Signature · 8.9% low-access (18th pct)
Washington County, IA
Washington County lands in the lower national band on low-access (8.9%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 8.9%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 8.1%
- on SNAP
- 23K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Washington County, IA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 8.9% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -13.2 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.1% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Carroll County (+ 0.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Washington County lands in the lower national band (8.9%, #2,574 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,574
- national by low-access %
- #81
- in IA
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 651
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 8.9% low-access (18th pct) (-13.2 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Washington County compares nationally
Washington County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.9% low-access share that beats 18% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,575).
Washington County's lower-band USDA tier split
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Washington County has 2 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.
Washington County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Iowa, not a full county-board reprint
- Fremont
Fremont 76%
76 % low-access
- Clarke 9.2
Clarke 9.2%
9.2 % low-access
- Washington 8.9
Washington 8.9%
8.9 % low-access
- Carroll 8.9
Carroll 8.9%
8.9 % low-access
- Monroe 8.9
Monroe 8.9%
8.9 % low-access
- Hardin 8.6
Hardin 8.6%
8.6 % low-access
- Grundy 0
Grundy 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 21,704 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,928 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.9%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 651 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 22,561 |
| Median Household Income | $75,647 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.2%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 728 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.1%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
SNAP retailers in Washington County
Washington County has 25 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 11 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 11
- casey's 1025, kalona
- casey's 3900, riverside
- casey's 42, wellman
- casey's general store 1624, washington
- casey's general store 2629, riverside
- casey's general store 3528, washington
- kwik star 1738, kalona
- maverik 5170, riverside
- washington fast and fresh 1850, washington
- washington spirits & tobacco, washington
- westside petro, kalona
Combination Grocery/Other · 7
- dollar general 18476, brighton
- dollar general 15298, kalona
- dollar general 21535, washington
- dollar general 21630, riverside
- dollar general 22061, wellman
- dollar tree 7982, washington
- la morenita tienda y taqueria, washington
Large Grocery Store · 3
- dutch market llc no, washington
- freeman foods, wellman
- jws foods inc, kalona
Super Store · 3
- fareway stores, inc. 554, washington
- hy-vee food store 1850, washington
- walmart 1475, washington
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- buds custom meats inc, riverside
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 Washington County vs Adair County → · All Iowa counties →
Counties near Washington County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Washington County, both outside Iowa so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IA (8.9% here).
- Teton County, ID · 8.9% low-access
- Teton County, ID · 8.9% low-access
- Pierce County, GA · 8.9% low-access
- Pierce County, GA · 8.9% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IA (8.1% here).
- Shelby County, IN · 8.1% SNAP
- Shelby County, IN · 8.1% SNAP
- Putnam County, IN · 8.1% SNAP
- Putnam County, IN · 8.1% 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.
Washington County inside a lower low-access state context
Washington 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 Washington County, IA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 19183. 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.