Signature · 14.9% low-access (32nd pct)
Clay County, IA
Clay County lands in the lower national band on low-access (14.9%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 14.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 9.4%
- on SNAP
- 16K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Clay County, IA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 14.9% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -7.2 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.4% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Tama County (+ 0.5 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Clay County lands in the lower national band (14.9%, #2,124 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,124
- national by low-access %
- #57
- in IA
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 761
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 14.9% low-access (32nd pct) (-7.2 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Clay County compares nationally
Clay County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.9% low-access share that beats 32% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,124).
Clay County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Clay County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (2 rural, 2 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 2 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Clay County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Appanoose 15.7
Appanoose 15.7%
15.7 % low-access
- Jones 15.6
Jones 15.6%
15.6 % low-access
- Tama 15.4
Tama 15.4%
15.4 % low-access
- Clay 14.9
Clay 14.9%
14.9 % low-access
- Buchanan 14.1
Buchanan 14.1%
14.1 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 16,667 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,476 |
| Low-Access Share | 14.9%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 761 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 16,461 |
| Median Household Income | $65,428 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.4%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 683 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.4%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.9% |
SNAP retailers in Clay County
Clay County has 15 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 5 locations (33% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 15 authorized stores; Spencer holds 80% of them. 2 of the 3 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Sioux Rapids, Royal.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Spencer | 12 | 3 |
| Sioux Rapids | 2 | none |
| Royal | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 5
- casey's 2877, spencer
- casey's general store 2274, sioux rapids
- casey's general store 2902, spencer
- hy-vee fast and fresh 5636, spencer
- kwik star 1259, spencer
Combination Grocery/Other · 4
- dollar general 30242, spencer
- dollar general 31359, sioux rapids
- dollar tree 1718, spencer
- walgreens 11153, spencer
Super Store · 3
- fareway stores, inc. 788, spencer
- hy-vee food store 1636, spencer
- walmart sc 2714, spencer
Farmers' Market · 2
- janssen honey farms, llc, spencer
- spencer farmers market, spencer
Small Grocery Store · 1
- fredericks market, royal
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.
Counties near Clay County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Clay 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 (14.9% here).
- Marshall County, IN · 14.9% low-access
- Carbon County, MT · 14.9% low-access
- Ventura County, CA · 14.9% low-access
- San Diego County, CA · 14.9% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (9.4% here).
- Cass County, IN · 9.4% SNAP
- Lake County, IL · 9.4% SNAP
- Calloway County, KY · 9.4% SNAP
- Barnstable County, MA · 9.4% 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%). Clay County, at 14.9%, runs 5.1 pts below 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 Clay County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19041. 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.