Signature · 37.8% low-access (84th pct)
Howard County, IA
Howard County sits in the upper national band on low-access (37.8%, +15.7 pts vs U.S.), with SNAP/vehicle context from ACS 2024.
- 37.8%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 9K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Howard County, IA
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ELEVATED 37.8% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +15.7 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 6.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Wayne County (+ 2.2 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Howard County sits in the upper national band (37.8%, #495 of 3,079).
- #495
- national by low-access %
- #4
- in IA
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 973
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 37.8% low-access (84th pct) (+15.7 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Howard County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Howard County's 37.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 84% of them and ranked #496 most-affected nationwide.
Howard County's elevated USDA tier split
3 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Howard County has 1 urban and 2 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.
Howard County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Wayne
Wayne 40%
40 % low-access
- Howard
Howard 37.8%
37.8 % low-access
- Henry
Henry 33.6%
33.6 % low-access
- Webster
Webster 32.3%
32.3 % low-access
- Crawford
Crawford 32.1%
32.1 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 3 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 9,566 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,616 |
| Low-Access Share | 37.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 973 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 9,445 |
| Median Household Income | $67,446 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 245 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.9% |
SNAP retailers in Howard County
Howard County has 13 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 6 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 6
- casey's 2511, cresco
- casey's 2874, riceville
- casey's 3439, lime springs
- elma express 1, elma
- kwik star 428, cresco
- maple lane store, elma
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- dollartree 9548, cresco
- dollar general 25618, lime springs
- dollar general store 31641, cresco
Super Store · 2
- dollar fresh 1094, cresco
- fareway stores, inc. 815, cresco
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- county line locker, riceville
Small Grocery Store · 1
- elma locker and grocery, elma
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 Howard County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Howard County inside a higher low-access state context
Howard County sits inside Iowa (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 Howard County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19089. 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.