Signature · 3.4% SNAP (1st pct in MN)
Houston County, MN
Houston County lands in the lower national band on low-access (13.7%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 13.7%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 3.4%
- on SNAP
- 19K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Houston County, MN
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 13.7% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -8.4 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 3.4% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Cass County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Houston County lands in the lower national band (13.7%, #2,222 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,222
- national by low-access %
- #69
- in MN
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 485
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 3.4% SNAP (1st pct in MN) (-8.7 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Houston County compares nationally
Houston County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.7% low-access share that beats 29% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,222).
Houston County's lower-band USDA tier split
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Houston County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (3 rural, 2 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 2 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Houston County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Minnesota, not a full county-board reprint
- Red Lake
Red Lake 99.2%
99.2 % low-access
- Goodhue 14.3
Goodhue 14.3%
14.3 % low-access
- Dodge 14
Dodge 14%
14 % low-access
- Cass 13.8
Cass 13.8%
13.8 % low-access
- Houston 13.7
Houston 13.7%
13.7 % low-access
- Crow Wing 13.4
Crow Wing 13.4%
13.4 % low-access
- Fillmore 2.7
Fillmore 2.7%
2.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 19,027 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,609 |
| Low-Access Share | 13.7%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 485 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 18,653 |
| Median Household Income | $79,825 |
| Poverty Rate | 6.6%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 279 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 3.4%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
SNAP retailers in Houston County
Houston County has 13 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 5 locations (38% of the total), followed by supermarket.
Where the store book sits, by town
6 towns share the 13 authorized stores; Caledonia holds 31% of them. 2 of the 6 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Hokah, Mabel.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Caledonia | 4 | 1 |
| La Crescent | 3 | 1 |
| Houston | 2 | 1 |
| Spring Grove | 2 | 1 |
| Hokah | 1 | none |
| Mabel | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 5
- kwik trip 437, la crescent
- kwik trip 614, la crescent
- kwik trip 736, spring grove
- kwik trip 733, caledonia
- kwik trip 825, hokah
Supermarket · 3
- quillin's caledonia 8, caledonia
- quillins la crescent 10, la crescent
- red's hometown market, spring grove
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollar general 10343, caledonia
- dollar general 20006, houston
Farmers' Market · 2
- crooked quarter farmers market, caledonia
- golden hawk farms llc, mabel
Large Grocery Store · 1
- root river market coop, houston
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 Houston County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →
Counties near Houston County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Houston County (3.4%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Minnesota.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MN (13.7% here).
- Talbot County, MD · 13.7% low-access
- Coffee County, TN · 13.7% low-access
- Yolo County, CA · 13.7% low-access
- Fauquier County, VA · 13.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MN (3.4% here).
- Oldham County, KY · 3.4% SNAP
- McKenzie County, ND · 3.4% SNAP
- Campbell County, WY · 3.4% SNAP
- Rockingham County, NH · 3.3% 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.
Minnesota among West North Central states
Minnesota ranks 3rd of 7 West North Central states by population-weighted low-access (27.4%). Houston County, at 13.7%, runs 13.7 pts below the Minnesota 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 Houston County, MN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 27055. 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.