Signature · 9.6% low-access (20th pct)
Hancock County, IA
Hancock County lands in the lower national band on low-access (9.6%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 9.6%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 11K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Hancock County, IA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 9.6% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -12.5 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 6.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.1% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Decatur County (+ 0.3 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Hancock County lands in the lower national band (9.6%, #2,512 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,512
- national by low-access %
- #77
- in IA
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 393
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 9.6% low-access (20th pct) (-12.5 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Hancock County compares nationally
Hancock County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.6% low-access share that beats 20% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,512).
Hancock County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 4 of Hancock County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Hancock County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Bremer 10
Bremer 10%
10 % low-access
- Hamilton 10
Hamilton 10%
10 % low-access
- Decatur 9.9
Decatur 9.9%
9.9 % low-access
- Hancock 9.6
Hancock 9.6%
9.6 % low-access
- Clarke 9.2
Clarke 9.2%
9.2 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 11,341 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,093 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.6%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 393 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 10,671 |
| Median Household Income | $70,601 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 306 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.1% |
SNAP retailers in Hancock County
Hancock County has 10 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 6 locations (60% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
5 towns share the 10 authorized stores; Garner holds 40% of them. 3 of the 5 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Corwith, Forest City, Kanawha.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Garner | 4 | 1 |
| Britt | 3 | 1 |
| Corwith | 1 | none |
| Forest City | 1 | none |
| Kanawha | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 6
- casey's general store 3031, garner
- casey's general store 3043, britt
- casey's general store 3476, forest city
- kwik star 920, garner
- sanchez grocery llc, corwith
- yesway 1036, kanawha
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollar general 10470, garner
- dollar general 4565, britt
Super Store · 1
- hy-vee 1218, garner
Supermarket · 1
- britt food center, britt
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 Hancock County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Counties near Hancock County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Hancock 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 (9.6% here).
- Manistee County, MI · 9.6% low-access
- Rolette County, ND · 9.6% low-access
- Warren County, TN · 9.6% low-access
- Jefferson County, WI · 9.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (6.5% here).
- Whitley County, IN · 6.5% SNAP
- Butler County, KS · 6.5% SNAP
- Johnson County, IN · 6.5% SNAP
- Lyon County, KS · 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.
Iowa among West North Central states
Iowa ranks 7th of 7 West North Central states by population-weighted low-access (20.0%). Hancock County, at 9.6%, runs 10.4 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 Hancock County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19081. 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.