Signature · 4.6% SNAP (5th pct in IA)
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)
USDA FARA access plate
County Story County, IA
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 23.1% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.0 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 4 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 4.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Cherokee County (+ 0.2 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Story County ranks #1,442 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #29 of 98 counties in IA (23.1% low-access; 4 food-desert tracts).
- #1,442
- national by low-access %
- #29
- in IA
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- 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: 4.6% SNAP (5th pct in IA) (-7.5 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
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
20 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 4 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Story County has 15 urban and 5 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.
Story County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Cherokee 23.3
Cherokee 23.3%
23.3 % low-access
- Dubuque 23.3
Dubuque 23.3%
23.3 % low-access
- Story 23.1
Story 23.1%
23.1 % low-access
- Cedar 22.6
Cedar 22.6%
22.6 % low-access
- Mitchell 22.3
Mitchell 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % 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 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| 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% |
Thick SNAP store book 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 stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Iowa
One of 98 counties in Iowa, 6 are shown here.
Compare Story County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Nationwide peers for Story County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Story County (4.6%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Iowa.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IA (23.1% here).
- Hubbard County, MN · 23.1% low-access
- Hubbard County, MN · 23.1% low-access
- Weld County, CO · 23.1% low-access
- Weld County, CO · 23.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (4.6% here).
- LaGrange County, IN · 4.6% SNAP
- LaGrange County, IN · 4.6% SNAP
- Franklin County, IN · 4.6% SNAP
- Franklin County, IN · 4.6% 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.
Food access nationally, Iowa in context
Story County sits inside Iowa (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
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 Story County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19169. 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.