Signature · 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts)
Madison County, IA
Madison County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of the book) alongside 19.7% low-access.
- 19.7%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 6.1%
- on SNAP
- 17K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Madison County, IA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 19.7% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -2.4 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 6.1% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 33% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Franklin County (+ 0.0 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Madison County ranks #1,704 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #41 of 98 counties in IA (19.7% low-access; 1 food-desert tracts).
- #1,704
- national by low-access %
- #41
- in IA
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 628
- 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 (33.3% of tracts) .
How Madison County compares nationally
Madison County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 19.7% low-access share that beats 46% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,704).
Madison County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
3 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Madison County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (2 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Madison County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Madison 19.7
Madison 19.7%
19.7 % low-access
- Franklin 19.7
Franklin 19.7%
19.7 % low-access
- Harrison 19.7
Harrison 19.7%
19.7 % low-access
- Polk 19.4
Polk 19.4%
19.4 % low-access
- Woodbury 19.2
Woodbury 19.2%
19.2 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 3 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 15,679 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,095 |
| Low-Access Share | 19.7%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 628 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 16,926 |
| Median Household Income | $90,855 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.0%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 408 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.1%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
SNAP retailers in Madison County
Madison County has 15 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 8 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
5 towns share the 15 authorized stores; Winterset holds 60% of them. 3 of the 5 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Saint Charles, Bevington, Truro.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Winterset | 9 | 2 |
| Earlham | 2 | 1 |
| Saint Charles | 2 | none |
| Bevington | 1 | none |
| Truro | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 8
- casey's general store 1706, winterset
- casey's general store 2644, earlham
- casey's general store 3026, saint charles
- caseys general store 1062, winterset
- git-n-go 21, winterset
- maverik 5029, bevington
- mega saver 65, winterset
- umiya foodmart inc., truro
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- dollartree 10301, winterset
- dollar general 21634, saint charles
- dollar general 3671, winterset
Super Store · 2
- fareway stores, inc. 683, winterset
- hy-vee 1898, winterset
Large Grocery Store · 1
- hometown market of earlham, llc, earlham
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- wagner locker, winterset
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 Madison County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Nationwide peers for Madison County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Madison County, both outside Iowa so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IA (19.7% here).
- St. Landry Parish, LA · 19.7% low-access
- Barry County, MO · 19.7% low-access
- York County, NE · 19.7% low-access
- Chambers County, AL · 19.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (6.1% here).
- Marion County, KS · 6.1% SNAP
- Franklin County, ID · 6.1% SNAP
- Dodge County, MN · 6.1% SNAP
- Carbon County, MT · 6.1% 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.
Iowa among West North Central states
Iowa ranks 7th of 7 West North Central states by population-weighted low-access (20.0%). Madison County, at 19.7%, runs 0.3 pts below the Iowa rate.
- South Dakota 29.1%
- North Dakota 28.9%
- Minnesota 27.4%
- Kansas 26.4%
- Missouri 24.9%
- Nebraska 21.9%
- Iowa 20.0%
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 Madison County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19121. 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.