PlainFoodAccess

State food-access profile · 56 counties

Food access in Montana

How far Montana 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).

22.3%
low-access pop.
36
food-desert tracts
7.9%
on SNAP
56
counties

The statewide picture

About 220K Montana residents - 22.3% - live in a low-access area, and 36 census tracts across the state are USDA-designated food deserts.

220K
low-access residents
72K
food-desert residents
4.7%
households, no vehicle
11.5%
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 Montana stands nationally

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

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

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 Montana 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 56 counties and 1.1M residents, Montana's population-weighted low-access share is 22.3%.

A tract becomes a food desert only when its low-access residents are also low-income. That applies to 36 tracts in Montana, home to roughly 72K low-income, low-access residents. SNAP participation across the state averages 7.9% of households, and 4.7% 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.

56
Counties
22.3%
Low-access (pop-weighted)
220K
Low-access residents
7.9%
Avg. SNAP

Highest low-access counties in Montana

Share of the population living in low-access areas, by county

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

All counties in Montana

County Low-accessSNAP
Carter County 100.0% 5.3%
Golden Valley County 100.0% 0.8%
Meagher County 100.0% 8.6%
Petroleum County 100.0% 0.5%
Prairie County 100.0% 14.5%
Treasure County 100.0% 6.9%
Wibaux County 100.0% 4.6%
Granite County 98.3% 5.7%
Judith Basin County 61.3% 5.3%
Teton County 60.2% 4.8%
Liberty County 56.2% 6.5%
Garfield County 55.3% 3.0%
Richland County 53.8% 4.4%
Hill County 53.5% 13.1%
Dawson County 52.5% 3.5%
Powder River County 52.4% 5.4%
Chouteau County 49.6% 9.4%
Toole County 43.6% 7.8%
Big Horn County 42.5% 17.5%
Valley County 41.9% 8.4%
Park County 41.6% 6.0%
McCone County 40.1% 0.3%
Fergus County 39.4% 7.3%
Phillips County 36.1% 7.0%
Sheridan County 35.2% 4.2%
Wheatland County 34.5% 6.1%
Blaine County 34.0% 14.7%
Musselshell County 31.9% 10.2%
Sanders County 31.1% 11.2%
Jefferson County 30.3% 5.1%
Madison County 30.2% 3.5%
Glacier County 28.1% 23.8%
Mineral County 27.2% 13.7%
Daniels County 26.8% 2.9%
Cascade County 26.3% 10.4%
Roosevelt County 26.1% 12.7%
Pondera County 25.5% 9.0%
Rosebud County 24.1% 13.5%
Sweet Grass County 22.6% 4.6%
Fallon County 22.4% 2.3%
Yellowstone County 21.3% 7.9%
Beaverhead County 20.1% 7.2%
Missoula County 19.6% 7.5%
Custer County 19.5% 8.2%
Powell County 19.2% 6.7%
Lewis and Clark County 17.1% 7.8%
Gallatin County 16.6% 2.8%
Broadwater County 15.4% 3.5%
Stillwater County 15.3% 5.6%
Carbon County 14.9% 6.1%
Flathead County 12.9% 6.5%
Lincoln County 7.5% 12.2%
Deer Lodge County 7.2% 13.1%
Silver Bow County 6.9% 13.2%
Lake County 5.7% 10.7%
Ravalli County 2.7% 6.5%

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

  • 22.3% of Montana residents, about 220K people, live in a low-access area.
  • 36 census tracts are USDA food deserts, home to roughly 72K low-income, low-access residents.
  • 7.9% of households receive SNAP, and 4.7% have no vehicle.
  • Carter County has the state's highest low-access share at 100.0%.

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 Montana has low food access?▼
22.3% of Montana 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 Montana?▼
36 census tracts in Montana are USDA-designated food deserts, both low-access and low-income, home to roughly 72K low-income residents.
What is the SNAP participation rate in Montana?▼
Across Montana counties, an average of 7.9% of households receive SNAP (Census ACS 2024), though rates vary between urban and rural areas.
Which county in Montana has the worst food access?▼
Carter County has the highest low-access share in Montana at 100.0%, 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 (most recent source-data vintage).

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