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Signature · 4 LILA tracts (36.4% of tracts)

Itasca County, MN

Itasca County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 4 LILA tracts (36.4% of the book) alongside 25.4% low-access.

25.4%
low-access pop.
4
food-desert tracts
10.7%
on SNAP
45K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MN

USDA FARA access plate

County Itasca County, MN

LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE

  • LA-ELEVATED 25.4% low-access
  • ABOVE-NATIONAL +3.3 pts vs US
  • LILA-POCKET 4 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-TYPICAL 10.7% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 4.7% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-DENSE 36% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Stearns County ( -0.1 pts)

The food-access picture

According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Itasca County ranks #1,258 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #46 of 87 counties in MN (25.4% low-access; 4 food-desert tracts).

#1,258
national by low-access %
#46
in MN
6
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: 4 LILA tracts (36.4% of tracts) .

How Itasca County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Itasca County's 25.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 60% of them and ranked #1,264 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Itasca County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

11 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 4 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Itasca County, MN USDA-defined food-access tiers: 5 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 4 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 11 tracts evaluated. 5 tracts adequate (45.5%) 2 tracts limited (18.2%) 4 tracts severe / food desert (36.4%) Adequate 45% Limited 18% Severe 36% Food-access tier distribution: Itasca County, MN
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Itasca County has 2 urban and 9 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.

Itasca County low-access neighbourhood

Poles + nearest peers in Minnesota, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Itasca County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts11
Atlas Population (2010 basis)45,058
Low-Access Tracts6
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)4
Low-Access Population11,427
Low-Access Share25.4%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,922

ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Itasca County
IndicatorValue
Population45,275
Median Household Income$68,603
Poverty Rate12.2%below the national average
SNAP Households1,980
SNAP Participation Rate10.7%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.7%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.5%

Thick SNAP store book in Itasca County

Itasca County has 40 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 20 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 20

  • bowstring store, deer river
  • casey's 5235, bigfork
  • casey's general store 3613, grand rapids
  • caseys general store 3471, cohasset
  • circle k 2746564, gramd rapids
  • grand mart east 22, grand rapids
  • grand rapids 30, grand rapids
  • grand rapids cenex convenience store, grand rapids
  • harwoods, deer river
  • holiday stationstore 2746162, grand rapids
  • holiday stationstore 2746194, deer river
  • holiday stationstore 2746248, grand rapids
  • keewatin short stop 27, keewatin
  • little turtle lake store, talmoon
  • lucky seven general store 24, swan river
  • lucky seven general store 26, nashwauk
  • northern star convenience center 4, deer river
  • pokegama lake store, grand rapids
  • ron's korner market, bovey
  • winnie trading post, deer river

Combination Grocery/Other · 6

  • dollar general 18159, deer river
  • dollar general 14726, cohasset
  • dollar general 20001, bigfork
  • dollar general 20748, keewatin
  • dollar tree 5111, grand rapids
  • walgreens 13163, grand rapids

Supermarket · 4

  • aldi 72096, grand rapids
  • super one foods 440, deer river
  • super one foods 515, grand rapids
  • super one foods 520, grand rapids

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2

  • orty's custom meats, deer river
  • s & s meats, grand rapids

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • bobs country market, bovey
  • fred's store, goodland

Super Store · 2

  • target store 904, grand rapids
  • walmart supercenter 1609, grand rapids

Bakery Specialty · 1

  • papa murphys mn074, grand rapids

Farmers' Market · 1

  • grand rapids farmers market, grand rapids

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • kocian's, bigfork

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • max mini store, squaw lake

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.

Aitkin County
33.8% low-access · 8.9% SNAP
Anoka County
38.3% low-access · 7.2% SNAP
Becker County
34.5% low-access · 11.6% SNAP
Beltrami County
32.3% low-access · 13.5% SNAP
Benton County
30.0% low-access · 8.6% SNAP
Big Stone County
38.4% low-access · 9.5% SNAP

Compare Itasca County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →

Nationwide peers for Itasca County's low-access or SNAP share

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Itasca County, both outside Minnesota so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside MN (25.4% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside MN (10.7% here).

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, Minnesota in context

Itasca County sits inside Minnesota (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

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 Itasca County, MN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 27061. 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.