Signature · 3 LILA tracts (37.5% of tracts)
Howell County, MO
Howell County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 3 LILA tracts (37.5% of the book) alongside 20.4% low-access.
- 20.4%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 14.0%
- on SNAP
- 40K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Howell County, MO
LA-ELEVATED · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 20.4% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -1.7 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.0% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.1% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 38% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Camden County (+ 0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Howell County ranks #1,651 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #55 of 115 counties in MO (20.4% low-access; 3 food-desert tracts).
- #1,651
- national by low-access %
- #55
- in MO
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- 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: 3 LILA tracts (37.5% of tracts) .
How Howell County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Howell County's 20.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 47% of them and ranked #1,657 most-affected nationwide.
Howell County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
8 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Howell County has 2 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.
Howell County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Missouri, not a full county-board reprint
- Mercer
Mercer 99.8%
99.8 % low-access
- DeKalb 20.6
DeKalb 20.6%
20.6 % low-access
- St. Francois 20.6
St. Francois 20.6%
20.6 % low-access
- Camden 20.5
Camden 20.5%
20.5 % low-access
- Madison 20.5
Madison 20.5%
20.5 % low-access
- Howell 20.4
Howell 20.4%
20.4 % low-access
- Mississippi 3
Mississippi 3%
3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 40,400 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,261 |
| Low-Access Share | 20.4%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,207 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 40,383 |
| Median Household Income | $50,993 |
| Poverty Rate | 20.3%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,232 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.0%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
Thick SNAP store book in Howell County
Howell County has 59 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 31
- 4 corners general store, pottersville
- alligator express no, west plains
- barkers hilltop package store llc, west plains
- casey's 1403, willow springs
- casey's 1531, west plains
- casey's 1715, west plains
- casey's 2032, mountain view
- casey's 2860, west plains
- casey's general store 3260, west plains
- get and go safe llc 1, west plains
- jb's health mart, west plains
- jordans kwik stop 84, west plains
- love's travel stop 783, willow springs
- meadowbrook natural foods wp, west plains
- murphy usa 5784, west plains
- signal 108, mountain view
- smart mart llc, west plains
- snappy east, west plains
- snappy mart 11, west plains
- snappy mart 18w llc, willow springs
- snappy mart 49 llc, west plains
- snappy mart 9, west plains
- star mart, pomona
- sunshine market & natural food, mountain view
- the anchor c-store llc, mountain view
- the kountry korner store, moody
- the saba shop, west plains
- west plains quick stop #1, pomona
- west plains quick stop #2, west plains
- west plains quick stop conoco, pomona
- white oak station 226, caulfield
Combination Grocery/Other · 13
- cvs pharmacy cvs11407, west plains
- dollar general 14060, caulfield
- dollar general 1253, west plains
- dollar general 14939, west plains
- dollar general 17304, pomona
- dollar general 31203, west plains
- dollar general 3677, mountain view
- dollar general 7163, willow springs
- dollar general 7371, west plains
- dollar general store 18296, west plains
- dollar tree 3534, west plains
- family dollar 1194, west plains
- walgreens 11288, west plains
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 41002 41002, west plains
- apple market 2445, mountain view
- ramey 9, west plains
- town & country 2417, willow springs
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- barnett's meat processing, west plains
- dennis' specialty cuts, west plains
- mason's midwest meats, west plains
Super Store · 3
- 10 box cost-plus 363, west plains
- walmart 871, mountain view
- walmart sc 15, west plains
Farmers' Market · 2
- ozark farmers agricultural cooperative, west plains
- west plains farmers and artisans market nafmnp, west plains
Large Grocery Store · 2
- g & w foods 2729, willow springs
- the truck patch 3, west plains
Small Grocery Store · 1
- jeannies bargains, mountain view
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Missouri
One of 114 counties in Missouri, 6 are shown here.
Compare Howell County vs Adair County → · All Missouri counties →
Nationwide peers for Howell County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Howell County, both outside Missouri so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MO (20.4% here).
- Leake County, MS · 20.4% low-access
- Leake County, MS · 20.4% low-access
- Lawrence County, MS · 20.4% low-access
- Lawrence County, MS · 20.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MO (14.0% here).
- Schenectady County, NY · 14.0% SNAP
- Schenectady County, NY · 14.0% SNAP
- Alleghany County, NC · 14.0% SNAP
- Alleghany County, NC · 14.0% 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, Missouri in context
Howell County sits inside Missouri (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 Howell County, MO are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 29091. 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.