County food-access profile · Utah
Iron County, UT
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Iron County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 39.7%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 8.9%
- on SNAP
- 62K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
39.7% of Iron County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 3.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.8%
- 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).
USDA data puts Iron County's low-access share at 39.7%, above the national share. 4 of the county's 8 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 18,344 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,119 low-income residents.
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 Iron County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Iron County's 39.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 87% of them and ranked #408 most-affected nationwide.
Iron County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 8 census tracts in Iron County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Iron County vs. other Utah counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Utah
- Iron 39.7
Iron County, UT
39.7 % low-access
- Beaver 14.4
Beaver County, UT
14.4 % low-access
- Box Elder 16.8
Box Elder County, UT
16.8 % low-access
- Cache 33.3
Cache County, UT
33.3 % low-access
- Carbon 26
Carbon County, UT
26 % low-access
- Daggett
Daggett County, UT
100 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 46,163 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 18,344 |
| Low-Access Share | 39.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,119 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 62,252 |
| Median Household Income | $66,247 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.8%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,797 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.9%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.9% |
About 8.9% of Iron County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 39.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,797 households here.
- 3.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).
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 Iron County
above the national share
3 of Iron County's 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 37.5% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 18,344 residents, roughly 39.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,119 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 4 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Iron County
Iron County has 30 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 10 locations (33% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 10
- gas stop cedar city, cedar city
- loves travel stop 335, cedar city
- maverik, inc 231, parowan
- maverik, inc 244, cedar city
- maverik, inc 245, cedar city
- maverik, inc 348, cedar city
- maverik, inc 362, cedar city
- maverik, inc 790, parowan
- maverik, inc 791, cedar city
- ta express parowan 186, parowan
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- avondale's llc, cedar city
- dollar general 30051, enoch
- dollar tree 2665, cedar city
- family dollar 10148, cedar city
- family dollar 11290, parowan
- family dollar 11320, enoch
- terrible's 443, parowan
- terribles 450, cove fort
- walgreens 11337, cedar city
Supermarket · 3
- lins 10835, cedar city
- natural grocers u160, cedar city
- parowan market inc, parowan
Farmers' Market · 2
- cedar city year-round farmer's market, cedar city
- midvalley farmers market, cedar city
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- dixie nutrition 4, cedar city
- rally stop #16 16, enoch
Super Store · 2
- smiths food & drug center 042, cedar city
- walmart 1438, cedar city
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys ut017, cedar city
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- d9 custom cuts, llc, paragonah
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Utah
Compare Iron County vs Beaver County → · All Utah counties →
Food access nationally, Utah in context
Iron County sits inside Utah (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 Iron County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Iron County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Iron County? ▼
Is Iron County a food desert? ▼
What share of Iron 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.