County food-access profile · Iowa
Johnson County, IA
Johnson County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 8.6%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 6.0%
- on SNAP
- 157K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
8.6% of Johnson County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 7.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.1%
- 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).
Johnson County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 8.6% per the USDA Atlas. 6 of the county's 24 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 11,215 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,091 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 Johnson County compares nationally
Johnson County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.6% low-access share that beats 17% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,597).
Johnson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 24 census tracts in Johnson County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Johnson County vs. other Iowa counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Iowa
- Johnson
Johnson County, IA
8.6 % low-access
- Adair
Adair County, IA
8 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, IA
6.4 % low-access
- Allamakee
Allamakee County, IA
10.9 % low-access
- Appanoose
Appanoose County, IA
15.7 % low-access
- Audubon
Audubon County, IA
7.4 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 24 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 130,882 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 11,215 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.6%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,091 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 156,639 |
| Median Household Income | $74,935 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.1%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,824 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.0%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.2% |
About 6.0% of Johnson County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 8.6% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,824 households here.
- 7.1% 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 Johnson County
near the national share
3 of Johnson County's 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 12.5% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 11,215 residents, roughly 8.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,091 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 18 tracts (75.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Johnson County
Johnson County has 104 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 44 locations (42% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 44
- acapulco mexican bakery, iowa city
- asia plus, iowa city
- casey's 3322, iowa city
- casey's 3384, solon
- casey's 3858, iowa city
- casey's 4589, iowa city
- casey's 4367, iowa city
- casey's 4368, coralville
- casey's 4369, iowa city
- casey's general store 2479, north liberty
- casey's general store 2512, hills
- casey's general store 2667, tiffin
- casey's general store 2761, iowa city
- casey's general store 2779, coralville
- casey's general store 2781, iowa city
- casey's general store 2788, north liberty
- casey's general store 2918, coralville
- casey's general store 3645, lone tree
- caseys general store 1695, solon
- euro food, iowa city
- gm mart, iowa city
- hy-vee gas 1288, iowa city
- hy-vee gas 5080, coralville
- hy-vee gas 5085, coralville
- hy-vee gas 5281, iowa city
- iowa city fast break 16, iowa city
- johns grocery inc, iowa city
- kwik star 1142, iowa city
- kwik star 1213, north liberty
- kwik star 1918, tiffin
- maverik 5021, coralville
- maverik 5075, iowa city
- maverik 5185, north liberty
- maverik 5206, tiffin
- maverik 5277, coralville
- maverik 5280, iowa city
- maverik 5291, coralville
- maverik 5336, iowa city
- maverik 5395, iowa city
- the depot coralville, coralville
- the depot express, tiffin
- the depot north liberty llc 009, north liberty
- the depot oxford llc, oxford
- urban fuel north liberty, north liberty
Super Store · 17
- costco wholesale 1111, coralville
- fareway stores, inc. 034, iowa city
- fareway stores, inc. 193, tiffin
- fareway stores, inc. 950, iowa city
- fareway stores, inc. 993, north liberty
- hy-vee coralville 2, coralville
- hy-vee drugstore 7042, iowa city
- hy-vee food store 1080, coralville
- hy-vee food store 1281, iowa city
- hy-vee food store 1288, iowa city
- hy-vee food and drugstore 1285, iowa city
- new pioneer cooperative society 1, iowa city
- new pioneer cooperative society 2, coralville
- target store t3374, iowa city
- target stores t- 1113, coralville
- walmart sc 2827, coralville
- walmart supercenter 1721, iowa city
Combination Grocery/Other · 15
- bread garden market, iowa city
- cvs pharmacy 8539, iowa city
- cvs pharmacy 8547, iowa city
- dollartree 9450, iowa city
- dollar general 8137, iowa city
- dollar general store 16866, lone tree
- dollar tree 2239, iowa city
- dollar tree 7653, coralville
- dollar tree 7945, north liberty
- immaculee african market & fashion llc, coralville
- walgreens 10985, coralville
- walgreens 11710, north liberty
- walgreens 5077, iowa city
- walgreens 5977, coralville
- world food market, iowa city
Medium Grocery Store · 11
- al-salam international foods, iowa city
- chong's market, coralville
- dukan 1, coralville
- furaha african market, coralville
- global mart llc, coralville
- iowa city african and oriental market, iowa city
- iowa city halal food & grocery halal1, iowa city
- la regia grocery, iowa city
- nile valley market 1, coralville
- starlight market, coralville
- taj international food 1, coralville
Small Grocery Store · 5
- el azul, north liberty
- el paso tienda y taqueria inc, iowa city
- la mexicana grocery & taqueria, coralville
- tk warehouse, iowa city
- tienda mexicana los primos/ don miguel tienda mexi, cedar rapids
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 68056 68056, coralville
- aldi 68057, north liberty
- aldi 68067, iowa city
- trader joe's 728, coralville
- vitamin cottage natural food market u141, iowa city
Farmers' Market · 4
- field to family online farmers market, iowa city
- global food project market, iowa city
- iowa city farmers market, iowa city
- iowa city farmers market, iowa city
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- black diamond halal meats, iowa city
- thoma's meat market, iowa city
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza ia002, iowa city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Iowa
Compare Johnson County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Food access nationally, Iowa in context
Johnson County sits inside Iowa (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 Johnson County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Johnson County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Johnson County? ▼
Is Johnson County a food desert? ▼
What share of Johnson 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.