County food-access profile · Texas
Bastrop County, TX
Bastrop County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 17.3%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 7.5%
- on SNAP
- 107K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
17.3% of Bastrop County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 3.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.2%
- 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).
Bastrop County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 17.3% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 10 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 12,826 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,125 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 Bastrop County compares nationally
Bastrop County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.3% low-access share that beats 38% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,928).
Bastrop County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Bastrop County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Bastrop County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Bastrop 17.3
Bastrop County, TX
17.3 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, TX
43.8 % low-access
- Andrews
Andrews County, TX
26.8 % low-access
- Angelina
Angelina County, TX
26 % low-access
- Aransas
Aransas County, TX
31.7 % low-access
- Archer
Archer County, TX
18.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 74,171 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,826 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.3%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,125 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 106,582 |
| Median Household Income | $86,226 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,750 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.8% |
About 7.5% of Bastrop County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 17.3% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,750 households here.
- 3.4% 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 Bastrop County
near the national share
3 of Bastrop County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 30.0% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 12,826 residents, roughly 17.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,125 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 5 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Bastrop County
Bastrop County has 79 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 43 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 43
- 21 food mart, cedar creek
- 71 food mart, bastrop
- amplified data link, bastrop
- cedar creek country store, cedar creek
- cedar creek express, cedar creek
- chestnut express, bastrop
- circle k 2704031, bastrop
- circle k 2741595, bastrop
- citgo food mart, elgin
- country grocery, del valle
- country mart, bastrop
- duron's grocery store, del valle
- elgin quick mart, elgin
- food box 12, elgin
- food mart, cedar creek
- fresh n up, bastrop
- izal business inc, paige
- jimmy's food n gas, smithville
- lake bastrop mini mart, bastrop
- lakeline grocery, bastrop
- lba market, bastrop
- main stop grocery, elgin
- market xpress #2, elgin
- murphy usa 7567, bastrop
- neu hub, elgin
- neu hub #3, smithville
- neu hub #6, bastrop
- quiktrip 4128, bastrop
- quiktrip 4161, elgin
- red rock food mart, red rock
- refuel 331, cedar creek
- stripes 40589h, bastrop
- sammy's food mart, bastrop
- smithville stop, smithville
- snack stop # 2, del valle
- snack stop # 3 1, dale
- speedy max, elgin
- stripes no. 5150, elgin
- sunny food mart, cedar creek
- tahitian village market, bastrop
- terrys corner, paige
- vic & jee llc, cedar creek
- wagon wheel gas & go, rosanky
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- cvs 10337, elgin
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 1037, bastrop
- dollar general 13848, cedar creek
- dollar general 18727, bastrop
- dollar general 1879, elgin
- dollar general 3537, bastrop
- dollar general 9099, smithville
- dollartree plus 8999, bastrop
- dollar general 12602, bastrop
- dollar general 12642, cedar creek
- dollar general 15565, paige
- dollar general 17193, cedar creek
- dollar general 17607, bastrop
- dollar general 21948, mcdade
- dollar general 9932, cedar creek
- family dollar 12373, bastrop
- family dollar 13595, smithville
- family dollar 2466, elgin
- walgreens 09143, bastrop
- walgreens 13588, bastrop
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- 812 super mercado mexicana, del valle
- jalisco market, bastrop
- mi celine mercado, elgin
- pally 2 enterprises inc 0, cedar creek
Farmers' Market · 3
- bastrop 1832 farmers market, bastrop
- elgin farmers' market, elgin
- smithville farmer's market, smithville
Super Store · 3
- brookshire brothers 55, smithville
- walmart 1042, bastrop
- walmart supercenter 3170, elgin
Supermarket · 3
- heb 475, elgin
- heb 582, bastrop
- poco loco super mercado 10, elgin
Large Grocery Store · 2
- high view ranch super mercado, cedar creek
- j.d.'s supermarket 12, cedar creek
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza tx #112, bastrop
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Bastrop County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Bastrop 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 Bastrop County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Bastrop County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Bastrop County? ▼
Is Bastrop County a food desert? ▼
What share of Bastrop 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.