Signature · 6.5% SNAP (17th pct in IA)
Cedar County, IA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Cedar 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).
- 22.6%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 18K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Cedar County, IA
LA-ELEVATED · PHOTO-FINISH · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ELEVATED 22.6% low-access
- PHOTO-FINISH +0.5 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 6.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 2.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Mitchell County ( -0.3 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Cedar County ranks #1,472 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #30 of 98 counties in IA (22.6% low-access).
- #1,472
- national by low-access %
- #30
- in IA
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 895
- 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: 6.5% SNAP (17th pct in IA) (-5.6 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Cedar County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Cedar County's 22.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 53% of them and ranked #1,472 most-affected nationwide.
Cedar County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Cedar County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (4 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Cedar County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Story 23.1
Story 23.1%
23.1 % low-access
- Cedar 22.6
Cedar 22.6%
22.6 % low-access
- Mitchell 22.3
Mitchell 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Pocahontas 22.3
Pocahontas 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Floyd 22.2
Floyd 22.2%
22.2 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 18,499 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,172 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.6%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 895 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 18,349 |
| Median Household Income | $80,602 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.3%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 497 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 2.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
SNAP retailers in Cedar County
Cedar County has 18 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 10 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
8 towns share the 18 authorized stores; Tipton holds 39% of them. 5 of the 8 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Clarence, Atalissa, Lowden, Mechanicsville, Stanwood.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Tipton | 7 | 3 |
| West Branch | 3 | 1 |
| Clarence | 2 | none |
| Durant | 2 | 1 |
| Atalissa | 1 | none |
| Lowden | 1 | none |
| Mechanicsville | 1 | none |
| Stanwood | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 10
- casey's general store 2684, durant
- casey's general store 2898, clarence
- casey's general store 2989, mechanicsville
- casey's general store 3463, west branch
- caseys general store 072, tipton
- cedar country store, lowden
- maverik 5079, west branch
- maverik 5152, tipton
- pilot travel center 496, atalissa
- sundstop 4, clarence
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollar general 20729, stanwood
- dollar general 7306, tipton
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- jack & jill store, west branch
- jeffs market, durant
Super Store · 2
- family foods, tipton
- walmart 841, tipton
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- tipton meat locker, tipton
Supermarket · 1
- brothers market llc 17, tipton
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 Cedar County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Nationwide peers for Cedar County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Cedar County (6.5%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Iowa.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IA (22.6% here).
- LaSalle Parish, LA · 22.6% low-access
- Howard County, MD · 22.6% low-access
- Audrain County, MO · 22.6% low-access
- Santa Cruz County, CA · 22.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (6.5% here).
- Whitley County, IN · 6.5% SNAP
- Johnson County, IN · 6.5% SNAP
- Butler County, KS · 6.5% SNAP
- Lyon County, KS · 6.5% 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%). Cedar County, at 22.6%, runs 2.6 pts above 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 Cedar County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19031. 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.