Signature · 4.5% SNAP (4th pct in IA)
Dickinson County, IA
Dickinson County lands in the lower national band on low-access (8.4%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 8.4%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 4.5%
- on SNAP
- 18K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Dickinson County, IA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 8.4% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -13.7 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 4.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Hardin County (+ 0.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Dickinson County lands in the lower national band (8.4%, #2,607 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,607
- national by low-access %
- #84
- in IA
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 314
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 4.5% SNAP (4th pct in IA) (-7.6 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Dickinson County compares nationally
Dickinson County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.4% low-access share that beats 17% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,607).
Dickinson County's lower-band USDA tier split
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Dickinson 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.
Dickinson County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Hardin 8.6
Hardin 8.6%
8.6 % low-access
- Johnson 8.6
Johnson 8.6%
8.6 % low-access
- Dickinson 8.4
Dickinson 8.4%
8.4 % low-access
- Worth 8.1
Worth 8.1%
8.1 % low-access
- Adair 8
Adair 8%
8 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 16,667 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,399 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.4%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 314 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 17,990 |
| Median Household Income | $75,432 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.6%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 397 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
SNAP retailers in Dickinson County
Dickinson County has 19 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 11 locations (58% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
6 towns share the 19 authorized stores; Spirit Lake holds 47% of them. 4 of the 6 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Okoboji, Arnolds Park, Lake Park, Lake Part.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit Lake | 9 | 3 |
| Milford | 5 | 1 |
| Okoboji | 2 | none |
| Arnolds Park | 1 | none |
| Lake Park | 1 | none |
| Lake Part | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 11
- brew #15, milford
- carstensen's meat and grocery, lake park
- casey's general store 2487, spirit lake
- casey's general store 2681, okoboji
- caseys general store 1315, arnolds park
- caseys general store 1316, milford
- kwik star 1153, milford
- kwik trip 1012, spirit lake
- mega saver 62, spirit lake
- mega saver 64, okoboji
- wilder thymes natural foods, spirit lake
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- dollar general 19991, lake part
- dollar general 17926, milford
- dollar tree 7828, spirit lake
Super Store · 3
- fareway stores, inc. 850, spirit lake
- hy-vee food store 01628, spirit lake
- walmart sc 1415, spirit lake
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys 043, spirit lake
Supermarket · 1
- sunshine foods 9037, milford
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 Dickinson County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Counties near Dickinson County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Dickinson County (4.5%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Iowa.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IA (8.4% here).
- Fountain County, IN · 8.4% low-access
- Leslie County, KY · 8.4% low-access
- Washington Parish, LA · 8.4% low-access
- Levy County, FL · 8.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (4.5% here).
- Hancock County, IN · 4.5% SNAP
- Scott County, MN · 4.5% SNAP
- Saline County, NE · 4.5% SNAP
- Kendall County, TX · 4.5% 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%). Dickinson County, at 8.4%, runs 11.6 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 Dickinson County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19059. 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.