Signature · 7.0% SNAP (29th pct in IA)
Cherokee County, IA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Cherokee 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).
- 23.3%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 7.0%
- on SNAP
- 12K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Cherokee County, IA
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ELEVATED 23.3% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.2 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.0% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Dubuque County (+ 0.0 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Cherokee County ranks #1,416 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #27 of 98 counties in IA (23.3% low-access).
- #1,416
- national by low-access %
- #27
- in IA
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 728
- 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: 7.0% SNAP (29th pct in IA) (-5.1 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Cherokee County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Cherokee County's 23.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 55% of them and ranked #1,421 most-affected nationwide.
Cherokee County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Cherokee County has 1 urban and 3 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.
Cherokee County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Jackson 24
Jackson 24%
24 % low-access
- Cherokee 23.3
Cherokee 23.3%
23.3 % low-access
- Dubuque 23.3
Dubuque 23.3%
23.3 % low-access
- Story 23.1
Story 23.1%
23.1 % low-access
- Cedar 22.6
Cedar 22.6%
22.6 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 12,072 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,813 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.3%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 728 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,600 |
| Median Household Income | $71,269 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.1%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 353 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.0%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.7%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.4% |
SNAP retailers in Cherokee County
Cherokee County has 9 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 4 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 4
- casey's 3961, marcus
- casey's general store 2270, aurelia
- casey's general store 3037, cherokee
- cherokee country store 07, cherokee
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollartree 8188, cherokee
- dollar general 2837, cherokee
Super Store · 2
- fareway stores, inc. 502, cherokee
- hy-vee food store 01068, cherokee
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- jeffs foods, marcus
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 Cherokee County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Nationwide peers for Cherokee County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Cherokee County (7.0%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Iowa.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IA (23.3% here).
- Benewah County, ID · 23.3% low-access
- Benewah County, ID · 23.3% low-access
- Larimer County, CO · 23.3% low-access
- Larimer County, CO · 23.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (7.0% here).
- Posey County, IN · 7.0% SNAP
- Posey County, IN · 7.0% SNAP
- Barton County, KS · 7.0% SNAP
- Barton County, KS · 7.0% 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
Cherokee 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 Cherokee County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19035. 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.