Signature · 7.6% SNAP (34th pct in IA)
Pocahontas County, IA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Pocahontas 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
- 7.6%
- on SNAP
- 7K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Pocahontas 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 7.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Mitchell County (+ 0.0 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Pocahontas County ranks #1,503 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #32 of 98 counties in IA (22.3% low-access).
- #1,503
- national by low-access %
- #32
- in IA
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 593
- 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: 7.6% SNAP (34th pct in IA) (-4.5 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Pocahontas County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Pocahontas County's 22.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 52% of them and ranked #1,503 most-affected nationwide.
Pocahontas County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
3 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Pocahontas County has 0 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.
Pocahontas County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Pocahontas 22.3
Pocahontas 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Mitchell 22.3
Mitchell 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) | 7,310 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,632 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.3%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 593 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 7,046 |
| Median Household Income | $61,875 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 229 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.9% |
SNAP retailers in Pocahontas County
Pocahontas County has 8 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 2 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 4 locations (50% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 4
- dollar general 20971, laurens
- dollar general 7446, pocahontas
- family dollar 12878, pocahontas
- woods super valu, pocahontas
Convenience Store · 4
- casey's general store 2060, pocahontas
- casey's general store 2992, fonda
- casey's general store 2994, laurens
- rolfe heartland inc, rolfe
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 Pocahontas County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Food access nationally, Iowa in context
Pocahontas 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 Pocahontas County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19151. 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.