County food-access profile · Minnesota
Waseca County, MN
Waseca 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.
- 40.6%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 8.8%
- on SNAP
- 19K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
40.6% of Waseca County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 4.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.5%
- 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).
Waseca County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 40.6% is well above the national share. 3 of the county's 5 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 7,768 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,429 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 Waseca County compares nationally
Waseca County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 40.6% low-access share outpaces 88% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #378 most-affected nationwide.
Waseca County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 5 census tracts in Waseca County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Waseca County vs. other Minnesota counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Minnesota
- Waseca
Waseca County, MN
40.6 % 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 | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 19,136 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 7,768 |
| Low-Access Share | 40.6%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,429 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 18,885 |
| Median Household Income | $76,261 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.5%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 658 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.8%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.3% |
About 8.8% of Waseca County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 40.6% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 658 households here.
- 4.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Waseca County
well above the national share
3 of Waseca County's 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 60.0% of all its tracts.
An estimated 7,768 residents, roughly 40.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,429 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 2 tracts (40.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Waseca County
Waseca County has 15 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 8 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 8
- by the way 1, waseca
- casey's 3832, janesville
- casey's general store 2436, waseca
- casey's general store 3574, new richland
- kwik trip 442, waseca
- kwik trip 1034, waseca
- snak atak # 41, waseca
- the market, madison lake
Combination Grocery/Other · 4
- dollar general 20492, janesville
- dollar tree 5635, waseca
- family dollar 16420, new richland
- sportsman spots, waseca
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- waseca morgans meat market, waseca
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- wagner foods, new richland
Super Store · 1
- walmart 1038, waseca
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Minnesota
Compare Waseca County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →
Food access nationally, Minnesota in context
Waseca 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.