Signature · 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts)
Wadena County, MN
Wadena County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of the book) alongside 7.4% low-access.
- 7.4%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 14.3%
- on SNAP
- 14K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Wadena County, MN
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ADEQUATE 7.4% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -14.7 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.3% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 33% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Mille Lacs County (+ 0.4 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Wadena County lands in the lower national band (7.4%, #2,688 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,688
- national by low-access %
- #83
- in MN
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 312
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts) .
How Wadena County compares nationally
Food access in Wadena County compares favorably nationally: its 7.4% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 14% of them (rank #2,688).
Wadena County's lower-band USDA tier split
3 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Wadena County has 0 urban and 3 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.
Wadena 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
- Wabasha 10.5
Wabasha 10.5%
10.5 % low-access
- Cottonwood 8.8
Cottonwood 8.8%
8.8 % low-access
- Mille Lacs 7.8
Mille Lacs 7.8%
7.8 % low-access
- Wadena 7.4
Wadena 7.4%
7.4 % low-access
- Le Sueur 5
Le Sueur 5%
5 % low-access
- Fillmore 2.7
Fillmore 2.7%
2.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 3 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 13,843 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,019 |
| Low-Access Share | 7.4%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 312 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 14,256 |
| Median Household Income | $61,467 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 868 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.6%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.9% |
SNAP retailers in Wadena County
Wadena County has 12 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 4 locations (33% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 4
- casey's general store 1782, wadena
- holiday stationstore 2746093, wadena
- hub 71, inc, sebeka
- ortons menahga holiday 350, menahga
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- dollar general 20033, sebeka
- dollar general store 17473, menahga
- dollar tree 5662, wadena
Farmers' Market · 1
- wadena farmers market, wadena
Large Grocery Store · 1
- lake country foods, menahga
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- a clean plate local and organic grocery, menahga
Super Store · 1
- walmart 4246, wadena
Supermarket · 1
- super one foods 537, wadena
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 Wadena County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →
Counties near Wadena County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Wadena 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 (7.4% here).
- Todd County, KY · 7.4% low-access
- Todd County, KY · 7.4% low-access
- Franklin County, IN · 7.4% low-access
- Franklin County, IN · 7.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MN (14.3% here).
- Burke County, NC · 14.3% SNAP
- Burke County, NC · 14.3% SNAP
- Caldwell County, NC · 14.3% SNAP
- Caldwell County, NC · 14.3% 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.
Wadena County inside a lower low-access state context
Wadena County sits inside Minnesota (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 Wadena County, MN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 27159. 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.