County food-access profile · Texas
Brazos County, TX
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Brazos 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).
- 28.5%
- low-access pop.
- 14
- food-desert tracts
- 8.6%
- on SNAP
- 242K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
28.5% of Brazos County residents live in a low-access area, and 14 of its 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 21
- low-access tracts
- 24K
- food-desert residents
- 6.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 24.3%
- 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 Brazos County's low-access share at 28.5%, above the national share. 21 of the county's 41 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 55,485 people. 14 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 24,093 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 Brazos County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Brazos County's 28.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,050 most-affected nationwide.
Brazos County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 41 census tracts in Brazos County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Brazos County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Brazos
Brazos County, TX
28.5 % 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 | 41 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 194,851 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 21 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 14 |
| Low-Access Population | 55,485 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.5%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 24,093 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 242,311 |
| Median Household Income | $58,553 |
| Poverty Rate | 24.3%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,858 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 7.7% |
About 8.6% of Brazos County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 28.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,858 households here.
- 6.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 14 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 Brazos County
above the national share
14 of Brazos County's 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 34.1% of all its tracts.
A further 7 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 21.
An estimated 55,485 residents, roughly 28.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 24,093 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 20 tracts (48.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Brazos County
Brazos County has 134 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 81 locations (60% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 81
- 7-eleven 40932, college station
- 7-eleven 40933x, bryan
- 7-eleven 40934h, college station
- 7-eleven 40935, bryan
- 7-eleven 41656h, bryan
- 7-eleven, inc. dba stripes 41011h, college station
- aggie kwik stop, bryan
- aggieland circle t, college station
- aggieland truck stops, bryan
- ascent market 02, college station
- ascent market 03, college station
- asian halal market h, houston
- asian market limited, college station
- aurora aurora, bryan
- aurora express, bryan
- aurora express 21, bryan
- aurora store no. 102, bryan
- barracks market, college station
- benzine express, bryan
- bryan food exchange, bryan
- bryan mart, bryan
- circle k 2740560, bryan
- corner market, bryan
- corner market 90, college station
- corner store 2741906, college station
- day & night, bryan
- downtown food and fuel mart, bryan
- e z 4 u, bryan
- el mundo del taco convenience store y taqueria, bryan
- express mart #106, bryan
- express ponzio food market, bryan
- ez stop, college station
- finfeather grocery, bryan
- finish line grocery, bryan
- handi mart, bryan
- handistop #104, bryan
- handistop 101, college station
- harvey food mart, college station
- hwy 21 truck stop, bryan
- hwy 6 corner store, bryan
- hwy express, bryan
- js african international foods 1, bryan
- king mart, bryan
- king dollar 18, bryan
- kurten truck stop 5, bryan
- lakeside grocery, bryan
- lampo's grocery, bryan
- lucky mart, bryan
- mini-mart, bryan
- md food mart, bryan
- mike's market, bryan
- murphy usa 7519, college station
- murphy usa 7740, bryan
- nicky's food mart, bryan
- palasota grocery, bryan
- pit stop, bryan
- prince food mart, bryan
- raceway east bryan, bryan
- roadwaze, bryan
- rustlers den, bryan
- shop n go, college station
- shop n go, college station
- smart shop food mart, bryan
- stripes 40931, bryan
- sunnys food and fuel mart, bryan
- sunrise food mart, bryan
- sv tienda latina 2 llc 2, college station
- sv tienda latina llc, bryan
- txb 72, bryan
- txb 73, bryan
- txb 75, college station
- tailgate, college station
- tailgate #3, bryan
- tejas market bryan, bryan
- tommy's drive in, bryan
- tortilleria mi tierra, bryan
- touchdown 102, college station
- town and country rv food mart, college station
- town center food mart, bryan
- variedades la union, bryan
- zip n 118, bryan
Combination Grocery/Other · 29
- bcs food markets, college station
- cvs 10352, college station
- cvs pharmacy inc 6590, bryan
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 6740, college station
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 7826, college station
- dollar general 3655, bryan
- dollar general 9741, college station
- dollartree 9634, bryan
- dollartree 9664, bryan
- dollar general 13525, bryan
- dollar general 13542, bryan
- dollar general 15399, bryan
- dollar general 16830, bryan
- dollar general 25521, bryan
- dollar general 5714, bryan
- dollar general 6264, bryan
- dollar tree 4151, bryan
- dollar tree 595, college station
- dollar tree 8072, bryan
- duane reade 07378, college station
- family dollar 12389, bryan
- family dollar 2515, bryan
- family dollar 6218, bryan
- family dollar store 11641, bryan
- walgreens 09574, bryan
- walgreens 06822, college station
- walgreens 12838, bryan
- walgreens 15586, college station
- walgreens 6145, bryan
Supermarket · 11
- aldi 78078, bryan
- carniceria y fruteria la perla tapatia, bryan
- farm patch, bryan
- heb 543, college station
- heb 544, bryan
- heb food store 619, college station
- heb food store 644, bryan
- heb food store 746, college station
- la michoacana meat market 01, bryan
- poco loco super mercado 17, bryan
- readfield's meat & deli, bryan
Super Store · 10
- brookshire brothers 12, college station
- costco college station 1614, college station
- kroger 361, college station
- kroger 383, bryan
- sam's club 6338, college station
- target store 800, college station
- target t 2428, bryan
- walmart supercnter 322, bryan
- walmart supercenter 1150, college station
- walmart supercenter 4183, bryan
Large Grocery Store · 2
- la michoacana meat market bryan 2, bryan
- spice world market, college station
Farmers' Market · 1
- aggieland farmers market ffab, college station
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Brazos County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Brazos 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 Brazos County has low food access? ▼
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What is the poverty rate in Brazos County? ▼
Is Brazos County a food desert? ▼
What share of Brazos 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.