Signature · 65 SNAP-authorized stores
Flathead County, MT
Flathead County lands in the lower national band on low-access (12.9%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 12.9%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 111K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Flathead County, MT
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 12.9% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -9.2 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 6.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 11% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Carbon County (+ 2.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Flathead County lands in the lower national band (12.9%, #2,278 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,278
- national by low-access %
- #51
- in MT
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 65 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Flathead County compares nationally
Flathead County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 12.9% low-access share that beats 27% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,281).
Flathead County's lower-band USDA tier split
19 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Flathead County has 7 urban and 12 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.
Flathead County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Montana, not a full county-board reprint
- Wibaux
Wibaux 100%
100 % low-access
- Gallatin 16.6
Gallatin 16.6%
16.6 % low-access
- Broadwater 15.4
Broadwater 15.4%
15.4 % low-access
- Stillwater 15.3
Stillwater 15.3%
15.3 % low-access
- Carbon 14.9
Carbon 14.9%
14.9 % low-access
- Flathead 12.9
Flathead 12.9%
12.9 % low-access
- Ravalli 2.7
Ravalli 2.7%
2.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 19 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 90,928 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 11,714 |
| Low-Access Share | 12.9%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,705 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 110,695 |
| Median Household Income | $73,925 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,870 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
Thick SNAP store book in Flathead County
Flathead County has 65 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 27 locations (42% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 27
- alpine village market, whitefish
- appleway conoco, kalispell
- bitterroot quick stop, marion
- brar food store, kalispell
- brians 76 1, kalispell
- brians conoco 2, kalispell
- cenex zip trip 39, kalispell
- cenex zip trip 40, kalispell
- cenex zip trip 41, kalispell
- cenex zip trip 69, whitefish
- cenex zip trip 71, hungry horse
- evergreen gas & deli, kalispell
- glacier gas n go, kalispell
- junction gas, columbia falls
- michaels west, kalispell
- papa's market, bigfork
- town pump of kalispell #3 0316, kalispell
- town pump of kalispell 7 2310, kalispell
- town pump of columbia falls #1 1145, columbia falls
- town pump of columbia falls 2 8910, columbia falls
- town pump of kalispell #5 159, kalispell
- town pump of kalispell 2 8916, kalispell
- town pump of kalispell 6, kalispell
- town pump of whitefish #2 1398, whitefish
- town pump of whitefish 2 4150, whitefish
- vic's market, whitefish
- woodland qwikstop, kalispell
Super Store · 9
- costco wholesale 1746, kalispell
- smiths food & drug center 168, columbia falls
- smiths food & drug center 172, kalispell
- super 1 foods 2650, kalispell
- super 1 foods 4720, kalispell
- super 1 foods 7050, columbia falls
- super 1 foods 7875, whitefish
- target stores t- 1540, kalispell
- walmart sc 2259, kalispell
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- dollar general 24789, columbia falls
- dollar tree 3146, kalispell
- dollar tree 6015, whitefish
- family dollar 12447, kalispell
- m & s meats, rollins
- rosauers 137, kalispell
- walgreens 09242, kalispell
- walgreens 12347, whitefish
Supermarket · 7
- albertsons 0018, kalispell
- bigfork harvest foods, bigfork
- blacktail grocery, lakeside
- canyon foods, hungry horse
- markus market, llc, whitefish
- safeway 2106, whitefish
- vitamin cottage natural food market u067, kalispell
Farmers' Market · 5
- bigfork village market, bigfork
- columbia falls community market ffab, columbia falls
- kalispell farmers market ffab, kalispell
- whitefish farmers market ffab, whitefish
- wicked good produce, whitefish
Bakery Specialty · 3
- franz family bakery outlet 9063, kalispell
- papa murphys take n bake pizza, kalispell
- papa murphys take n bake pizza mt017, kalispell
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- mountain valley foods, kalispell
- third market llc, whitefish
- witheys health food, kalispell
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- the apple barrel, kalispell
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- perfect cuts, columbia falls
Small Grocery Store · 1
- deli of europe, kalispell
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 Flathead County vs Beaverhead County → · All Montana counties →
Counties near Flathead County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Flathead 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 (12.9% here).
- Iosco County, MI · 12.9% low-access
- Iosco County, MI · 12.9% low-access
- Bay County, MI · 12.9% low-access
- Bay County, MI · 12.9% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MT (6.5% here).
- Ste. Genevieve County, MO · 6.5% SNAP
- Ste. Genevieve County, MO · 6.5% SNAP
- Buffalo County, NE · 6.5% SNAP
- Buffalo County, NE · 6.5% 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.
Flathead County inside a lower low-access state context
Flathead 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 Flathead County, MT are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 30029. 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.