Signature · 4.0% low-access (8th pct)
Fayette County, IA
Fayette County lands in the lower national band on low-access (4.0%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 4.0%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 8.3%
- on SNAP
- 19K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Fayette County, IA
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 4.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -18.1 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Taylor County (+ 0.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Fayette County lands in the lower national band (4.0%, #2,866 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,866
- national by low-access %
- #94
- in IA
- 0
- low-access tracts
- 359
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 4.0% low-access (8th pct) (-18.1 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Fayette County compares nationally
Food access in Fayette County compares favorably nationally: its 4.0% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 8% of them (rank #2,866).
Fayette County's lower-band USDA tier split
7 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Fayette County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (5 rural, 2 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 2 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Fayette County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Poweshiek 6.1
Poweshiek 6.1%
6.1 % low-access
- Iowa 5.1
Iowa 5.1%
5.1 % low-access
- Taylor 4.2
Taylor 4.2%
4.2 % low-access
- Fayette 4
Fayette 4%
4 % low-access
- Clayton 2.5
Clayton 2.5%
2.5 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 20,880 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 0 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 842 |
| Low-Access Share | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 359 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 19,288 |
| Median Household Income | $60,165 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.0%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 695 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.3%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.7%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.8% |
SNAP retailers in Fayette County
Fayette County has 16 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 8 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
8 towns share the 16 authorized stores; Oelwein holds 44% of them. 5 of the 8 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Arlington, Clermont, Fayette, Hawkeye, Maynard.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Oelwein | 7 | 2 |
| West Union | 3 | 1 |
| Arlington | 1 | none |
| Clermont | 1 | none |
| Elgin | 1 | 1 |
| Fayette | 1 | none |
| Hawkeye | 1 | none |
| Maynard | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 8
- 6 corners gas & grub, arlington
- casey's 2682, oelwein
- casey's general store 2639, maynard
- casey's general store 3452, west union
- casey's general store 3534, clermont
- gas & goods, hawkeye
- kwik star 665, oelwein
- oelwein mart, oelwein
Combination Grocery/Other · 4
- dollar general 20268, fayette
- dollar general 2328, oelwein
- dollar general 7653, west union
- dollar tree 7586, oelwein
Super Store · 2
- dollar fresh 1459, oelwein
- fareway stores, inc. 412, oelwein
Large Grocery Store · 1
- valley fresh market, elgin
Supermarket · 1
- quillins quality foods west union 17, west union
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 Fayette County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Counties near Fayette County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Fayette 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 (4.0% here).
- Russell County, KY · 4.0% low-access
- Hancock County, ME · 4.0% low-access
- Polk County, TN · 4.0% low-access
- Harvey County, KS · 4.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (8.3% here).
- Lawrence County, IN · 8.3% SNAP
- Reno County, KS · 8.3% SNAP
- Gooding County, ID · 8.3% SNAP
- Dickinson County, MI · 8.3% 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%). Fayette County, at 4.0%, runs 16.0 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 Fayette County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19065. 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.