PlainFoodAccess

State food-access profile · 53 counties

Food access in North Dakota

How far North Dakota 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).

28.9%
low-access pop.
17
food-desert tracts
6.7%
on SNAP
53
counties

The statewide picture

About 194K North Dakota residents - 28.9% - live in a low-access area, and 17 census tracts across the state are USDA-designated food deserts.

194K
low-access residents
46K
food-desert residents
5.9%
households, no vehicle
10.8%
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 North Dakota stands nationally

Every state colored by its population-weighted low-access share, North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 53 counties and 785K residents, North Dakota's population-weighted low-access share is 28.9%.

A tract becomes a food desert only when its low-access residents are also low-income. That applies to 17 tracts in North Dakota, home to roughly 46K low-income, low-access residents. SNAP participation across the state averages 6.7% of households, and 5.9% 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.

53
Counties
28.9%
Low-access (pop-weighted)
194K
Low-access residents
6.7%
Avg. SNAP

Highest low-access counties in North Dakota

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 North Dakota

County Low-accessSNAP
Billings County 100.0% N/A
Golden Valley County 100.0% 16.3%
Hettinger County 100.0% 4.2%
Kidder County 100.0% 5.4%
Nelson County 100.0% 4.9%
Logan County 95.8% 5.1%
Slope County 95.2% 2.4%
Sheridan County 90.7% 7.1%
Steele County 84.5% 3.3%
Oliver County 83.8% 1.2%
LaMoure County 74.7% 5.7%
McHenry County 69.0% 6.3%
Burke County 68.8% 7.4%
Renville County 57.5% 6.6%
McLean County 55.2% 3.8%
Dunn County 52.8% 3.7%
Grant County 52.3% 11.6%
Pembina County 45.9% 8.6%
Emmons County 45.7% 9.1%
Bottineau County 45.4% 5.2%
McKenzie County 44.8% 3.4%
Wells County 44.8% 6.5%
Benson County 42.7% 20.5%
Sioux County 40.3% 36.8%
Cavalier County 36.3% 4.7%
Towner County 34.8% 4.6%
Divide County 33.0% 1.8%
Griggs County 32.8% 5.7%
Morton County 30.7% 4.2%
Williams County 30.6% 6.0%
Barnes County 30.2% 6.3%
Richland County 29.9% 6.2%
Bowman County 29.8% 5.1%
Eddy County 28.9% 6.6%
Stutsman County 27.7% 9.4%
Ramsey County 27.6% 10.9%
Burleigh County 27.2% 5.8%
Stark County 26.8% 7.5%
Grand Forks County 25.0% 6.0%
Ward County 24.2% 7.1%
Mercer County 23.4% 2.7%
Adams County 22.6% 12.6%
Cass County 21.0% 6.2%
McIntosh County 19.9% 6.4%
Walsh County 19.5% 4.1%
Pierce County 19.3% 7.2%
Foster County 18.3% 9.5%
Traill County 17.8% 4.4%
Dickey County 14.2% 5.5%
Mountrail County 12.2% 4.7%
Ransom County 12.2% 5.8%
Sargent County 9.7% 5.4%
Rolette County 9.6% 25.6%

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

  • 28.9% of North Dakota residents, about 194K people, live in a low-access area.
  • 17 census tracts are USDA food deserts, home to roughly 46K low-income, low-access residents.
  • 6.7% of households receive SNAP, and 5.9% have no vehicle.
  • Billings 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 North Dakota has low food access?▼
28.9% of North Dakota 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 North Dakota?▼
17 census tracts in North Dakota are USDA-designated food deserts, both low-access and low-income, home to roughly 46K low-income residents.
What is the SNAP participation rate in North Dakota?▼
Across North Dakota counties, an average of 6.7% of households receive SNAP (Census ACS 2024), though rates vary between urban and rural areas.
Which county in North Dakota has the worst food access?▼
Billings County has the highest low-access share in North Dakota at 100.0%, with N/A 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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