County food-access profile · Texas
Bell County, TX
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Bell 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).
- 31.3%
- low-access pop.
- 19
- food-desert tracts
- 13.0%
- on SNAP
- 387K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
31.3% of Bell County residents live in a low-access area, and 19 of its 63 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 36
- low-access tracts
- 33K
- food-desert residents
- 5.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.5%
- 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 Bell County's low-access share at 31.3%, above the national share. 36 of the county's 63 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 96,954 people. 19 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 33,023 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 Bell County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Bell County's 31.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 72% of them and ranked #864 most-affected nationwide.
Bell County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 63 census tracts in Bell County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Bell County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Bell
Bell County, TX
31.3 % 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 | 63 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 310,235 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 36 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 19 |
| Low-Access Population | 96,954 |
| Low-Access Share | 31.3%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 33,023 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 386,897 |
| Median Household Income | $68,865 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.5%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 18,429 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.0%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.5% |
About 13.0% of Bell County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 31.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 18,429 households here.
- 5.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 19 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 Bell County
above the national share
19 of Bell County's 63 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 30.2% of all its tracts.
A further 17 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 36.
An estimated 96,954 residents, roughly 31.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 33,023 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 27 tracts (42.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Bell County
Bell County has 306 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 170 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 170
- 1 stop 3, bartlett
- 3rd street food mart, temple
- 440 mart, killeen
- 7-eleven 27860, killeen
- 7-eleven 24864j, temple
- 7-eleven 40546h, killeen
- 7-eleven 40551, belton
- 7-eleven 41858h, harker heights
- 7-eleven convenience store 17921b, temple
- 7-eleven convenience store 22387a, temple
- 7-eleven convenience store 35790a, temple
- 7-eleven convenience store 36805a, killeen
- 7-eleven convenience store 17529b, killeen
- 7-eleven convenience store 21135b, killeen
- 7-eleven convenience store 34255, killeen
- 7-eleven convenience store 35794c, temple
- 7-eleven convenience store 35797a, temple
- 7-eleven convenience store 38995a, temple
- 7-eleven convenience store 42260a, temple
- a1 food mart & groceries, killeen
- ab's foodmart, killeen
- adam grocery store inc, temple
- angels mart, harker heights
- apple mart, killeen
- bell hai grocery inc, heidenheimer
- belton food mart, belton
- belton mini mart, belton
- big red, troy
- boom buzz, killeen
- brake time 105043, harker heights
- brake time 74, killeen
- brake time 75, killeen
- brake time 76, harker heights
- brake time 77, killeen
- brake time 78, temple
- c mart, killeen
- cefco 1, killeen
- cefco 103, temple
- cefco 110, killeen
- cefco 13, belton
- cefco 14, temple
- cefco 15, harker heights
- cefco 18, belton
- cefco 19, belton
- cefco 20, belton
- cefco 23, temple
- cefco 24, temple
- cefco 43, temple
- cefco 44, belton
- cefco 45, nolanville
- cefco 46, temple
- cefco 48, temple
- cefco 49, little river academy
- cefco 53, belton
- cefco 54, belton
- cefco 70, temple
- cefco 71, temple
- cefco 72, killeen
- cefco 86, harker heights
- cefco 87, killeen
- cefco 88, killeen
- cefco 89, temple
- cefco 92, killeen
- cefco 93, salado
- canyon food, temple
- casey's 4775, killeen
- casey's 4871, nolanville
- cefco 95, belton
- chatham's, belton
- chill zone, killeen
- circle k # 2652103 2652103, temple
- circle k 2652104, temple
- circle k 2741325, belton
- circle k 2741333, nolanville
- circle k 2741338, temple
- corner market, killeen
- corner store 2741557, killeen
- corner store 2741569, killeen
- corner store 2741578, temple
- country pride store, killeen
- cowboy mart, harker heights
- ct mart belton, belton
- eagle mart #3, killeen
- eagle mart 7, killeen
- eagle's mart, belton
- el patron, harker heights
- expo quik stop, belton
- express mart, killeen
- ez stop, temple
- family food mart, temple
- family mart, killeen
- fasttime, killeen
- gateway, killeen
- gateway food mart #1, killeen
- go go food mart 1, harker heights
- guys quick stop, holland
- handy stop grocery, killeen
- heights mart, harker heights
- holland grocery, holland
- ias enterprises inc, holland
- killeen express, killeen
- knights food mart, harker heights
- korner food store, killeen
- kwick stop, harker heights
- kwik chek 50, temple
- lake food mart, belton
- lakeshore store and baithouse n/a, temple
- lakeside grocery, belton
- liberty mart, belton
- love's travel stop 719, troy
- lucky food mart, temple
- lucky food mart, killeen
- m & m grocery 1, temple
- mk's grocery, killeen
- manila food market, killeen
- mickey's #21, killeen
- mickey's #25, killeen
- mickey's #3, killeen
- mickey's 14, killeen
- mickey's 2, killeen
- mickey's 22, killeen
- mickey's 4, killeen
- mickey's 5, killeen
- mickey's convenience food stores 20, killeen
- mickey's convenience food stores 6, killeen
- mickeys #1, killeen
- munchies 2, bartlett
- murphy usa 7141, temple
- murphy usa 7210, harker heights
- murphy usa 7710, belton
- nugent express, temple
- onestop food mart, killeen
- pool's food mart, temple
- pool's quick stop, temple
- pools 360, temple
- q star #2, killeen
- quick mart, temple
- quick shop n go, temple
- quick stuff, killeen
- quik stop, temple
- quiktrip 4174, salado
- quiktrip 4176, temple
- quiktrip 4179, killeen
- quiktrip 4189, killeen
- quiktrip 4196, temple
- rogers food mart, rogers
- rush-in mart, killeen
- stripes 40549h, killeen
- sam food mart 2, harker heights
- santos mexican novelties & pinatas, temple
- sp food mart 2, temple
- speedy mart, belton
- speedy mart, killeen
- speedy pac # 4, killeen
- speedy pac 2, killeen
- splawn travel center, killeen
- star mart, killeen
- star mart 11, killeen
- star mart 13, killeen
- star mart 19, killeen
- star mart 2, killeen
- stop & save, killeen
- stop n go, temple
- sun mart, killeen
- sun mart #11, killeen
- sunmart, killeen
- sunmart 7, killeen
- sunny food mart, temple
- super killeen mart inc, killeen
- super quick food mart, killeen
Combination Grocery/Other · 79
- cvs 10221, killeen
- cvs 10585, killeen
- cvs pharmacy 10414, belton
- cvs/ pharmacy 6835, temple
- dollar general 10151, temple
- dollar general 10304, killeen
- dollar general 10331, harker heights
- dollar general 10771, temple
- dollar general 1222, belton
- dollar general 13401, temple
- dollar general 14007, belton
- dollar general 1942, killeen
- dollar general 4612, killeen
- dollar general 4793, killeen
- dollar general 4916, temple
- dollar tree 2998, belton
- dollartree 10022, killeen
- dollartree 10251, temple
- dollartree 8121, killeen
- dollartree 9489, killeen
- dollar general 11296, rogers
- dollar general 11878, killeen
- dollar general 12341, temple
- dollar general 12535, temple
- dollar general 12610, killeen
- dollar general 12640, harker heights
- dollar general 12650, nolanville
- dollar general 13364, troy
- dollar general 13374, little river academy
- dollar general 13607, belton
- dollar general 14994, killeen
- dollar general 15098, killeen
- dollar general 17275, killeen
- dollar general 20667, temple
- dollar general 21093, holland
- dollar general 22015, killeen
- dollar general 22299, salado
- dollar general 23937, killeen
- dollar general 24034, killeen
- dollar general 24461, belton
- dollar general 24786, killeen
- dollar general 24911, killeen
- dollar general 24926, harker heights
- dollar general 5854, killeen
- dollar general 689, temple
- dollar general 6995, killeen
- dollar general 9979, bartlett
- dollar tree 1530, killeen
- dollar tree 1884, temple
- dollar tree 3839, harker heights
- dollar tree 5559, killeen
- dollar tree 6533, killeen
- dollar tree 6646, temple
- dollar tree 6855, harker heights
- dollar tree 7468, killeen
- dollar tree 8974, temple
- family dollar 10336, killeen
- family dollar 11157, killeen
- family dollar 12295, belton
- family dollar 1616, killeen
- family dollar 1744, killeen
- family dollar 2014, temple
- family dollar 3969, killeen
- family dollar 4329, harker heights
- family dollar 4821, killeen
- family dollar 6074, killeen
- family dollar 6107, belton
- family dollar 6785, killeen
- family dollar 7252, killeen
- family dollar store 11122, killeen
- family dollar store 8590, temple
- makola african store, killeen
- philippine food store, killeen
- temple spice and grocery, temple
- walgreens 06158, temple
- walgreens 11130, killeen
- walgreens 10392, belton
- walgreens 10711, killeen
- walgreens 10730, harker heights
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza tx217, belton
Showing 250 of 306 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Bell County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Bell 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 Bell County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Bell County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Bell County? ▼
Is Bell County a food desert? ▼
What share of Bell 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.