Signature · 28 SNAP-authorized stores
Freeborn County, MN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Freeborn County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 23.7%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 9.5%
- on SNAP
- 31K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Freeborn County, MN
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 23.7% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.6 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Otter Tail County ( -0.3 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Freeborn County ranks #1,382 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #49 of 87 counties in MN (23.7% low-access; 2 food-desert tracts).
- #1,382
- national by low-access %
- #49
- in MN
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA).
Signature read: 28 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Freeborn County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Freeborn County's 23.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 56% of them and ranked #1,387 most-affected nationwide.
Freeborn County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
10 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Freeborn County has 4 urban and 6 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.
Freeborn County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Minnesota, not a full county-board reprint
- Red Lake
Red Lake 99.2%
99.2 % low-access
- Stearns 25.3
Stearns 25.3%
25.3 % low-access
- Douglas 24.7
Douglas 24.7%
24.7 % low-access
- Freeborn 23.7
Freeborn 23.7%
23.7 % low-access
- Otter Tail 23.4
Otter Tail 23.4%
23.4 % low-access
- Hubbard 23.1
Hubbard 23.1%
23.1 % low-access
- Fillmore 2.7
Fillmore 2.7%
2.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 31,255 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 7,407 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.7%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,593 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 30,623 |
| Median Household Income | $71,023 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,220 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.8%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
Thick SNAP store book in Freeborn County
Freeborn County has 28 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 12 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 12
- casey's 3428, albert lea
- clarks grove market, clarks grove
- freeborn county coop oil, albert lea
- hartland express mart, hartland
- hy-vee gas 5019, albert lea
- kwik trip 804, albert lea
- kwik trip 805, albert lea
- kwik trip 875, albert lea
- love's travel stop 337, albert lea
- nelson's shell food mart, albert lea
- stop and go food mart, albert lea
- vet's whoa n' go albert lea, albert lea
Combination Grocery/Other · 6
- asian market and food deli, albert lea
- dollartree plus 9108, albert lea
- dollar general 15262, albert lea
- dollar tree 2852, albert lea
- walgreens 10640, albert lea
- yaw asian grocery store, albert lea
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- conger meat market, conger
- new geneva meats, geneva
- nicks meats, hayward
Small Grocery Store · 2
- chanmyint pasay grocery llc 1, albert lea
- narinda asian grocery & deli, llc, albert lea
Super Store · 2
- hy-vee foods 1019, albert lea
- walmart 1020, albert lea
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's mn019, albert lea
Farmers' Market · 1
- a. l. farmers market, albert lea
Supermarket · 1
- aldi 72153, albert lea
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Minnesota
One of 86 counties in Minnesota, 6 are shown here.
Compare Freeborn County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →
Nationwide peers for Freeborn County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Freeborn County, both outside Minnesota so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MN (23.7% here).
- Pulaski County, KY · 23.7% low-access
- Pulaski County, KY · 23.7% low-access
- Marion County, KS · 23.7% low-access
- Marion County, KS · 23.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MN (9.5% here).
- Douglas County, NE · 9.5% SNAP
- Douglas County, NE · 9.5% SNAP
- Wright County, IA · 9.5% SNAP
- Wright County, IA · 9.5% 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.
Food access nationally, Minnesota in context
Freeborn County sits inside Minnesota (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 Freeborn County, MN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 27047. 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.