Signature · 12.0% low-access (25th pct)
O'Brien County, IA
O'Brien County lands in the lower national band on low-access (12.0%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 12.0%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 7.7%
- on SNAP
- 14K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County O'Brien County, IA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 12.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -10.1 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Wright County (+ 0.4 pts)
Lower-band low-access
O'Brien County lands in the lower national band (12.0%, #2,340 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,340
- national by low-access %
- #64
- in IA
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 674
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 12.0% low-access (25th pct) (-10.1 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How O'Brien County compares nationally
O'Brien County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 12.0% low-access share that beats 25% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,344).
O'Brien County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, O'Brien County has 1 urban and 3 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.
O'Brien County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Chickasaw 12.6
Chickasaw 12.6%
12.6 % low-access
- Wright 12.4
Wright 12.4%
12.4 % low-access
- O'Brien 12
O'Brien 12%
12 % low-access
- Delaware 11.3
Delaware 11.3%
11.3 % low-access
- Guthrie 11.3
Guthrie 11.3%
11.3 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 14,398 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,721 |
| Low-Access Share | 12.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 674 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 14,126 |
| Median Household Income | $68,356 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.3%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 450 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.0% |
Other Counties in Iowa
One of 98 counties in Iowa, 6 are shown here.
Compare O'Brien County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Counties near O'Brien County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for O'Brien 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 (12.0% here).
- Richland Parish, LA · 12.0% low-access
- Richland Parish, LA · 12.0% low-access
- Suwannee County, FL · 12.0% low-access
- Suwannee County, FL · 12.0% 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.
O'Brien County inside a lower low-access state context
O'Brien 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 O'Brien County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19141. 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.