County food-access profile · Oklahoma
Beckham County, OK
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Beckham County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 26.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 18.6%
- on SNAP
- 22K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
26.5% of Beckham County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 5.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 21.7%
- 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).
USDA data puts Beckham County's low-access share at 26.5%, above the national share. 2 of the county's 4 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 5,864 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Beckham County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Beckham County's 26.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 62% of them and ranked #1,186 most-affected nationwide.
Beckham County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 4 census tracts in Beckham County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Beckham County vs. other Oklahoma counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Oklahoma
- Beckham
Beckham County, OK
26.5 % low-access
- Adair 9.7
Adair County, OK
9.7 % low-access
- Alfalfa
Alfalfa County, OK
58.5 % low-access
- Atoka
Atoka County, OK
34.7 % low-access
- Beaver
Beaver County, OK
38.2 % low-access
- Blaine
Blaine County, OK
61.4 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 22,119 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 5,864 |
| Low-Access Share | 26.5%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,736 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 22,148 |
| Median Household Income | $53,328 |
| Poverty Rate | 21.7%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,519 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 18.6%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 13.3% |
About 18.6% of Beckham County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 26.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 18.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,519 households here.
- 5.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $53,328 with a 21.7% poverty rate.
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 Beckham County
above the national share
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 2.
An estimated 5,864 residents, roughly 26.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,736 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 2 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Beckham County
Beckham County has 32 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 17
- allsup's 102476, elk city
- circle k 2709246, elk city
- circle k 2709247, elk city
- circle k 2709249, elk city
- circle k 2709257, elk city
- circle k 2709258, sayre
- circle k 2709260, elk city
- circle k 2709264, elk city
- domino 109, elk city
- kwik run 1220, elk city
- love's travel stops & country stores inc 201, elk city
- love's travel stops & country stores inc 31, elk city
- loves travel stops & country store 253, erick
- pilot travel center 705, sayre
- quick & easy, inc., elk city
- spiveys grab n go, elk city
- ta sayre 152, sayre
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- braum's 113, elk city
- dollar general 19665, erick
- dollar general 3239, elk city
- dollar general 7199, sayre
- dollar general 13663, seiling
- dollar general 24072, elk city
- family dollar 13589, sayre
- family dollar 13694, elk city
- walgreens 09874, elk city
Supermarket · 3
- homeland 170, elk city
- pucketts food, sayre
- united supermarkets 362, elk city
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- keith's butcher shop, elk city
- route 66 meat processing & market, sayre
Super Store · 1
- walmart 134, elk city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Oklahoma
Compare Beckham County vs Adair County → · All Oklahoma counties →
Food access nationally, Oklahoma in context
Beckham County sits inside Oklahoma (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 Beckham County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Beckham County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Beckham County? ▼
Is Beckham County a food desert? ▼
What share of Beckham 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.