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PantryPath Research · WIC Coverage Atlas

WIC in Minnesota

63.1% coverage

Minnesota's WIC program reaches 63.1% of eligible residents — an estimated 82,000 participants out of 130,000 who qualify. That leaves 48,000 pregnant women, infants, and young children eligible but not receiving WIC's food package or nutrition counseling.

130K

WIC eligibles

82K

Participants (FY2024 avg)

48K

Unserved eligibles

87

Counties

Minnesota by county

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Toggle between estimated WIC eligibles, unserved gap, low-income child counts, and child-poverty share. Hover a county for its exact value.

Note: USDA does not publish sub-state WIC participation, so every county in Minnesota inherits the state's 63.1% coverage rate. County-level eligibles are allocated from state totals in proportion to the county's share of low-income children under 6 (ACS B17024). See methodology.

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Minnesota at a glance

Coverage rate

63.1%

Participants ÷ eligibles

Participation gap

36.9%

1 − coverage

Eligibles

130K

USDA FNS FY2022

Participants

82K

Monthly avg FY2024

Unserved

48K

Eligibles − participants

Kids < 6 low-income

105K

26.1% of universe

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 87 counties in Minnesota.

Most WIC eligibles

Estimated eligible population

  1. 1 Hennepin 26K
  2. 2 Ramsey 20K
  3. 3 Anoka 8K
  4. 4 Dakota 7K
  5. 5 Stearns 5K

Largest unserved gap

Eligibles not receiving WIC

  1. 1 Hennepin 10K
  2. 2 Ramsey 7K
  3. 3 Anoka 3K
  4. 4 Dakota 3K
  5. 5 Stearns 2K

Highest child-poverty share

Children < 6 at ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 Mahnomen 65.3%
  2. 2 Cass 53.4%
  3. 3 Lake of the Woods 47.3%
  4. 4 Beltrami 46.1%
  5. 5 Nobles 44.5%

Every county in Minnesota

All 87 counties with WIC eligibility estimates, unserved gap, and ACS child-poverty context.

County Eligibles est. Participants est. Unserved est. Kids < 6 low-income Poverty share
Aitkin 293 185 108 237 36.9%
Anoka 7,789 4,913 2,876 6,305 24.3%
Becker 1,187 749 438 961 40.2%
Beltrami 2,042 1,288 754 1,653 46.1%
Benton 1,028 648 380 832 25.8%
Big Stone 84 53 31 68 20.3%
Blue Earth 1,709 1,078 631 1,383 31.3%
Brown 784 495 289 635 36.6%
Carlton 746 471 275 604 25.6%
Carver 742 468 274 601 7.4%
Cass 1,143 721 422 925 53.4%
Chippewa 468 295 173 379 40.8%
Chisago 810 511 299 656 17.6%
Clay 1,642 1,036 606 1,329 26.0%
Clearwater 341 215 126 276 43.2%
Cook 99 62 37 80 31.4%
Cottonwood 415 262 153 336 38.4%
Crow Wing 2,052 1,294 758 1,661 40.9%
Dakota 7,258 4,578 2,680 5,875 18.2%
Dodge 418 263 155 338 22.2%
Douglas 1,044 658 386 845 29.2%
Faribault 451 284 167 365 40.6%
Fillmore 588 371 217 476 31.5%
Freeborn 720 454 266 583 32.0%
Goodhue 996 628 368 806 27.3%
Grant 205 129 76 166 37.2%
Hennepin 26,033 16,421 9,612 21,072 23.8%
Houston 300 189 111 243 22.5%
Hubbard 646 408 238 523 39.2%
Isanti 738 465 273 597 20.1%
Itasca 948 598 350 767 31.5%
Jackson 226 143 83 183 25.7%
Kanabec 320 202 118 259 27.0%
Kandiyohi 1,596 1,007 589 1,292 40.5%
Kittson 58 37 21 47 19.3%
Koochiching 253 160 93 205 37.4%
Lac qui Parle 127 80 47 103 24.0%
Lake 163 103 60 132 22.0%
Lake of the Woods 175 111 64 142 47.3%
Le Sueur 399 252 147 323 15.9%
Lincoln 127 80 47 103 25.8%
Lyon 846 534 312 685 33.2%
Mahnomen 362 228 134 293 65.3%
Marshall 172 108 64 139 21.6%
Martin 631 398 233 511 37.3%
McLeod 817 515 302 661 27.8%
Meeker 615 388 227 498 30.2%
Mille Lacs 890 561 329 720 37.0%
Morrison 663 418 245 537 23.8%
Mower 1,265 798 467 1,024 33.1%
Murray 124 78 46 100 21.1%
Nicollet 598 377 221 484 22.9%
Nobles 1,206 761 445 976 44.5%
Norman 230 145 85 186 42.6%
Olmsted 2,523 1,591 932 2,042 17.1%
Otter Tail 1,716 1,082 634 1,389 35.0%
Pennington 242 153 89 196 19.2%
Pine 562 355 207 455 29.9%
Pipestone 366 231 135 296 38.4%
Polk 907 572 335 734 30.8%
Pope 225 142 83 182 25.4%
Ramsey 20,216 12,752 7,464 16,364 39.2%
Red Lake 83 52 31 67 24.8%
Redwood 509 321 188 412 35.3%
Renville 451 284 167 365 34.6%
Rice 1,618 1,021 597 1,310 30.9%
Rock 187 118 69 151 22.7%
Roseau 469 296 173 380 37.6%
Scott 2,052 1,294 758 1,661 15.0%
Sherburne 1,788 1,128 660 1,447 18.5%
Sibley 279 176 103 226 23.3%
St. Louis 4,518 2,850 1,668 3,657 32.4%
Stearns 4,549 2,869 1,680 3,682 31.1%
Steele 787 496 291 637 25.5%
Stevens 299 189 110 242 35.1%
Swift 351 221 130 284 44.4%
Todd 814 514 300 659 35.7%
Traverse 120 76 44 97 39.4%
Wabasha 309 195 114 250 17.4%
Wadena 445 281 164 360 31.4%
Waseca 452 285 167 366 27.7%
Washington 3,182 2,007 1,175 2,576 13.9%
Watonwan 565 356 209 457 42.7%
Wilkin 200 126 74 162 32.7%
Winona 1,074 677 397 869 30.5%
Wright 2,336 1,474 862 1,891 15.3%
Yellow Medicine 224 141 83 181 27.9%

Apply for WIC in Minnesota

Income limits, food-package rules, clinic locator, and application instructions specific to Minnesota's WIC agency.

Minnesota WIC guide

Families with children

Our population-specific guide: WIC, SNAP, school meals, Summer EBT, and pantry programs for families with kids in Minnesota.

Families guide

Minnesota SNAP

SNAP recipients are automatically income-eligible for WIC through adjunctive eligibility — often the fastest path to enrollment.

Minnesota SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search Minnesota's verified pantries — many partner with WIC clinics and distribute infant formula, baby food, and diapers.

Minnesota food pantries

WIC methodology

How we estimated county-level eligibles, why state coverage rates can't be disaggregated, and which data sources we used.

Full methodology