Signature · 45 SNAP-authorized stores
Cerro Gordo County, IA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Cerro Gordo 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).
- 21.6%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 9.0%
- on SNAP
- 43K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Cerro Gordo County, IA
LA-ELEVATED · PHOTO-FINISH · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 21.6% low-access
- PHOTO-FINISH -0.5 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.0% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 18% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Shelby County (+ 0.3 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Cerro Gordo County ranks #1,556 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #37 of 98 counties in IA (21.6% low-access; 2 food-desert tracts).
- #1,556
- national by low-access %
- #37
- in IA
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- 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: 45 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Cerro Gordo County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Cerro Gordo County's 21.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 50% of them and ranked #1,557 most-affected nationwide.
Cerro Gordo County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
11 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Cerro Gordo County has 7 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.
Cerro Gordo County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Floyd 22.2
Floyd 22.2%
22.2 % low-access
- Dallas 22.1
Dallas 22.1%
22.1 % low-access
- Union 22.1
Union 22.1%
22.1 % low-access
- Shelby 21.9
Shelby 21.9%
21.9 % low-access
- Cerro Gordo 21.6
Cerro Gordo 21.6%
21.6 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 44,151 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,549 |
| Low-Access Share | 21.6%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,416 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 42,632 |
| Median Household Income | $68,189 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,760 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Cerro Gordo County
Cerro Gordo County has 45 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 23 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 23
- casey's general store 1893, mason city
- casey's general store 1896, clear lake
- casey's general store 2437, mason city
- casey's general store 2458, mason city
- caseys general store 019, mason city
- caseys general store 1427, clear lake
- hy-vee gas #2 5413, mason city
- kwik star 1027, mason city
- kwik star 1066, clear lake
- kwik star 1077, mason city
- kwik star 1085, mason city
- kwik star 223, clear lake
- liquor tobacco &grocery, mason city
- malik's 3, mason city
- mason mart, mason city
- maverik 5120, clear lake
- mega saver 74, clear lake
- pilot travel center 407, clear lake
- sama inc., mason city
- tobacco outlet plus 552, mason city
- yesway 10019, mason city
- yesway 10032, mason city
- yesway 1011, mason city
Combination Grocery/Other · 7
- dollar general 23916, mason city
- dollar general 4616, clear lake
- dollar general 6730, mason city
- dollar tree 2480, mason city
- dollar tree 8598, mason city
- family dollar 4844, mason city
- walgreens 5941, mason city
Super Store · 6
- fareway stores, inc. 491, mason city
- fareway stores, inc. 705, clear lake
- hy-vee food store 1410, mason city
- hy-vee food store 1413, mason city
- target store 0804, mason city
- walmart sc 810, mason city
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 72047, mason city
- clear lake payless foods, clear lake
- hy-vee drug store 7056, mason city
Farmers' Market · 2
- clear lake farmers market, clear lake
- n iowa farmers market dba mason city farmers mkt, mason city
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- midtown liquor, mason city
- pinoy asian market, mason city
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's ia006, mason city
Large Grocery Store · 1
- loue's custom meats, clear lake
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 Cerro Gordo County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Nationwide peers for Cerro Gordo County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Cerro Gordo County, both outside Iowa so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IA (21.6% here).
- Boyle County, KY · 21.6% low-access
- Boyle County, KY · 21.6% low-access
- Breathitt County, KY · 21.6% low-access
- Breathitt County, KY · 21.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (9.0% here).
- Shawnee County, KS · 9.0% SNAP
- Shawnee County, KS · 9.0% SNAP
- Clinton County, IL · 9.0% SNAP
- Clinton County, IL · 9.0% 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.
Food access nationally, Iowa in context
Cerro Gordo County sits inside Iowa (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 Cerro Gordo County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19033. 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.