Signature · 7.7% SNAP (36th pct in IA)
Mitchell County, IA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Mitchell 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).
- 22.3%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 7.7%
- on SNAP
- 11K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Mitchell County, IA
LA-ELEVATED · PHOTO-FINISH · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ELEVATED 22.3% low-access
- PHOTO-FINISH +0.2 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Pocahontas County (+ 0.0 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Mitchell County ranks #1,499 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #31 of 98 counties in IA (22.3% low-access).
- #1,499
- national by low-access %
- #31
- in IA
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 927
- 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: 7.7% SNAP (36th pct in IA) (-4.4 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Mitchell County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Mitchell County's 22.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 52% of them and ranked #1,503 most-affected nationwide.
Mitchell County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
3 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Mitchell County has 1 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.
Mitchell County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Mitchell 22.3
Mitchell 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Pocahontas 22.3
Pocahontas 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Floyd 22.2
Floyd 22.2%
22.2 % low-access
- Dallas 22.1
Dallas 22.1%
22.1 % low-access
- Union 22.1
Union 22.1%
22.1 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 3 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 10,776 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,398 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.3%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 927 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 10,575 |
| Median Household Income | $71,365 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 352 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.1% |
SNAP retailers in Mitchell County
Mitchell County has 11 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 5 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 5
- casey's 2229, osage
- casey's general store 1799, osage
- caseys general store 1985, saint ansgar
- kountry kupboard, osage
- kwik star 801, osage
Combination Grocery/Other · 4
- dollar general 18930, riceville
- dollar general 16183, saint ansgar
- dollar general 2340, osage
- family dollar 13551, osage
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- heartland discount 1, riceville
Supermarket · 1
- osage payless foods, osage
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 Mitchell County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Nationwide peers for Mitchell County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Mitchell County (7.7%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Iowa.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IA (22.3% here).
- Oconee County, GA · 22.3% low-access
- Oconee County, GA · 22.3% low-access
- Coahoma County, MS · 22.3% low-access
- Coahoma County, MS · 22.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (7.7% here).
- Dearborn County, IN · 7.7% SNAP
- Dearborn County, IN · 7.7% SNAP
- Clark County, IN · 7.7% SNAP
- Clark County, IN · 7.7% 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.
Food access nationally, Iowa in context
Mitchell 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 Mitchell County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19131. 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.