
30.9 % low-access
- Pipestone 30.8
Pipestone 30.8%
30.8 % low-access
- Benton 30
Benton 30%
30 % low-access
- Nobles 29.5
Nobles 29.5%
29.5 % low-access
- Scott 29.1
Scott 29.1%
29.1 % low-access
- Fillmore 2.7
Fillmore 2.7%
2.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 38,451 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 11,538 |
| Low-Access Share | 30.0%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,046 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 41,593 |
| Median Household Income | $74,410 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,432 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.2% |
Thick SNAP store book in Benton County
Benton County has 32 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 16 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 16
- casey's general store 1813, foley
- casey's general store 3643, sauk rapids
- freedom st germain, saint cloud
- freedom super mart, saint cloud
- holiday stationstore 2746541, sauk rapids
- holiday stationstore 2746543, sauk rapids
- holiday stationstore 2746548, sartell
- holiday stationstore 2746550, sauk rapids
- holiday stationstores 2746348, rice
- kwik trip 154, sauk rapids
- kwik trip 158, saint cloud
- lincoln general stop, saint cloud
- speedway 4371, sauk rapids
- speedway 4453, sauk rapids
- speedway 4861, foley
- t20, sauk rapids
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- dollar general 18569, foley
- dollar general 16224, rice
- dollar tree 5600, sauk rapids
- safari african market, saint cloud
- walgreens 13880, sauk rapids
Super Store · 5
- cash wise foods 3041, saint cloud
- coborn's 2002, foley
- coborn's marketplace 2001, sauk rapids
- maneas meat, sauk rapids
- target store 930, saint cloud
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- bill's superette 13, royalton
- minnesota halal meat & grocery, saint cloud
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys mn080, sauk rapids
Large Grocery Store · 1
- foley locker inc - grand champion meats, foley
Small Grocery Store · 1
- vk caribbean groceries, saint cloud
Supermarket · 1
- nick & drew's discount foods foley, foley
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Minnesota
One of 86 counties in Minnesota, 6 are shown here.
Compare Benton County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →
Counties near Benton County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Benton County, both outside Minnesota so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MN (30.0% here).
- Saginaw County, MI · 30.1% low-access
- Essex County, MA · 30.1% low-access
- Washoe County, NV · 30.1% low-access
- Crawford County, KS · 30.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MN (8.6% here).
- Macon County, MO · 8.6% SNAP
- Macon County, MO · 8.6% SNAP
- Scott County, KY · 8.6% SNAP
- Scott County, KY · 8.6% 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.
Benton County inside a higher low-access state context
Benton County sits inside Minnesota (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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, MN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 27009. 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.