Signature · 1 LILA tracts (25% of tracts)
Emmet County, IA
Emmet County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (25% of the book) alongside 31.3% low-access.
- 31.3%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 8.5%
- on SNAP
- 9K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Emmet County, IA
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 31.3% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +9.2 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.1% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 25% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Pottawattamie County ( -0.7 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Emmet County sits in the upper national band (31.3%, #858 of 3,079) with 1 LILA tracts.
- #858
- national by low-access %
- #8
- in IA
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 1 LILA tracts (25% of tracts) .
How Emmet County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Emmet County's 31.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 72% of them and ranked #858 most-affected nationwide.
Emmet County's elevated USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Emmet 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.
Emmet County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Webster
Webster 32.3%
32.3 % low-access
- Crawford
Crawford 32.1%
32.1 % low-access
- Emmet
Emmet 31.3%
31.3 % low-access
- Pottawattamie
Pottawattamie 30.6%
30.6 % low-access
- Des Moines 30.1
Des Moines 30.1%
30.1 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 10,302 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,225 |
| Low-Access Share | 31.3%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,140 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 9,262 |
| Median Household Income | $63,730 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 344 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.9% |
SNAP retailers in Emmet County
Emmet County has 11 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 6 locations (55% of the total), followed by super store.
Where the store book sits, by town
2 towns share the 11 authorized stores; Estherville holds 82% of them. 1 of the 2 towns has no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Armstrong.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Estherville | 9 | 3 |
| Armstrong | 2 | none |
Convenience Store · 6
- casey's 1328, estherville
- casey's general store 3029, armstrong
- casey's general store 3034, estherville
- caseys general store 1329, estherville
- hi-way grocery, armstrong
- kwik star 1025, estherville
Super Store · 2
- fareway stores, inc. 407, estherville
- hy-vee food store 1170, estherville
Combination Grocery/Other · 1
- dollar general store 4345, estherville
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- las palmas llc, estherville
Small Grocery Store · 1
- scorpio latin market, estherville
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 Emmet County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Iowa among West North Central states
Iowa ranks 7th of 7 West North Central states by population-weighted low-access (20.0%). Emmet County, at 31.3%, runs 11.3 pts above 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 Emmet County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19063. 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.