County food-access profile · Iowa
Guthrie County, IA
Guthrie County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 11.3%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 7.9%
- on SNAP
- 11K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
11.3% of Guthrie County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 346
- food-desert residents
- 4.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.9%
- below poverty line
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, 1-and-10-mile measure).
Guthrie County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 11.3% per the USDA Atlas. 2 of the county's 3 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 1,241 residents who live far from a supermarket. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts
The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.
How Guthrie County compares nationally
Guthrie County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 11.3% low-access share that beats 24% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,391).
Guthrie County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 3 census tracts in Guthrie County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Guthrie County vs. other Iowa counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Iowa
- Guthrie
Guthrie County, IA
11.3 % low-access
- Adair
Adair County, IA
8 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, IA
6.4 % low-access
- Allamakee
Allamakee County, IA
10.9 % low-access
- Appanoose
Appanoose County, IA
15.7 % low-access
- Audubon
Audubon County, IA
7.4 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 3 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 10,954 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,241 |
| Low-Access Share | 11.3%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 346 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 10,688 |
| Median Household Income | $77,711 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 365 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.9%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
About 7.9% of Guthrie County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 11.3% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 365 households here.
- 4.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $77,711 with a 9.9% poverty rate.
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).
What the food-access data shows for Guthrie County
near the national share
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 2.
An estimated 1,241 residents, roughly 11.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 346 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 1 tract (33.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Guthrie County
Guthrie County has 14 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 7 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 7
- casey's general store 1534, guthrie center
- casey's general store 2654, stuart
- caseys general store 92, panora
- kwik star 1289, stuart
- maverik 5231, stuart
- sparky's one stop 17, guthrie center
- sparky's one stop 4, bayard
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- dollar general 30801, panora
- dollar general 5876, stuart
- dollar general 7000, guthrie center
Supermarket · 3
- hometown foods, panora
- hometown foods, stuart
- reinharts, guthrie center
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- dahls custom meat locker, bagley
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Iowa
Compare Guthrie County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Food access nationally, Iowa in context
Guthrie County sits inside Iowa (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Guthrie County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Guthrie County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Guthrie County? ▼
Is Guthrie County a food desert? ▼
What share of Guthrie County households lack a vehicle? ▼
Data Sources & Methodology
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).
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.