Signature · 42 SNAP-authorized stores
Buffalo County, NE
Buffalo County sits in the upper national band on low-access (30.7%, +8.6 pts vs U.S.), with SNAP/vehicle context from ACS 2024.
- 30.7%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 51K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Buffalo County, NE
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 30.7% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +8.6 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 6.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 18% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Knox County (+ 0.0 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Buffalo County sits in the upper national band (30.7%, #888 of 3,079) with 2 LILA tracts.
- #888
- national by low-access %
- #40
- in NE
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 42 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Buffalo County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Buffalo County's 30.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 71% of them and ranked #896 most-affected nationwide.
Buffalo County's elevated USDA tier split
11 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Buffalo County has 8 urban and 3 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Buffalo County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Nebraska, not a full county-board reprint
- Thomas
Thomas 100%
100 % low-access
- Buffalo 30.7
Buffalo 30.7%
30.7 % low-access
- Knox 30.7
Knox 30.7%
30.7 % low-access
- Richardson 30.7
Richardson 30.7%
30.7 % low-access
- Holt 29.8
Holt 29.8%
29.8 % low-access
- Jefferson 29.8
Jefferson 29.8%
29.8 % low-access
- Burt 0.7
Burt 0.7%
0.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 46,102 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 14,159 |
| Low-Access Share | 30.7%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,358 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 50,579 |
| Median Household Income | $75,911 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,306 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Buffalo County
Buffalo County has 42 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 21 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 21
- casey's 2711, kearney
- casey's 3298, kearney
- casey's 3997, kearney
- casey's 4303, elm creek
- casey's general store 1735, kearney
- casey's general store 2038, kearney
- casey's general store 2884, kearney
- caseys general store 3465, gibbon
- hy-vee gas 5323, kearney
- kwik stop 11, kearney
- kwik stop 15, kearney
- kwik stop 19, kearney
- kwik stop 22, gibbon
- pilot travel center 901, elm creek
- pump & pantry 27, kearney
- pump & pantry 30, elm creek
- pump & pantry 40, kearney
- pump & pantry 41, kearney
- pump & pantry 56, kearney
- sapp bros travel center, elm creek
- speedee mart 2767 2767, kearney
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- dollar general 16144, gibbon
- dollar general 17189, kearney
- dollar general 20819, elm creek
- dollar general 25101, kearney
- dollar general 9031, kearney
- dollar general store 16049, ravenna
- dollar tree 8362, kearney
- walgreens 03716, kearney
Super Store · 4
- family fresh market 765, kearney
- hy-vee 1323, kearney
- target stores t- 0857, kearney
- walmart sc 0598, kearney
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- fosters family foods inc, elm creek
- larry's market, shelton
- mno hometown market-ravenna 2, ravenna
Farmers' Market · 2
- farmers market 365, kearney
- kearney area farmer market, kearney
Supermarket · 2
- apple market 26, kearney
- boogarrts 869, kearney
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's ne020, kearney
Large Grocery Store · 1
- adam's corner market, gibbon
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Nebraska
One of 92 counties in Nebraska, 6 are shown here.
Compare Buffalo County vs Adams County → · All Nebraska counties →
Counties near Buffalo County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Buffalo County, both outside Nebraska so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NE (30.7% here).
- Worcester County, MD · 30.7% low-access
- Worcester County, MD · 30.7% low-access
- Morton County, ND · 30.7% low-access
- Morton County, ND · 30.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NE (6.5% here).
- Ravalli County, MT · 6.5% SNAP
- Ravalli County, MT · 6.5% SNAP
- Flathead County, MT · 6.5% SNAP
- Flathead County, MT · 6.5% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Buffalo County inside a higher low-access state context
Buffalo County sits inside Nebraska (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Buffalo County, NE are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 31019. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.