County food-access profile · Texas
Anderson County, TX
Anderson County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 43.8%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 18.0%
- on SNAP
- 58K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
43.8% of Anderson County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 5.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.4%
- 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).
Anderson County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 43.8% is well above the national share. 6 of the county's 11 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 25,589 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,259 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 Anderson County compares nationally
Anderson County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 43.8% low-access share outpaces 90% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #303 most-affected nationwide.
Anderson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 11 census tracts in Anderson County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Anderson County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Anderson
Anderson County, TX
43.8 % low-access
- Andrews 26.8
Andrews County, TX
26.8 % low-access
- Angelina 26
Angelina County, TX
26 % low-access
- Aransas 31.7
Aransas County, TX
31.7 % low-access
- Archer 18.3
Archer County, TX
18.3 % low-access
- Armstrong
Armstrong County, TX
99.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 58,458 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 25,589 |
| Low-Access Share | 43.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,259 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 58,439 |
| Median Household Income | $62,068 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.4%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,161 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 18.0%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.8%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 17.7% |
About 18.0% of Anderson County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 43.8% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 18.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,161 households here.
- 5.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Anderson County
well above the national share
3 of Anderson County's 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 27.3% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 25,589 residents, roughly 43.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,259 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 5 tracts (45.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Anderson County
Anderson County has 45 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 22 locations (49% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- cvs pharmacy inc 6918, palestine
- dollar general 19387, montalba
- dollar general 4551, palestine
- dollar general 5852, frankston
- dollar general 7576, palestine
- dollar general 8851, palestine
- dollar general 9700, elkhart
- dollartree 8718, palestine
- dollar tree 4456, palestine
- family dollar 12251, palestine
- family dollar 1316, palestine
- family dollar 7597, elkhart
- family dollar 8442, frankston
- family dollar store 11038, tennessee colony
- family dollar store 7857, palestine
- kim's 1002, palestine
- kim's 1003, palestine
- kim's 1006, elkhart
- kim's 1007, palestine
- kim's 1038, frankston
- kim's 45, palestine
- walgreens 09411, palestine
Convenience Store · 14
- 7-eleven, inc. 42580, sanderson
- cefco 106, palestine
- diamond sales 2, frankston
- flowers bakery outlet 50000341, palestine
- jj's fastop 107, palestine
- jj's fastop #105, palestine
- milan bz mart 2, frankston
- mr. d's, palestine
- murphy usa 7681, palestine
- ordones groceries 1, palestine
- petro mart #3, palestine
- solid rock african mart, palestine
- tristar 19, palestine
- tristar 20, palestine
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 75108, palestine
- brookshire food store 30, palestine
- brookshire brothers express 112, grapeland
- spring market 713, frankston
Small Grocery Store · 2
- african carribean middle east food store llc, palestine
- el natural veggie-table, palestine
Super Store · 2
- kroger 431, palestine
- walmart supercenter 345, palestine
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- east texas beef processors, palestine
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Anderson County vs Andrews County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Anderson County sits inside Texas (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 Anderson County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Anderson County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Anderson County? ▼
Is Anderson County a food desert? ▼
What share of Anderson 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.