Signature · 3.7% low-access (8th pct)
Polk County, MO
Polk County lands in the lower national band on low-access (3.7%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 3.7%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 10.8%
- on SNAP
- 32K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Polk County, MO
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 3.7% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -18.4 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 10.8% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: McDonald County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Polk County lands in the lower national band (3.7%, #2,879 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,879
- national by low-access %
- #113
- in MO
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 324
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 3.7% low-access (8th pct) (-18.4 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Polk County compares nationally
Food access in Polk County compares favorably nationally: its 3.7% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 8% of them (rank #2,879).
Polk County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 4 of Polk County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Polk County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Missouri, not a full county-board reprint
- Mercer
Mercer 99.8%
99.8 % low-access
- Hickory 4.4
Hickory 4.4%
4.4 % low-access
- McDonald 3.8
McDonald 3.8%
3.8 % low-access
- Polk 3.7
Polk 3.7%
3.7 % low-access
- Morgan 3.2
Morgan 3.2%
3.2 % low-access
- Mississippi 3
Mississippi 3%
3 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 31,137 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,140 |
| Low-Access Share | 3.7%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 324 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 32,444 |
| Median Household Income | $59,647 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.3%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,306 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.8%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.2% |
SNAP retailers in Polk County
Polk County has 25 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 12 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
7 towns share the 25 authorized stores; Bolivar holds 60% of them. 6 of the 7 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Fair Play, Half Way, Humansville, Morrisville, Aldrich, Brighton.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Bolivar | 15 | 3 |
| Fair Play | 2 | none |
| Half Way | 2 | none |
| Humansville | 2 | none |
| Morrisville | 2 | none |
| Aldrich | 1 | none |
| Brighton | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 12
- 32 whistle stop, half way
- baa foods, humansville
- baitmasters, aldrich
- break time 3170, bolivar
- c-store bolivar, bolivar
- casey's 3280, bolivar
- casey's 4377, bolivar
- hannahs 3, fair play
- hannahs 5, morrisville
- maverik 5174, bolivar
- maverik 5175, bolivar
- shyam corp, brighton
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- dollar general 19947, bolivar
- dollar general 11145, humansville
- dollar general 18178, fair play
- dollar general 22056, morrisville
- dollar general 24991, half way
- dollar general 6262, bolivar
- dollar general 6850, bolivar
- dollar tree 5374, bolivar
- walgreens 11666, bolivar
Super Store · 2
- walmart sc 46, bolivar
- woods supermarket 471, bolivar
Farmers' Market · 1
- greater polk county farmers market, bolivar
Supermarket · 1
- aldi 46080, bolivar
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Missouri
One of 114 counties in Missouri, 6 are shown here.
Compare Polk County vs Adair County → · All Missouri counties →
Counties near Polk County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Polk County, both outside Missouri so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MO (3.7% here).
- Union County, GA · 3.7% low-access
- Heard County, GA · 3.7% low-access
- Unicoi County, TN · 3.7% low-access
- Smyth County, VA · 3.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MO (10.8% here).
- Pamlico County, NC · 10.8% SNAP
- Boundary County, ID · 10.8% SNAP
- Aiken County, SC · 10.8% SNAP
- Jefferson County, TN · 10.8% 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.
Missouri among West North Central states
Missouri ranks 5th of 7 West North Central states by population-weighted low-access (24.9%). Polk County, at 3.7%, runs 21.2 pts below the Missouri 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 Polk County, MO are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 29167. 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.