County food-access profile · Minnesota
Stearns County, MN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Stearns 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).
- 25.3%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 9.5%
- on SNAP
- 161K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
25.3% of Stearns County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 29 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 12
- low-access tracts
- 11K
- food-desert residents
- 6.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.9%
- below poverty line
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, 1-and-10-mile measure).
USDA data puts Stearns County's low-access share at 25.3%, above the national share. 12 of the county's 29 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 38,109 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 11,074 low-income residents.
How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts
The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.
How Stearns County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Stearns County's 25.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 59% of them and ranked #1,273 most-affected nationwide.
Stearns County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 29 census tracts in Stearns County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Stearns County vs. other Minnesota counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Minnesota
- Stearns
Stearns County, MN
25.3 % low-access
- Aitkin
Aitkin County, MN
33.8 % low-access
- Anoka
Anoka County, MN
38.3 % low-access
- Becker
Becker County, MN
34.5 % low-access
- Beltrami
Beltrami County, MN
32.3 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, MN
30 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 29 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 150,642 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 12 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 38,109 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.3%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 11,074 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 160,865 |
| Median Household Income | $77,066 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.9%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,807 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.7% |
About 9.5% of Stearns County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 25.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,807 households here.
- 6.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).
What the food-access data shows for Stearns County
above the national share
5 of Stearns County's 29 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 17.2% of all its tracts.
A further 7 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 12.
An estimated 38,109 residents, roughly 25.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 11,074 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 17 tracts (58.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Stearns County
Stearns County has 120 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 53 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 53
- 9th ave x-press, saint cloud
- a4 llc, waite park
- albany holiday 511, albany
- casey's 2650, melrose
- casey's 3387, paynesville
- casey's general store 3650, belgrade
- casey's general store 1643, richmond
- casey's general store 1652, paynesville
- casey's general store 1738, sauk centre
- casey's general store 2353, waite park
- casey's general store 3300, avon
- casey's general store 3303, kimball
- casey's general store 3306, saint cloud
- casey's general store 3632, sauk rapids
- doost llc, saint cloud
- freedom division, saint cloud
- freedom sartell, sartell
- global gas, saint cloud
- go for it gas, saint cloud
- holiday stationstore 2746517, saint cloud
- holiday stationstore 2746538, saint cloud
- holiday stationstore 2746539, waite park
- holiday stationstore 2746544, sartell
- holiday stationstore 2746547, saint joseph
- holiday stationstore 2746551, saint cloud
- holiday stationstores 2746447, sauk centre
- kwik trip 1120, cold spring
- kwik trip 120, saint cloud
- kwik trip 1215, melrose
- kwik trip 137, waite park
- kwik trip 146, saint cloud
- kwik trip 147, saint joseph
- kwik trip 150, saint cloud
- kwik trip 151, saint cloud
- kwik trip 153, sartell
- kwik trip 160, waite park
- kwik trip 575, saint joseph
- kwik trip 598, paynesville
- love's travel stop 842, rockville
- marathon, saint cloud
- marathon 9th ave, saint cloud
- pilot travel center 134, saint cloud
- saint cloud mini mart, saint cloud
- slide in mart, saint cloud
- slide in mart 2 no, saint cloud
- snak atak #3, avon
- speedway 4361, saint cloud
- speedway 4404, saint cloud
- st augusta bp, saint augusta
- st cloud cenex 018, saint cloud
- stop n go, saint cloud
- the wenner company 4790, cold spring
- zenteno's express, saint cloud
Combination Grocery/Other · 23
- 33rd meat & grocery store, saint cloud
- cvs 10771, albany
- cvs 6507, saint cloud
- dollar general 13972, melrose
- dollar general 19519, ogilvie
- dollar general 19639, kimball
- dollar general 14916, richmond
- dollar general 15509, paynesville
- dollar general 16783, belgrade
- dollar general 20614, avon
- dollar general 20803, holdingford
- dollar general 21976, saint augusta
- dollar general 25338, sartell
- dollar general 25416, saint joseph
- dollar tree 6117, sartell
- dollar tree 6221, waite park
- dollar tree 7506, sauk centre
- dollar tree 843, saint cloud
- teal's market, albany
- von hansons meats of st cloud, waite park
- walgreens 03101, saint cloud
- walgreens 10210, sartell
- walgreens 11956, waite park
Super Store · 16
- cash wise foods 3009, waite park
- coborn's 2007, sartell
- coborn's 2022, sauk centre
- coborn's 2039, saint joseph
- coborn's 2043, melrose
- coborn's marketplace 2032, sartell
- coborn's marketplace 2035, saint cloud
- costco wholesale 1344, saint cloud
- fresh thyme market 511wte, waite park
- sam's club 8183, saint cloud
- target store 215, st cloud
- teal's market, cold spring
- teals market, paynesville
- walmart 1633, saint cloud
- walmart 3088, saint cloud
- walmart 4253, sauk centre
Medium Grocery Store · 11
- el torito mexican market, waite park
- kabribayah grocery and dali, saint cloud
- kismayo discount grocery store llc, saint cloud
- midnimo market, saint cloud
- midway halal & grocery 1, saint cloud
- minnesota street market, saint joseph
- mogadishu meat & grocery store inc, saint cloud
- nasiib grocery store, saint cloud
- starmarket, saint cloud
- thao market, saint cloud
- viet-tien international market na, waite park
Small Grocery Store · 4
- don chon mexican market, st cloud
- green market unit 73, waite park
- la perla market llc, waite park
- st cloud meat and grocery store, saint cloud
Farmers' Market · 3
- richmond mn farmers market, richmond
- st. cloud area farmers market, st. cloud
- st. joseph farmers market, saint joseph
Large Grocery Store · 3
- good earth food co-op, saint cloud
- minnesota meats & markets, sauk centre
- richmond food pride, richmond
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- belgrade meat center, belgrade
- jenniges meat processing, brooten
- knaus sausage house, kimball
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 72140, saint cloud
- aldi 90, waite park
- lunds & byerlys 1004, saint cloud
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys mn010, saint cloud
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Minnesota
Compare Stearns County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →
Food access nationally, Minnesota in context
Stearns County sits inside Minnesota (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources & Methodology
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).
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.