Signature · 6.5% SNAP (19th pct in IA)
Mills County, IA
Mills County lands in the lower national band on low-access (13.3%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 13.3%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 15K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Mills County, IA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 13.3% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -8.8 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 6.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Lyon County ( -0.5 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Mills County lands in the lower national band (13.3%, #2,253 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,253
- national by low-access %
- #60
- in IA
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 573
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 6.5% SNAP (19th pct in IA) (-5.6 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Mills County compares nationally
Mills County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.3% low-access share that beats 28% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,253).
Mills County's lower-band USDA tier split
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Mills County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (3 rural, 2 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 2 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Mills County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Buchanan 14.1
Buchanan 14.1%
14.1 % low-access
- Scott 13.9
Scott 13.9%
13.9 % low-access
- Mills 13.3
Mills 13.3%
13.3 % low-access
- Lyon 12.8
Lyon 12.8%
12.8 % low-access
- Chickasaw 12.6
Chickasaw 12.6%
12.6 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 15,059 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,999 |
| Low-Access Share | 13.3%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 573 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 14,568 |
| Median Household Income | $90,753 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.2%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 350 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.7% |
SNAP retailers in Mills County
Mills County has 11 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 6 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
5 towns share the 11 authorized stores; Glenwood holds 45% of them. 3 of the 5 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Emerson, Pacific Junction, Tabor.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Glenwood | 5 | 1 |
| Malvern | 3 | 1 |
| Emerson | 1 | none |
| Pacific Junction | 1 | none |
| Tabor | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 6
- casey's 3770, glenwood
- caseys general store 1007, malvern
- e stop, emerson
- kwik shop 350541, glenwood
- love's travel shop 704, pacific junction
- fas mart 551, glenwood
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- dollar general 20460, tabor
- dollar general 23952, malvern
- dollar general 6216, glenwood
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- mulholland grocery, malvern
Supermarket · 1
- russ's market 30, glenwood
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 Mills County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Counties near Mills County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Mills County (6.5%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Iowa.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IA (13.3% here).
- Cass County, MI · 13.3% low-access
- Roscommon County, MI · 13.3% low-access
- Sonoma County, CA · 13.3% low-access
- Fresno County, CA · 13.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (6.5% here).
- Butler County, KS · 6.5% SNAP
- Whitley County, IN · 6.5% SNAP
- Lyon County, KS · 6.5% SNAP
- Johnson County, IN · 6.5% 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%). Mills County, at 13.3%, runs 6.7 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 Mills County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19129. 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.