County food-access profile · Minnesota
Wright County, MN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Wright 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).
- 25.9%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 4.4%
- on SNAP
- 148K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
25.9% of Wright County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 3.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 5.2%
- 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).
USDA data puts Wright County's low-access share at 25.9%, above the national share. 8 of the county's 17 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 32,285 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,628 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 Wright County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Wright County's 25.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 61% of them and ranked #1,225 most-affected nationwide.
Wright County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 17 census tracts in Wright County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Wright County vs. other Minnesota counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Minnesota
- Wright
Wright County, MN
25.9 % 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 | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 124,700 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 32,285 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.9%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,628 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 148,269 |
| Median Household Income | $107,209 |
| Poverty Rate | 5.2%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,362 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.8% |
About 4.4% of Wright County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 25.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 4.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,362 households here.
- 3.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Wright County
above the national share
2 of Wright County's 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 11.8% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 32,285 residents, roughly 25.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,628 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (52.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Wright County
Wright County has 78 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 31
- casey's general store 1647, cokato
- casey's general store 2156, rockford
- casey's general store 2412, albertville
- casey's general store 3601, montrose
- casey's general store 3622, annadale
- celine stop, howard lake
- flippin bills, delano
- freed st. michael, saint michael
- holiday stationstore 2746234, annandale
- holiday stationstore 2746196, monticello
- holiday stationstore 2746214, delano
- holiday stationstore 2746238, buffalo
- holiday stationstore 2746254, clearwater
- holiday stationstore 2746344, monticello
- holiday stationstore 2746378, elk river
- holiday stationstore 2746393, rockford
- holiday stationstore 2746546, delano
- holiday stationstores 2746394, wright
- kwik trip 458, buffalo
- kwik trip 1020, albertville
- kwik trip 1031, delano
- kwik trip 104, clearwater
- kwik trip 1188, cokato
- kwik trip 177, monticello
- kwik trip 345, monticello
- kwik trip 681, st. michael
- maple lake minimart, maple lake
- pikes express, buffalo
- speedway 4267, st michael
- speedway 4479, monticello
- speedway 7016, albertville
Combination Grocery/Other · 19
- cvs 5311, delano
- cvs 5920, saint michael
- dollar general 10460, cokato
- dollar general 14235, annandale
- dollar general 18158, rockford
- dollartree 9601, greenfield
- dollar general 15392, maple lake
- dollar general 16105, montrose
- dollar general 22351, delano
- dollar general 31032, south haven
- dollar tree 4812, buffalo
- dollar tree 5243, monticello
- dollar tree 6057, albertville
- dollar tree 9599, saint michael
- family dollar 13326, cokato
- petty brothers meats inc, annandale
- walgreens 13842, saint michael
- walgreens 13938, monticello
- walgreens 15124, n buffalo
Super Store · 12
- annandale marketplace inc, annandale
- cub foods - buffalo, buffalo
- coborn's marketplace 2008, clearwater
- coborn's marketplace 2028, delano
- coborn's marketplace 2029, albertville
- coborn's marketplace 2048, buffalo
- cub foods, saint michael
- market place, cokato
- target store 2180, monticello
- target store 861, buffalo
- walmart 1577, buffalo
- walmart supercenter 3624, monticello
Bakery Specialty · 4
- papa murphy's - albertville mn055, albertville
- papa murphy's - buffalo mn062, buffalo
- papa murphy's take n bake pizza mn115, delano
- papa murphys mn085, monticello
Farmers' Market · 4
- annandale farmers mk-annandale area community team, annandale
- buffalo farmers market, buffalo
- delano farmers market, delano
- monticello farmers market, monticello
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 4
- 12/12 meats, montrose
- crescent farms llc, monticello
- the butchery of maple lake, maple lake
- von hansons meats, monticello
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 72027, monticello
- cub foods 1632, monticello
Large Grocery Store · 1
- supermercado lomabonita #5, monticello
Small Grocery Store · 1
- dan & beckys market llc, cokato
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Minnesota
Compare Wright County vs Aitkin County → · All Minnesota counties →
Food access nationally, Minnesota in context
Wright 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
What share of Wright County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Wright County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Wright County? ▼
Is Wright County a food desert? ▼
What share of Wright County households lack a vehicle? ▼
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.