County food-access profile · Idaho
Kootenai County, ID
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Kootenai 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).
- 27.6%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 6.7%
- on SNAP
- 182K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
27.6% of Kootenai County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 10K
- food-desert residents
- 4.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.0%
- 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 Kootenai County's low-access share at 27.6%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 25 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 38,283 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Kootenai County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Kootenai County's 27.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 65% of them and ranked #1,111 most-affected nationwide.
Kootenai County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 25 census tracts in Kootenai County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Kootenai County vs. other Idaho counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Idaho
- Kootenai
Kootenai County, ID
27.6 % low-access
- Ada
Ada County, ID
30.4 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, ID
25.5 % low-access
- Bannock
Bannock County, ID
34.7 % low-access
- Bear Lake
Bear Lake County, ID
25.9 % low-access
- Benewah
Benewah County, ID
23.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 25 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 138,494 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 38,283 |
| Low-Access Share | 27.6%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 10,103 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 181,996 |
| Median Household Income | $81,861 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.0%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,783 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.7%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
About 6.7% of Kootenai County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 27.6% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,783 households here.
- 4.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $81,861 with a 9.0% poverty rate.
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 Kootenai County
above the national share
A further 11 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 38,283 residents, roughly 27.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 10,103 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 14 tracts (56.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Kootenai County
Kootenai County has 106 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 64 locations (60% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 64
- 41 express, post falls
- 7 eleven store 23781, post falls
- 7-eleven #42405a, post falls
- 95 jifi stop 1, coeur d alene
- a & d inc, coeur d alene
- amerimart 3 3, post falls
- appleway jifi stop, coeur d alene
- atlas market, coeur d alene
- best food stop, coeur d alene
- bns smoke shop, worley
- bayview general mercantile, bayview
- best food stop, post falls
- circle k 2746534, post falls
- coeur d alene jifi stop, coeur d alene
- dalton market, dalton gardens
- eagles landing, coeur d alene
- flour mill natural foods, hayden
- fairway gas and grocery, coeur d alene
- fast trip, coeur d alene
- fast trip and vapor, hayden
- freeway jifi stop, coeur d alene
- frontier grocery, post falls
- fuel n snack, post falls
- garys gas and foodmart, coeur d alene
- gittels grocery, coeur d alene
- goodies 76, coeur d alene
- handy mart, post falls
- harrison trading post inc, harrison
- hayden lake jifi stop 5, hayden
- hayden qwik stop 1, hayden
- holiday stationstore 2746084, coeur d alene
- holiday stationstore 2746315, hayden
- jmt xpressmart, coeur d alene
- jmt xpressmart postfalls, post falls
- jmt xpressmart rose lake, cataldo
- jordan's grocery, coeur d alene
- korner jifi stop, rathdrum
- lakeside food mart, coeur d alene
- love's travel stops & country stores, inc. 301, post falls
- maverik 519, hayden
- maverik 607, post falls
- maverik, inc 491, coeur d'alene
- maverik, inc 614, coeur d'alene
- maverik, inc 629, post falls
- p&k gas llc, post falls
- piggies deli food mart, coeur d alene
- pilot travel center 639, post falls
- post falls jifi stop, post falls
- prairie express, hayden
- prairie jifi stop, coeur d'alene
- prime gas & grocery, coeur d alene
- s & s petroleum 62133, coeur d alene
- s & s petroleum 62503, coeur d alene
- sam's stop and shop, rathdrum
- seltice way stop n' go, post falls
- sherman foodmart, coeur d alene
- spirit lake jifi stop, spirit lake
- spirit mini stop, spirit lake
- taj groceries, coeur d alene
- town mart, coeur d alene
- twin lakes market st, rathdrum
- xpressmart cataldo, cataldo
- xpressmart osborn, post falls
- nomnom 62230, coeur d alene
Super Store · 16
- coeur d'alene grocery outlet, coeur d alene
- costco wholesale 0773, coeur d alene
- fred meyer 49, coeur d alene
- miller's food city, spirit lake
- pilgrims natural foods market, coeur d alene
- post falls grocery outlet 572, post falls
- super 1 foods 6745, post falls
- super 1 foods 7000, rathdrum
- super 1 foods 7024, hayden lake
- super 1 foods 7044, coeur d alene
- super 1 foods 7820, athol
- target store t-0679, coeur d alene
- walmart 3472, post falls
- walmart 3511, hayden
- walmart 4395, post falls
- yoke's fresh market 17, post falls
Combination Grocery/Other · 11
- bi-mart 625, rathdrum
- dollartree 9183, athol
- dollar general 23348, athol
- dollar tree 2476, coeur d alene
- dollar tree 2477, post falls
- dollar tree 6384, rathdrum
- family dollar 12593, post falls
- family dollar 13102, spirit lake
- walgreens 06863, coeur d alene
- walgreens 10314, hayden
- walgreens 7949, post falls
Supermarket · 7
- albertsons 243, coeur d alene
- albertsons 254, hayden
- safeway 1470, coeur d'alene
- safeway 3295, coeur d alene
- trader joe's coeur d' alene 362, coeur d' alene
- vitamin cottage natural food market u080, coeur d alene
- winco foods 101, coeur d alene
Bakery Specialty · 4
- franz bakery outlet 9039, coeur d alene
- papa murphys id-001, hayden
- papa murphy's id002, post falls
- papa murphy's id003, coeur d alene
Farmers' Market · 2
- kootenai county farmers' market, hayden
- river city market & music, post falls
Large Grocery Store · 1
- peterson family foods, coeur d alene
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- tim's special cut meats, inc., post falls
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Idaho
Compare Kootenai County vs Ada County → · All Idaho counties →
Food access nationally, Idaho in context
Kootenai County sits inside Idaho (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 Kootenai County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Kootenai County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Kootenai County? ▼
Is Kootenai County a food desert? ▼
What share of Kootenai 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.