County food-access profile · Iowa
Story County, IA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Story 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).
- 23.1%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 4.6%
- on SNAP
- 100K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
23.1% of Story County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 5.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 18.2%
- 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 Story County's low-access share at 23.1%, above the national share. 10 of the county's 20 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 20,727 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,387 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 Story County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Story County's 23.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 54% of them and ranked #1,444 most-affected nationwide.
Story County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Story County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Story County vs. other Iowa counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Iowa
- Story
Story County, IA
23.1 % low-access
- Adair 8
Adair County, IA
8 % low-access
- Adams 6.4
Adams County, IA
6.4 % low-access
- Allamakee
Allamakee County, IA
10.9 % low-access
- Appanoose
Appanoose County, IA
15.7 % low-access
- Audubon 7.4
Audubon County, IA
7.4 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 89,542 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 20,727 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.1%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,387 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 100,466 |
| Median Household Income | $69,685 |
| Poverty Rate | 18.2%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,780 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.6%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.8%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 12.6% |
About 4.6% of Story County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 23.1% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 4.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,780 households here.
- 5.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Story County
above the national share
4 of Story County's 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 20.0% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 20,727 residents, roughly 23.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,387 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 10 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Story County
Story County has 61 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 29 locations (48% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 29
- casey's 3319, nevada
- casey's 4314, ames
- casey's 4315, ames
- casey's 4472, ames
- casey's 1398, roland
- casey's 2490, story city
- casey's 2560, ames
- casey's 2842, huxley
- casey's general store 2298, ames
- casey's general store 2301, ames
- casey's general store 2304, slater
- casey's general store 2306, nevada
- casey's general store 2474, huxley
- casey's general store 2905, ames
- casey's general store 2913, colo
- good & quick, nevada
- h&a easy mart, ames
- hy-vee gas 5013, ames
- hy-vee gas 5018, ames
- kwik star 1068, story city
- kwik trip 1158, ames
- maverik 5028, ames
- maverik 5118, ames
- maverik 5119, ames
- maverik 5299, ames
- maverik 5337, huxley
- maverik 5365, ames
- mega saver 73, ames
- yesway 10020, story city
Super Store · 12
- fareway stores, inc. 093, ames
- fareway stores, inc. 155, huxley
- fareway stores, inc. 249, story city
- fareway stores, inc. 386, ames
- fareway stores, inc. 426, nevada
- hy-vee dollar fresh 1442, nevada
- hy-vee food & drugstore 1018, ames
- hy-vee food store 1013, ames
- sam's club 6568, ames
- target stores t- 1170, ames
- walmart sc 4256, ames
- walmart supercenter 749, ames
Combination Grocery/Other · 11
- dollartree 10110, ames
- dollartree 10702, ames
- dollar general 0812, huxley
- dollar general 1536, nevada
- dollar general 20700, maxwell
- dollar general 22303, ames
- dollar general 30415, nevada
- dollar general 9049, story city
- dollar tree 4914, ames
- walgreens 12108, ames
- wheatsfield cooperative, ames
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- pammel grocery, ames
- rinconcito hispano, ames
- town & country market, slater
Small Grocery Store · 2
- tienda mexicana rosita's, ames
- uni mart, ames
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys ia019, ames
Farmers' Market · 1
- farmers market- ames, ames
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- fareway store 189, ames
Supermarket · 1
- aldi 72048, ames
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Iowa
Compare Story County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Food access nationally, Iowa in context
Story County sits inside Iowa (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
What share of Story County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Story County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Story County? ▼
Is Story County a food desert? ▼
What share of Story County households lack a vehicle? ▼
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.