PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Minnesota

Carver County, MN

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

38.3%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
3.7%
on SNAP
110K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MN

The food-access picture

38.3% of Carver County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.

12
low-access tracts
3K
food-desert residents
3.8%
households, no vehicle
4.4%
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 Carver County's low-access share at 38.3%, above the national share. 12 of the county's 19 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 34,859 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.

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 Carver County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Carver County's 38.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 85% of them and ranked #469 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Carver County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 19 census tracts in Carver 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 Carver County, MN USDA-defined food-access tiers: 7 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 12 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 19 tracts evaluated. 7 tracts adequate (36.8%) 12 tracts limited (63.2%) Adequate 37% Limited 63% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Carver County, MN
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Carver 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 Carver County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts19
Atlas Population (2010 basis)91,042
Low-Access Tracts12
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population34,859
Low-Access Share38.3%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,431

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Carver County
IndicatorValue
Population110,041
Median Household Income$125,946
Poverty Rate4.4%well below the national average
SNAP Households1,504
SNAP Participation Rate3.7%well below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle3.8%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.9%
SNAP participation in Carver County 3.7%

About 3.7% of Carver County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 38.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 3.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,504 households here.
  • 3.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • Median household income is $125,946 with a 4.4% poverty rate.

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 Carver County

above the national share

A further 12 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 12.

An estimated 34,859 residents, roughly 38.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 3,431 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 7 tracts (36.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Carver County

Carver County has 48 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 20 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 20

  • chaska market, chaska
  • casey's 4271, waconia
  • casey's general store 3591, mayer
  • holiday stationstore 2746067, chaska
  • holiday stationstore 2746199, chanhassen
  • holiday stationstore 2746340, chaska
  • holiday stationstore 2746360, victoria
  • holiday stationstore 2746371, norwood young america
  • holiday stationstore 2746467, waconia
  • holiday stationstores 2746012, excelsior
  • kwik trip 402, chanhassen
  • kwik trip 460, waconia
  • kwik trip 1095, carver
  • kwik trip 1173, waconia
  • kwik trip 492, chanhassen
  • kwik trip 854, norwood young america
  • kwik trip 886, chaska
  • speedway 4095, chaska
  • speedway 4507, chaska
  • superamerica # 4519 4519, chaska

Combination Grocery/Other · 10

  • cvs pharmacy 1747, chanhassen
  • dollartree 7198, waconia
  • dollar general 31324, mayer
  • dollar tree 7654, chaska
  • family dollar store 6540, young america
  • mackenthun's fine foods, waconia
  • von hanson's meats of chaska, chaska
  • walgreens 05325, chaska
  • walgreens 09728, chanhassen
  • walgreens 11690, waconia

Supermarket · 8

  • aldi 72006, chanhassen
  • aldi 72028, chaska
  • aldi 72026, waconia
  • cub foods 1644, chanhassen
  • cub foods chaska 5613, chaska
  • lakewinds natural foods, chanhassen
  • lunds & byerlys 1012, chanhassen
  • marketplace foods, watertown

Super Store · 4

  • costco wholesale 1646, chaska
  • target store 1352, chaska
  • target store 2449, waconia
  • target store 862, chanhassen

Bakery Specialty · 3

  • papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza mn035, chanhassen
  • papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza mn069, waconia
  • papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza mn070, chaska

Farmers' Market · 2

  • chanhassen farmers market, chanhassen
  • downtown chaska farmers market, chaska

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • von hanson's meats of chanhassen, chanhassen

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
Beltrami County
32.3% low-access · 13.5% SNAP
Benton County
30.0% low-access · 8.6% SNAP
Big Stone County
38.4% low-access · 9.5% SNAP

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

Food access nationally, Minnesota in context

Carver 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 Carver County has low food access? ▼
38.3% of residents in Carver 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 Carver County? ▼
3.7% of households in Carver County receive SNAP, covering 1,504 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Carver County? ▼
The poverty rate in Carver County, MN is 4.4%, with a median household income of $125,946 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Carver County a food desert? ▼
0 of Carver County's 19 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). No tracts here meet both conditions in the 2019 Atlas.
What share of Carver County households lack a vehicle? ▼
3.8% of households in Carver 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.