Signature · 1 LILA tracts (25% of tracts)
Pope County, MN
Pope County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (25% of the book) alongside 12.4% low-access.
- 12.4%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 7.1%
- on SNAP
- 11K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Pope County, MN
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 12.4% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -9.7 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.1% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 25% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Faribault County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Pope County lands in the lower national band (12.4%, #2,311 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,311
- national by low-access %
- #73
- in MN
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 333
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 1 LILA tracts (25% of tracts) .
How Pope County compares nationally
Pope County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 12.4% low-access share that beats 26% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,311).
Pope County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
All 4 of Pope 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.
Pope County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Minnesota, not a full county-board reprint
- Red Lake
Red Lake 99.2%
99.2 % low-access
- Faribault 12.5
Faribault 12.5%
12.5 % low-access
- Pope 12.4
Pope 12.4%
12.4 % low-access
- Lincoln 12.2
Lincoln 12.2%
12.2 % low-access
- Winona 12.1
Winona 12.1%
12.1 % low-access
- Pine 12
Pine 12%
12 % low-access
- Fillmore 2.7
Fillmore 2.7%
2.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 10,995 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,368 |
| Low-Access Share | 12.4%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 333 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,418 |
| Median Household Income | $76,220 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.4%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 354 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.1%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
SNAP retailers in Pope County
Pope County has 7 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 3 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
2 towns share the 7 authorized stores; Glenwood holds 57% of them. Every one of these towns has at least one grocery-grade outlet (2 across the county).
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Glenwood | 4 | 1 |
| Starbuck | 3 | 1 |
Convenience Store · 3
- casey's 4505, glenwood
- casey's general store 1740, glenwood
- casey's general store 3660, starbuck
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollar general store 16450, starbuck
- dollar tree 6959, glenwood
Large Grocery Store · 1
- tom's market, starbuck
Super Store · 1
- tom's market, glenwood
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Minnesota
One of 86 counties in Minnesota, 6 are shown here.
Compare Pope County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →
Counties near Pope County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Pope County, both outside Minnesota so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MN (12.4% here).
- Simpson County, MS · 12.4% low-access
- Wright County, IA · 12.4% low-access
- Herkimer County, NY · 12.4% low-access
- Clatsop County, OR · 12.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MN (7.1% here).
- Franklin County, MO · 7.1% SNAP
- Jefferson County, MO · 7.1% SNAP
- Box Butte County, NE · 7.1% SNAP
- Platte County, NE · 7.1% 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.
Minnesota among West North Central states
Minnesota ranks 3rd of 7 West North Central states by population-weighted low-access (27.4%). Pope County, at 12.4%, runs 15.0 pts below the Minnesota 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 Pope County, MN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 27121. 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.