Signature · 8.8% low-access (18th pct)
Cottonwood County, MN
Cottonwood County lands in the lower national band on low-access (8.8%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 8.8%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 9.4%
- on SNAP
- 11K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Cottonwood County, MN
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 8.8% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -13.3 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.4% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 25% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Mille Lacs County ( -1.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Cottonwood County lands in the lower national band (8.8%, #2,576 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,576
- national by low-access %
- #81
- in MN
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 241
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 8.8% low-access (18th pct) (-13.3 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Cottonwood County compares nationally
Cottonwood County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.8% low-access share that beats 18% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,579).
Cottonwood County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Cottonwood County has 0 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.
Cottonwood County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Minnesota, not a full county-board reprint
- Red Lake
Red Lake 99.2%
99.2 % low-access
- Lac qui Parle 11.4
Lac qui Parle 11.4%
11.4 % low-access
- Wabasha 10.5
Wabasha 10.5%
10.5 % low-access
- Cottonwood 8.8
Cottonwood 8.8%
8.8 % low-access
- Mille Lacs 7.8
Mille Lacs 7.8%
7.8 % low-access
- Wadena 7.4
Wadena 7.4%
7.4 % low-access
- Fillmore 2.7
Fillmore 2.7%
2.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 11,687 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,027 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.8%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 241 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,458 |
| Median Household Income | $72,941 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.0%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 437 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.4%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.3% |
SNAP retailers in Cottonwood County
Cottonwood County has 16 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 4 locations (25% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 4
- blessing karen asian market, windom
- dollar general 10337, windom
- dollar general 21288, mountain lake
- family dollar 13418, windom
Convenience Store · 4
- casey's 1776, windom
- casey's 3752, mountain lake
- kwik trip 1147, windom
- vet's whoa n' go windom, windom
Small Grocery Store · 3
- highwater creek meat market llc, jeffers
- latino universal 1 llc, windom
- latino universal 2 llc, mountain lake
Large Grocery Store · 2
- maynards of mountain lake 311, mountain lake
- maynards of westbrook w, westbrook
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- johnson's meat market, windom
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- ok boss grocery store, windom
Super Store · 1
- hy-vee foods 1892, windom
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Minnesota
One of 86 counties in Minnesota, 6 are shown here.
Compare Cottonwood County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →
Counties near Cottonwood County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Cottonwood County, both outside Minnesota so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MN (8.8% here).
- Henry County, OH · 8.8% low-access
- Henry County, OH · 8.8% low-access
- Delta County, CO · 8.8% low-access
- Delta County, CO · 8.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MN (9.4% here).
- Barry County, MI · 9.4% SNAP
- Barry County, MI · 9.4% SNAP
- Norfolk County, MA · 9.4% SNAP
- Norfolk 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.
Cottonwood County inside a lower low-access state context
Cottonwood County sits inside Minnesota (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 Cottonwood County, MN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 27033. 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.