County food-access profile · Missouri
Butler County, MO
Butler 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.
- 18.9%
- low-access pop.
- 7
- food-desert tracts
- 20.3%
- on SNAP
- 42K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
18.9% of Butler County residents live in a low-access area, and 7 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 8.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 20.5%
- 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).
Butler County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 18.9% per the USDA Atlas. 7 of the county's 10 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 8,079 residents who live far from a supermarket. 7 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,689 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 Butler County compares nationally
Butler County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 18.9% low-access share that beats 43% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,783).
Butler County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Butler County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Butler County vs. other Missouri counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Missouri
- Butler
Butler County, MO
18.9 % low-access
- Adair
Adair County, MO
27.3 % low-access
- Andrew
Andrew County, MO
15.8 % low-access
- Atchison 5.1
Atchison County, MO
5.1 % low-access
- Audrain
Audrain County, MO
22.6 % low-access
- Barry
Barry County, MO
19.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 42,794 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 7 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,079 |
| Low-Access Share | 18.9%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,689 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 42,020 |
| Median Household Income | $49,089 |
| Poverty Rate | 20.5%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,366 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 20.3%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.3%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.1% |
About 20.3% of Butler County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 18.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 20.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,366 households here.
- 8.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 7 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 Butler County
near the national share
7 of Butler County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 70.0% of all its tracts.
An estimated 8,079 residents, roughly 18.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,689 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 3 tracts (30.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Butler County
Butler County has 48 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 21 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 21
- berger's gas mart llc, poplar bluff
- break time convenience 3125, poplar bluff
- casey's 2078, poplar bluff
- casey's 4321, poplar bluff
- fisk grocery and gas, fisk
- flowers bakery outlet 580, poplar bluff
- heartland xpress, poplar bluff
- huck's 265, poplar bluff
- hwy 60 inc, poplar bluff
- jds quickstop, poplar bluff
- kit n go, fisk
- m-n-p liquor #1 1, poplar bluff
- money mizer, poplar bluff
- munch n pump green forrest 11, poplar bluff
- munch n pump midtown 16, poplar bluff
- munchn pump southside 12, poplar bluff
- murphy express 7977, poplar bluff
- oriental market and cuevas cigars, poplar bluff
- rhodes convenience stores 260, poplar bluff
- rons 4, qulin
- the little store, poplar bluff
Combination Grocery/Other · 19
- cvs pharmacy 10281, poplar bluff
- dollar general 11672, qulin
- dollar general 12349, ellsinore
- dollar general 1238, poplar bluff
- dollar general 14817, harviell
- dollar general 16092, wappapello
- dollar general 17427, poplar bluff
- dollar general 17465, neelyville
- dollar general 22741, poplar bluff
- dollar general 30157, poplar bluff
- dollar general 30494, poplar bluff
- dollar general 518, poplar bluff
- dollar general 8263, poplar bluff
- dollar general store 17259, north polar bluff
- dollar tree 1357, poplar bluff
- dollar tree 7141, poplar bluff
- mikes resale, poplar bluff
- mo-ark cash & carry, poplar bluff
- walgreens 10153, poplar bluff
Super Store · 4
- 10 box cost-plus 272, poplar bluff
- kroger j-386, poplar bluff
- walmart neighborhood market 7127, poplar bluff
- walmart sc 19, poplar bluff
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 41034, poplar bluff
- save a lot 23174, poplar bluff
Large Grocery Store · 1
- food rite, wappapello
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- deep freeze inc, poplar bluff
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Missouri
Compare Butler County vs Adair County → · All Missouri counties →
Food access nationally, Missouri in context
Butler County sits inside Missouri (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 Butler County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Butler County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Butler County? ▼
Is Butler County a food desert? ▼
What share of Butler 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.