County food-access profile · Minnesota
Nicollet County, MN
Nicollet County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 44.9%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 6.0%
- on SNAP
- 34K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
44.9% of Nicollet County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 7 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 4.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.0%
- 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).
Nicollet County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 44.9% is well above the national share. 5 of the county's 7 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 14,696 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,200 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 Nicollet County compares nationally
Nicollet County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 44.9% low-access share outpaces 91% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #286 most-affected nationwide.
Nicollet County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 7 census tracts in Nicollet County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Nicollet County vs. other Minnesota counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Minnesota
- Nicollet
Nicollet County, MN
44.9 % low-access
- Aitkin
Aitkin County, MN
33.8 % low-access
- Anoka
Anoka County, MN
38.3 % low-access
- Becker
Becker County, MN
34.5 % low-access
- Beltrami
Beltrami County, MN
32.3 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, MN
30 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 32,727 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 14,696 |
| Low-Access Share | 44.9%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,200 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 34,411 |
| Median Household Income | $79,756 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.0%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 785 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.0%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 9.5% |
About 6.0% of Nicollet County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 44.9% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 785 households here.
- 4.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Nicollet County
well above the national share
2 of Nicollet County's 7 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 28.6% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 14,696 residents, roughly 44.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,200 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 2 tracts (28.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Nicollet County
Nicollet County has 22 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 8 locations (36% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 8
- casey's 2220, north mankato
- express lane 5501, saint peter
- kwik trip 1152, saint peter
- kwik trip 466, saint peter
- kwik trip 615, north mankato
- speedway 4141, saint peter
- speedway 7027, north mankato
- st peter quick mart, saint peter
Combination Grocery/Other · 6
- andy's mini mart, north mankato
- dollar general 10589, saint peter
- dollar general 21884, nicollet
- dollar tree 5417, north mankato
- family dollar store 4648, saint peter
- walgreens 12535, north mankato
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- george's city meats llc, nicollet
- nabil shop, north mankato
- seoul foods, north mankato
Super Store · 2
- family fresh market 331, saint peter
- hy-vee 7079, saint peter
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza mn099, saint peter
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- schmidt's meat market, nicollet
Supermarket · 1
- st peter food co-op, saint peter
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Minnesota
Compare Nicollet County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →
Food access nationally, Minnesota in context
Nicollet County sits inside Minnesota (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 Nicollet County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Nicollet County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Nicollet County? ▼
Is Nicollet County a food desert? ▼
What share of Nicollet 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.