Signature · 5.7% low-access (11th pct)
Lake County, MT
Lake County lands in the lower national band on low-access (5.7%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 5.7%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 10.7%
- on SNAP
- 33K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Lake County, MT
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 5.7% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -16.4 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 10.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Silver Bow County (+ 1.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Lake County lands in the lower national band (5.7%, #2,774 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,774
- national by low-access %
- #55
- in MT
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 549
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 5.7% low-access (11th pct) (-16.4 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Lake County compares nationally
Food access in Lake County compares favorably nationally: its 5.7% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 11% of them (rank #2,774).
Lake County's lower-band USDA tier split
8 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 8 of Lake County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Lake County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Montana, not a full county-board reprint
- Wibaux
Wibaux 100%
100 % low-access
- Lincoln 7.5
Lincoln 7.5%
7.5 % low-access
- Deer Lodge 7.2
Deer Lodge 7.2%
7.2 % low-access
- Silver Bow 6.9
Silver Bow 6.9%
6.9 % low-access
- Lake 5.7
Lake 5.7%
5.7 % low-access
- Ravalli 2.7
Ravalli 2.7%
2.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 28,746 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,632 |
| Low-Access Share | 5.7%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 549 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 32,561 |
| Median Household Income | $63,360 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.2%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,345 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
Thick SNAP store book in Lake County
Lake County has 26 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 10 locations (38% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
8 towns share the 26 authorized stores; Polson holds 46% of them. 2 of the 8 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Saint Ignatius, St. Ignatius.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Polson | 12 | 3 |
| Ronan | 7 | 1 |
| Charlo | 2 | 1 |
| Arlee | 1 | 1 |
| Pablo | 1 | 1 |
| Saint Ignatius | 1 | none |
| St Ignatius | 1 | 1 |
| St. Ignatius | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 10
- allard's stage stop, saint ignatius
- charlo pump-n-tow, charlo
- confederated salish & kootenai tribe, ronan
- dyno-mart 2, ronan
- jack's pier 93, polson
- mission mountain natural foods, polson
- mountain view cenex, st. ignatius
- polson bay grocery 3, polson
- town pump of polson 3610, polson
- town pump of ronan 3700, ronan
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- dollartree 10469, polson
- dollar general 25504, ronan
- family dollar 12333, ronan
- m&s meats, polson
- walgreens 16084, polson
Super Store · 4
- rod's harvest foods, st ignatius
- ronan harvest foods, ronan
- super 1 foods, polson
- walmart 2607, polson
Farmers' Market · 2
- polson farmers market, inc., polson
- ronan farmers' market nafmnp, ronan
Supermarket · 2
- pablo family foods, pablo
- safeway 1646, polson
Large Grocery Store · 1
- wilson foods, arlee
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- montana marbled meats, polson
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- charlo grocery, charlo
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Montana
One of 55 counties in Montana, 6 are shown here.
Compare Lake County vs Beaverhead County → · All Montana counties →
Counties near Lake County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Lake County, both outside Montana so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MT (5.7% here).
- Leelanau County, MI · 5.7% low-access
- Polk County, NC · 5.7% low-access
- Jackson County, OH · 5.7% low-access
- Logan County, OH · 5.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MT (10.7% here).
- Itasca County, MN · 10.7% SNAP
- Orange County, NY · 10.7% SNAP
- Yates County, NY · 10.7% SNAP
- Logan County, OK · 10.7% 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.
Montana among Mountain states
Montana ranks 7th of 8 Mountain states by population-weighted low-access (22.3%). Lake County, at 5.7%, runs 16.6 pts below the Montana rate.
- New Mexico 31.7%
- Wyoming 29.7%
- Arizona 26.8%
- Idaho 25.8%
- Utah 23.9%
- Nevada 23.0%
- Montana 22.3%
- Colorado 21.5%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Lake County, MT are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 30047. 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.