State food-access profile · 87 counties

Food access in Minnesota

How far Minnesota residents live from a supermarket, where the food deserts are, and the SNAP, poverty, and vehicle-access context, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).

Compiled by Plainfoodaccess, Food Access Editorial Process · June 23, 2026

27.4%
low-access pop.: 192
food-desert tracts: 7.8%
on SNAP: 87
counties

The statewide picture

About 1.5M Minnesota residents - 27.4% - live in a low-access area, and 192 census tracts across the state are USDA-designated food deserts.

1.5M
low-access residents: 302K
food-desert residents: 6.6%
households, no vehicle: 9.3%
below poverty line

Shares are population-weighted across the state's tracts, not an average of county percentages. Low access = >1 mile (urban) / >10 miles (rural) from a supermarket.

Where Minnesota stands nationally

Every state colored by its population-weighted low-access share, Minnesota is ringed. Click any state to compare.

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

The USDA Food Access Research Atlas evaluates every census tract in Minnesota against the same rule used nationwide: a tract is low-access when many residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. Across 87 counties and 5.7M residents, Minnesota's population-weighted low-access share is 27.4%.

A tract becomes a food desert only when its low-access residents are also low-income. That applies to 192 tracts in Minnesota, home to roughly 302K low-income, low-access residents. SNAP participation across the state averages 7.8% of households, and 6.6% of households have no vehicle, the transport gap that turns distance into a real barrier. The county table below is sorted with the highest low-access share first, so the top rows are where distance, income, and vehicle gaps most consistently overlap.

Counties

27.4%

Low-access (pop-weighted)

1.5M

Low-access residents

7.8%

Avg. SNAP

Red Lake

99.2
Marshall

61
McLeod

47.3
Washington

45.8
Nicollet

44.9
Grant

44.1
Lake of the Woods

41.2
Waseca

40.6

All counties in Minnesota

County	Population	Low-access	SNAP	No vehicle	Poverty
Red Lake County	4K	99.2%	5.3%	3.4%	7.2%
Marshall County	9K	61.0%	6.5%	4.6%	8.3%
McLeod County	37K	47.3%	7.8%	3.4%	8.7%
Washington County	276K	45.8%	4.1%	3.8%	5.1%
Nicollet County	34K	44.9%	6.0%	4.1%	8.0%
Grant County	6K	44.1%	8.3%	4.6%	11.6%
Lake of the Woods County	4K	41.2%	3.0%	2.4%	6.4%
Waseca County	19K	40.6%	8.8%	4.9%	7.5%
Lyon County	26K	40.1%	9.4%	8.3%	12.2%
Koochiching County	12K	39.9%	14.4%	8.9%	10.9%
Kandiyohi County	44K	39.8%	10.5%	5.5%	9.1%
Clearwater County	9K	39.2%	13.1%	9.2%	12.6%
Blue Earth County	70K	38.9%	8.8%	6.6%	15.7%
Redwood County	15K	38.9%	9.8%	6.0%	13.3%
Chisago County	58K	38.7%	5.3%	3.9%	6.0%
Big Stone County	5K	38.4%	9.5%	4.4%	12.9%
Anoka County	370K	38.3%	7.2%	4.6%	7.0%
Carver County	110K	38.3%	3.7%	3.8%	4.4%
Roseau County	15K	37.8%	5.5%	6.1%	12.2%
Mahnomen County	5K	35.2%	21.4%	9.0%	18.3%
Dakota County	446K	34.6%	4.9%	4.9%	5.8%
Becker County	35K	34.5%	11.6%	5.8%	12.9%
Aitkin County	16K	33.8%	8.9%	5.0%	13.1%
Isanti County	43K	33.5%	6.7%	3.9%	7.5%
Polk County	31K	33.4%	10.0%	7.4%	11.9%
Todd County	26K	32.4%	7.3%	6.5%	11.5%
Beltrami County	47K	32.3%	13.5%	5.9%	16.1%
Yellow Medicine County	9K	32.3%	7.4%	4.6%	8.6%
Renville County	15K	31.8%	8.6%	5.7%	11.0%
Cook County	6K	31.4%	4.1%	2.5%	10.2%
Martin County	20K	31.1%	12.3%	9.9%	13.1%
Morrison County	34K	31.0%	8.3%	4.8%	11.0%
Steele County	37K	30.9%	7.7%	6.2%	8.3%
Pipestone County	9K	30.8%	10.8%	6.0%	10.5%
Benton County	42K	30.0%	8.6%	6.1%	9.9%
Nobles County	22K	29.5%	9.0%	5.5%	14.0%
Scott County	155K	29.1%	4.5%	3.1%	4.6%
Wilkin County	6K	29.1%	10.6%	6.7%	14.1%
St. Louis County	200K	27.3%	10.2%	8.0%	13.2%
Meeker County	23K	26.1%	8.4%	4.2%	9.1%
Norman County	6K	26.0%	10.9%	5.1%	10.1%
Kittson County	4K	25.9%	5.1%	3.3%	9.1%
Wright County	148K	25.9%	4.4%	3.0%	5.2%
Swift County	10K	25.8%	12.3%	7.1%	12.0%
Hennepin County	1.3M	25.5%	8.1%	9.3%	10.0%
Itasca County	45K	25.4%	10.7%	4.7%	12.2%
Stearns County	161K	25.3%	9.5%	6.0%	12.9%
Douglas County	40K	24.7%	6.0%	5.0%	9.0%
Freeborn County	31K	23.7%	9.5%	5.8%	10.6%
Otter Tail County	60K	23.4%	6.5%	5.6%	8.7%
Hubbard County	22K	23.1%	10.2%	4.5%	10.8%
Rock County	10K	21.1%	6.9%	5.8%	10.6%
Ramsey County	543K	20.8%	11.4%	10.2%	12.3%
Olmsted County	164K	20.0%	6.8%	6.9%	7.5%
Clay County	66K	19.2%	9.9%	9.1%	13.3%
Carlton County	37K	18.9%	7.4%	5.7%	11.9%
Mower County	40K	18.8%	10.6%	5.2%	10.4%
Rice County	68K	18.4%	7.9%	5.6%	10.2%
Pennington County	14K	18.2%	7.2%	5.7%	10.5%
Jackson County	10K	17.4%	5.2%	3.9%	8.6%
Brown County	26K	17.2%	6.5%	4.9%	8.5%
Sherburne County	101K	16.3%	5.0%	4.2%	5.1%
Chippewa County	12K	16.2%	9.8%	6.9%	14.5%
Traverse County	3K	15.5%	16.9%	5.8%	11.3%
Murray County	8K	14.5%	6.2%	4.5%	9.3%
Goodhue County	48K	14.3%	7.6%	6.8%	9.3%
Dodge County	21K	14.0%	6.1%	3.8%	7.0%
Cass County	31K	13.8%	11.6%	4.2%	12.8%
Houston County	19K	13.7%	3.4%	3.2%	6.6%
Crow Wing County	68K	13.4%	8.7%	4.9%	9.9%
Stevens County	10K	13.0%	9.8%	5.0%	11.1%
Faribault County	14K	12.5%	10.1%	4.9%	10.4%
Pope County	11K	12.4%	7.1%	6.0%	9.4%
Lincoln County	6K	12.2%	7.0%	3.3%	11.9%
Winona County	50K	12.1%	6.9%	5.3%	14.8%
Pine County	30K	12.0%	10.9%	6.3%	11.1%
Kanabec County	16K	11.9%	9.5%	3.4%	10.0%
Lake County	11K	11.6%	8.6%	3.5%	8.6%
Lac qui Parle County	7K	11.4%	8.8%	3.4%	8.1%
Wabasha County	22K	10.5%	5.5%	5.2%	7.1%
Cottonwood County	11K	8.8%	9.4%	5.9%	15.0%
Mille Lacs County	27K	7.8%	11.0%	5.5%	10.4%
Wadena County	14K	7.4%	14.3%	7.6%	12.5%
Le Sueur County	29K	5.0%	7.4%	3.5%	6.4%
Sibley County	15K	3.3%	8.3%	4.1%	9.0%
Watonwan County	11K	3.3%	9.4%	7.9%	13.2%
Fillmore County	21K	2.7%	6.7%	5.8%	8.4%

Source: USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2024 5-year). Sorted by low-access share, highest first. USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2024 5-year). Sorted by low-access share, highest first.

What this means for the state

27.4% of Minnesota residents, about 1.5M people, live in a low-access area.
192 census tracts are USDA food deserts, home to roughly 302K low-income, low-access residents.
7.8% of households receive SNAP, and 6.6% have no vehicle.
Red Lake County has the state's highest low-access share at 99.2%.

USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); SNAP, poverty, and vehicle context is the Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Minnesota has low food access?▼

27.4% of Minnesota residents live in low-access areas (population-weighted across the state's tracts), per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).

How many food deserts are in Minnesota?▼

192 census tracts in Minnesota are USDA-designated food deserts, both low-access and low-income, home to roughly 302K low-income residents.

What is the SNAP participation rate in Minnesota?▼

Across Minnesota counties, an average of 7.8% of households receive SNAP (Census ACS 2024), though rates vary between urban and rural areas.

Which county in Minnesota has the worst food access?▼

Red Lake County has the highest low-access share in Minnesota at 99.2%, with 5.3% SNAP participation.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Food Access Research Atlas (2019 edition), 9,228 of roughly 71,700 U.S. census tracts meet the low-income, low-access food-desert threshold. The state and county figures on this page are aggregated from that tract-level data and joined to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates, released in December 2025. See our methodology for how the population-weighted shares are computed.

Data current as of 2026-06-23 (most recent source-data vintage).

← All states · Methodology