County food-access profile · Iowa
Linn County, IA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Linn 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).
- 29.2%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 8.1%
- on SNAP
- 230K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
29.2% of Linn County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 45 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 23
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
- 4.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.4%
- 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 Linn County's low-access share at 29.2%, above the national share. 23 of the county's 45 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 61,578 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 13,211 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 Linn County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Linn County's 29.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 69% of them and ranked #986 most-affected nationwide.
Linn County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 45 census tracts in Linn County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Linn County vs. other Iowa counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Iowa
- Linn
Linn County, IA
29.2 % low-access
- Adair 8
Adair County, IA
8 % low-access
- Adams 6.4
Adams County, IA
6.4 % low-access
- Allamakee 10.9
Allamakee County, IA
10.9 % low-access
- Appanoose
Appanoose County, IA
15.7 % low-access
- Audubon 7.4
Audubon County, IA
7.4 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 45 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 211,226 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 23 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 61,578 |
| Low-Access Share | 29.2%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 13,211 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 230,004 |
| Median Household Income | $77,649 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.4%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,780 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.1%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.2% |
About 8.1% of Linn County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 29.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,780 households here.
- 4.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Linn County
above the national share
4 of Linn County's 45 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 8.9% of all its tracts.
A further 19 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 23.
An estimated 61,578 residents, roughly 29.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 13,211 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 22 tracts (48.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Linn County
Linn County has 180 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 88 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 88
- big 10 mart 19, hiawatha
- bp to go 6, marion
- budzz gas & go, alburnett
- casey's 2566, ely
- casey's 3756, cedar rapids
- casey's 4324, palo
- casey's 1446, lisbon
- casey's 1599, mount vernon
- casey's 2850, cedar rapids
- casey's 3382, cedar rapids
- casey's 3896, center point
- casey's 3899, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2212, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2594, walker
- casey's general store 2760, marion
- casey's general store 2763, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2764, hiawatha
- casey's general store 2765, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2766, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2767, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2768, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2771, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2772, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2773, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2776, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2777, fairfax
- casey's general store 2778, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2780, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2782, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2787, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2789, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2790, cedar rapids
- casey's general store 2811, springville
- casey's general store 2845, center point
- casey's general store 2919, marion
- casey's general store 2924, marion
- casey's general store 3291, coggon
- caseys general store 2791, cedar rapids
- caseys general store 2792, cedar rapids
- caseys general store 3561, cedar rapids
- caseys general store 3562, marion
- caseys general store 3564, robins
- corner mart, marion
- essentials, cedar rapids
- fas mart 5148, cedar rapids
- fas mart 5149, cedar rapids
- hawkeye convenience store, cedar rapids
- hill brothers jiffy mart, cedar rapids
- hy-vee c-store #3 5056, cedar rapids
- hy-vee gas #5 5061, cedar rapids
- hy-vee gas 5064, cedar rapids
- hy-vee gas 5396, marion
- hyvee fast and fresh 7560, marion
- jim's foods, cedar rapids
- jim's foods southeast, cedar rapids
- kwik star 1008, marion
- kwik star 1032, hiawatha
- kwik star 106, cedar rapids
- kwik star 1107, cedar rapids
- kwik star 1146, cedar rapids
- kwik star 165, cedar rapids
- kwik star 283, cedar rapids
- kwik star 581, cedar rapids
- kwik star 589, marion
- kwik star 947, cedar rapids
- kwik trip 1172, marion
- market express, cedar rapids
- maverik 5213, cedar rapids
- maverik 5232, cedar rapids
- maverik 5256, cedar rapids
- mega liquor vape & tobacco, marion
- mega saver 66, marion
- mega saver 67, marion
- mega saver 68, cedar rapids
- murphy usa 7775, cedar rapids
- pilot travel center 1092, cedar rapids
- quick mart, hiawatha
- quick stop, cedar rapids
- quick stop, cedar rapids
- springville food ,gas & liquor inc, springville
- the corner store, center point
- the gas spot 5512, cedar rapids
- the gas spot 5513, cedar rapids
- the gas spot 5514, cedar rapids
- the gas spot 5515, hiawatha
- united petroleum inc, marion
- uptown liquor & tobacco, cedar rapids
- williams blvd bp, cedar rapids
Combination Grocery/Other · 35
- cvs 8443, cedar rapids
- cvs pharmacy 10032, marion
- cvs pharmacy 8526, cedar rapids
- cvs pharmacy 8532, cedar rapids
- dollartree 10703, cedar rapids
- dollartree 8444, cedar rapids
- dollartree 9544, marion
- dollar general 10774, cedar rapids
- dollar general 16850, central city
- dollar general 21527, cedar rapids
- dollar general 23285, fairfax
- dollar general 30942, palo
- dollar general 3781, cedar rapids
- dollar general 6190, cedar rapids
- dollar general 6441, lisbon
- dollar general 7226, marion
- dollar general 7398, marion
- dollar general 9141, cedar rapids
- dollar general store 13501, center point
- dollar tree 1864, cedar rapids
- dollar tree 2313, cedar rapids
- dollar tree 7165, cedar rapids
- dollar tree 7608, marion
- dollar tree 8377, cedar rapids
- family dollar 12303, cedar rapids
- family dollar 13723, lisbon
- family dollar 4541, cedar rapids
- hometown market, central city
- house of spices llc, cedar rapids
- neson's meat market, inc 1, cedar rapids
- walgreens 12393, cedar rapids
- walgreens 12580, cedar rapids
- walgreens 3875, cedar rapids
- walgreens 3876, marion
- walgreens 5042, cedar rapids
Super Store · 22
- fareway stores, inc. 151, cedar rapids
- fareway stores, inc. 257, lisbon
- fareway stores, inc. 55, hiawatha
- fareway stores, inc. 949, marion
- fareway stores, inc. 963, cedar rapids
- hy-vee dollar fresh 7072, toledo
- hy-vee drugstore 7019, cedar rapids
- hy-vee drugstore 7020, cedar rapids
- hy-vee food store 1054, cedar rapids
- hy-vee food store 1056, cedar rapids
- hy-vee food store 1060, cedar rapids
- hy-vee food store 1061, cedar rapids
- hy-vee food store 1063, cedar rapids
- hy-vee food store 1064, cedar rapids
- hy-vee food store 1396, marion
- new pioneer food co-op, cedar rapids
- sam's club 8162, cedar rapids
- target stores t- 1768, cedar rapids
- target stores t- 1771, cedar rapids
- walmart sc 1528, cedar rapids
- walmart sc 2716, cedar rapids
- walmart sc 3630, marion
Medium Grocery Store · 14
- afghan global market, cedar rapids
- cedar rapids african & oriental market, cedar rapids
- center point foods, center point
- davi market, cedar rapids
- el mercadito inc 1, cedar rapids
- imani market llc, cedar rapids
- jns food market llc, cedar rapids
- mula african food market inc, cedar rapids
- s. international market 2, cedar rapids
- saigon market, cedar rapids
- sisters' african food market, cedar rapids
- taj mahal, cedar rapids
- vytyl, cedar rapids
- yumei's asian market & anime, cedar rapids
Supermarket · 8
- aldi 68058, marion
- aldi 68061, cedar rapids
- aldi 68062, cedar rapids
- aldi 68064, cedar rapids
- garys foods, mount vernon
- hy-vee drugstore 7025, cedar rapids
- hy-vee drugstore 7026, cedar rapids
- vitamin cottage natural food markets u129, cedar rapids
Bakery Specialty · 5
- papa murphy's pizza ia001, cedar rapids
- papa murphy's pizza ia004, cedar rapids
- papa murphy's pizza ia007, marion
- papa murphy's pizza ia011, cedar rapids
- papa murphy's pizza ia032, cedar rapids
Farmers' Market · 3
- cedar rapids downtown farmers market, cedar rapids
- cmc's farmers market, cedar rapids
- newbo city market, cedar rapids
Small Grocery Store · 3
- huguette's african foods, cedar rapids
- papa juma african market, cedar rapids
- stop & buy african market, marion
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- cultivate hope corner store, cedar rapids
Large Grocery Store · 1
- african family market, cedar rapids
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Iowa
Food access nationally, Iowa in context
Linn 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 Linn County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Linn County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Linn County? ▼
Is Linn County a food desert? ▼
What share of Linn 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.