Signature · 1 LILA tracts (50% of tracts)
Fergus County, MT
Fergus County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (50% of the book) alongside 39.4% low-access.
- 39.4%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 7.3%
- on SNAP
- 12K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Fergus County, MT
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 39.4% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +17.3 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.3% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 9.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 50% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: McCone County (+ 0.7 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Fergus County sits in the upper national band (39.4%, #419 of 3,079) with 1 LILA tracts.
- #419
- national by low-access %
- #23
- in MT
- 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 (50% of tracts) .
How Fergus County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Fergus County's 39.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 87% of them and ranked #421 most-affected nationwide.
Fergus County's elevated USDA tier split
2 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Fergus County has 1 urban and 1 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.
Fergus County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Montana, not a full county-board reprint
- Wibaux
Wibaux 100%
100 % low-access
- Big Horn
Big Horn 42.5%
42.5 % low-access
- Valley
Valley 41.9%
41.9 % low-access
- Park
Park 41.6%
41.6 % low-access
- McCone
McCone 40.1%
40.1 % low-access
- Fergus 39.4
Fergus 39.4%
39.4 % low-access
- Ravalli 2.7
Ravalli 2.7%
2.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 2 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 11,586 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,563 |
| Low-Access Share | 39.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,381 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,687 |
| Median Household Income | $63,706 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.1%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 389 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.3%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.4%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.6% |
SNAP retailers in Fergus County
Fergus County has 6 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 1 locations (17% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 1
- family dollar 12629, lewistown
Convenience Store · 1
- town pump of lewistown 3000, lewistown
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- custom cuts, lewistown
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- big sky grocery, moore
Super Store · 1
- town & country foods lewistown 6, lewistown
Supermarket · 1
- albertsons 0019, lewistown
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Montana
One of 55 counties in Montana, 6 are shown here.
Compare Fergus County vs Beaverhead County → · All Montana counties →
Counties near Fergus County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Fergus County, both outside Montana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MT (39.4% here).
- Lincoln County, WA · 39.4% low-access
- Lincoln County, WA · 39.4% low-access
- Clarke County, AL · 39.4% low-access
- Clarke County, AL · 39.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MT (7.3% here).
- Itawamba County, MS · 7.3% SNAP
- Itawamba County, MS · 7.3% SNAP
- Todd County, MN · 7.3% SNAP
- Todd County, MN · 7.3% 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.
Fergus County inside a higher low-access state context
Fergus County sits inside Montana (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 Fergus County, MT are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 30027. 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.