Signature · 1 LILA tracts (25% of tracts)
Lucas County, IA
Lucas County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (25% of the book) alongside 27.5% low-access.
- 27.5%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 9.9%
- on SNAP
- 9K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Lucas County, IA
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 27.5% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +5.4 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.9% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 25% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Black Hawk County (+ 0.0 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Lucas County ranks #1,116 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #20 of 98 counties in IA (27.5% low-access; 1 food-desert tracts).
- #1,116
- national by low-access %
- #20
- in IA
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 855
- 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: 1 LILA tracts (25% of tracts) .
How Lucas County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Lucas County's 27.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 64% of them and ranked #1,117 most-affected nationwide.
Lucas County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Lucas County has 2 urban and 2 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.
Lucas County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Lee 28.3
Lee 28.3%
28.3 % low-access
- Warren 28.2
Warren 28.2%
28.2 % low-access
- Marshall 28.1
Marshall 28.1%
28.1 % low-access
- Lucas 27.5
Lucas 27.5%
27.5 % low-access
- Black Hawk 27.5
Black Hawk 27.5%
27.5 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 8,898 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,450 |
| Low-Access Share | 27.5%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 855 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 8,716 |
| Median Household Income | $61,793 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.9%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 367 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.9%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.7%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
SNAP retailers in Lucas County
Lucas County has 8 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 4 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 4
- casey's 4308, chariton
- casey's general store 1499, chariton
- casey's general store 3032, chariton
- chariton bp 4, chariton
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollar general 2262, chariton
- family dollar 9390, chariton
Farmers' Market · 1
- chariton farmers market, chariton
Super Store · 1
- hy-vee food store 1065, chariton
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Iowa
One of 98 counties in Iowa, 6 are shown here.
Compare Lucas County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Food access nationally, Iowa in context
Lucas County sits inside Iowa (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
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 Lucas County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19117. 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.