County food-access profile · Iowa
Wapello County, IA
Wapello County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 50.4%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 15.3%
- on SNAP
- 35K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
50.4% of Wapello County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 6.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.8%
- 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).
Wapello County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 50.4% is well above the national share. 8 of the county's 11 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 17,946 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,241 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 Wapello County compares nationally
Wapello County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 50.4% low-access share outpaces 94% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #201 most-affected nationwide.
Wapello County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 11 census tracts in Wapello County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Wapello County vs. other Iowa counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Iowa
- Wapello
Wapello County, IA
50.4 % low-access
- Adair 8
Adair County, IA
8 % low-access
- Adams 6.4
Adams County, IA
6.4 % low-access
- Allamakee 10.9
Allamakee County, IA
10.9 % low-access
- Appanoose 15.7
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 | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 35,625 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 17,946 |
| Low-Access Share | 50.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,241 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 35,362 |
| Median Household Income | $64,766 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,148 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.5% |
About 15.3% of Wapello County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 50.4% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,148 households here.
- 6.6% 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 Wapello County
well above the national share
5 of Wapello County's 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 45.5% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 17,946 residents, roughly 50.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,241 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 3 tracts (27.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Wapello County
Wapello County has 41 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 21 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 21
- agency bp 1, agency
- albia rd bp 2, ottumwa
- casey's general store 1609, eldon
- casey's general store 1678, ottumwa
- casey's general store 1886, ottumwa
- casey's general store 2208, ottumwa
- caseys general store 007, ottumwa
- caseys general store 057, eddyville
- eddyville travel plaza 21, eddyville
- hwy 63 south bp 8, ottumwa
- hy-vee c-store 5505, ottumwa
- hy-vee gas 5504, ottumwa
- mad ave quik shop, ottumwa
- murphy usa 6945, ottumwa
- north court bp 11, ottumwa
- penn & jeff bp 12, ottumwa
- richmond and ferry bp 13, ottumwa
- west 2nd bp 15, ottumwa
- yesway 10012, ottumwa
- yesway 10013, ottumwa
- yesway 10014, ottumwa
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- dollar general 20034, eldon
- dollar general 22207, eddyville
- dollar general 24713, ottumwa
- dollar general 2898, ottumwa
- dollar general 30778, ottumwa
- dollar general 7179, ottumwa
- dollar tree 3141, ottumwa
- walgreens 1301, ottumwa
Small Grocery Store · 4
- agape african american market, ottumwa
- la guadalupana, ottumwa
- m-p oriental market, ottumwa
- mexico lindo, ottumwa
Super Store · 4
- fareway stores, inc. 648, ottumwa
- hy-vee food store 1504, ottumwa
- hy-vee food store 1505, ottumwa
- walmart sc 1285, ottumwa
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- golden karen llc, ottumwa
- j m asian market, ottumwa
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 41073, ottumwa
- hy-vee drugstore, ottumwa
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Iowa
Compare Wapello County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Food access nationally, Iowa in context
Wapello 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
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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.