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Signature · 8.0% SNAP (27th pct in MO)

St. Louis County, MO

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of St. Louis 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).

26.8%
low-access pop.
24
food-desert tracts
8.0%
on SNAP
996K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MO

USDA FARA access plate

County St. Louis County, MO

LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED

  • LA-ELEVATED 26.8% low-access
  • ABOVE-NATIONAL +4.7 pts vs US
  • LILA-CLUSTER 24 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-LIGHT 8.0% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 6.6% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-MIXED 12% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Putnam County ( -0.1 pts)

The food-access picture

According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, St. Louis County ranks #1,166 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #37 of 115 counties in MO (26.8% low-access; 24 food-desert tracts).

#1,166
national by low-access %
#37
in MO
101
low-access tracts
50K
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: 8.0% SNAP (27th pct in MO) (-4.1 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .

How St. Louis County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, St. Louis County's 26.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 63% of them and ranked #1,168 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

St. Louis County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

199 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 24 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for St. Louis County, MO USDA-defined food-access tiers: 98 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 77 limited, 24 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 199 tracts evaluated. 98 tracts adequate (49.2%) 77 tracts limited (38.7%) 24 tracts severe / food desert (12.1%) Adequate 49% Limited 39% Severe 12% Food-access tier distribution: St. Louis County, MO
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, St. Louis County has 198 urban and 1 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.

St. Louis County low-access neighbourhood

Poles + nearest peers in Missouri, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for St. Louis County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts199
Atlas Population (2010 basis)998,954
Low-Access Tracts101
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)24
Low-Access Population267,283
Low-Access Share26.8%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population50,436

ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for St. Louis County
IndicatorValue
Population995,569
Median Household Income$82,936
Poverty Rate9.8%below the national average
SNAP Households33,196
SNAP Participation Rate8.0%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.6%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.0%

Other Counties in Missouri

One of 114 counties in Missouri, 6 are shown here.

Adair County
27.3% low-access · 9.0% SNAP
Andrew County
15.8% low-access · 4.9% SNAP
Atchison County
5.1% low-access · 5.8% SNAP
Audrain County
22.6% low-access · 12.3% SNAP
Barry County
19.7% low-access · 11.0% SNAP
Barton County
56.5% low-access · 18.5% SNAP

Compare St. Louis County vs Adair County → · All Missouri counties →

Nationwide peers for St. Louis County's low-access or SNAP share

SNAP-led peer set first for St. Louis County (8.0%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Missouri.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside MO (26.8% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside MO (8.0% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Food access nationally, Missouri in context

St. Louis County sits inside Missouri (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

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 St. Louis County, MO are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 29189. 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.