County food-access profile · Missouri
Clay County, MO
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Clay 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).
- 31.1%
- low-access pop.
- 7
- food-desert tracts
- 6.0%
- on SNAP
- 258K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
31.1% of Clay County residents live in a low-access area, and 7 of its 44 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 26
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
- 4.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.5%
- 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 Clay County's low-access share at 31.1%, above the national share. 26 of the county's 44 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 68,962 people. 7 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 13,008 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 Clay County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Clay County's 31.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 72% of them and ranked #873 most-affected nationwide.
Clay County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 44 census tracts in Clay County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Clay County vs. other Missouri counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Missouri
- Clay
Clay County, MO
31.1 % 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 | 44 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 221,939 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 26 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 7 |
| Low-Access Population | 68,962 |
| Low-Access Share | 31.1%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 13,008 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 258,122 |
| Median Household Income | $88,468 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.5%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,168 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.0%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.2% |
About 6.0% of Clay County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 31.1% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,168 households here.
- 4.7% 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 Clay County
above the national share
7 of Clay County's 44 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 15.9% of all its tracts.
A further 19 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 26.
An estimated 68,962 residents, roughly 31.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 13,008 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 18 tracts (40.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Clay County
Clay County has 154 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 67 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 67
- 7-eleven store 26590e, kansas city
- avs phil-asia marketing, kansas city
- bp parvin, kansas city
- blue light shell, liberty
- casey's 3965, liberty
- casey's 3996, kansas city
- casey's 4352, kansas city
- casey's 4357, liberty
- casey's 2495, excelsior springs
- casey's 2678, kearney
- casey's 2688, smithville
- casey's general store 3241, kansas city
- casey's general store 3483, kansas city
- casey's general store 3945, kansas city
- casey's general store 4021, kearney
- citysaver thrift, excelsior springs
- cloud 9 convenience 4305, kansas city
- fast zone 20, liberty
- hy-vee gas #2 5321, kansas city
- hy-vee gas 5219, gladstone
- hy-vee gas 5384, liberty
- impression store, kansas city
- kc quick, kansas city
- lawson mart, lawson
- liberty mart, liberty
- love's travel stop 786, kansas city
- mini mart, liberty
- minit mart 600765, kansas city
- moon food mart, kansas city
- murphy usa 7559, kansas city
- nashua general store, kansas city
- old's havana market, kansas city
- on the go, kansas city
- philips 66, liberty
- pilot travel center 1126, kansas city
- pilot travel center 252, kearney
- pour boys 2 2, kansas city
- pour boys 4 4, excelsior springs
- pv market, pleasant valley
- quick corner shop, excelsior springs
- quick shop ii, excelsior springs
- quiktrip 151, liberty
- quiktrip 153, kansas city
- quiktrip 159, kansas city
- quiktrip 163, kansas city
- quiktrip 169, kansas city
- quiktrip 173, kansas city
- quiktrip 179 tc, pleasant valley
- quiktrip 181, gladstone
- quiktrip 193, kansas city
- quiktrip 198, kearney
- quiktrip 213, smithville
- quiktrip 221r, kansas city
- quiktrip 225, kansas city
- quiktrip 228, n kansas city
- quiktrip 229, kansas city
- quiktrip 238, kansas city
- quiktrip 277, kansas city
- quiktrip 279, excelsior springs
- randolph 66, kansas city
- rock stop, kansas city
- shell gas station wl #10, kansas city
- skee kaw asian grocery llc, kansas city
- speed stop, kansas city
- stop n shop, kansas city
- world liquors, kansas city
- xpress stop 2, kansas city
Combination Grocery/Other · 41
- cvs pharmacy 5655, liberty
- cvs pharmacy 5698, kansas city
- cvs pharmacy 8543, kansas city
- cvs pharmacy 8554, kansas city
- cvs pharmacy 8555, kansas city
- cvs pharmacy 8565, kansas city
- cvs pharmacy 8596, kearney
- cvs/pharmacy 11309, excelsior springs
- dollar general 14265, kansas city
- dollartree 9598, kansas city
- dollartree 9853, kansas city
- dollar general 1207, excelsior springs
- dollar general 12435, kansas city
- dollar general 13813, kansas city
- dollar general 15108, holt
- dollar general 21132, kansas city
- dollar general 23537, excelsior springs
- dollar general 24838, kansas city
- dollar general 2493, n kansas city
- dollar general 25801, kansas city
- dollar general 2610, gladstone
- dollar general 2652, kansas city
- dollar general 30440, kansas city
- dollar general 3241, gladstone
- dollar general 4872, smithville
- dollar general 4980, liberty
- dollar general 8634, kearney
- dollar tree 2054, kansas city
- dollar tree 3796, liberty
- dollar tree 4909, excelsior springs
- dollar tree 5357, kansas city
- dollar tree 6588, kansas city
- dollar tree 8299, kearney
- family dollar 10136, kansas city
- family dollar 12550, kansas city
- pacific mart, kansas city
- walgreens 11375, excelsior springs
- walgreens 12114, kansas city
- walgreens 4204, kansas city
- walgreens 4406, kansas city
- walgreens 4439, liberty
Super Store · 16
- costco 1268, kansas city
- el mercado fresco, gladstone
- fareway stores, inc. 230, kansas city
- hy-vee food store 1219, gladstone
- hy-vee food store 1384, liberty
- price chopper 200, excelsior springs
- sam's club 6247, kansas city
- sam's club 8207, kansas city
- sunfresh market, kansas city
- target stores t- 1177, kansas city
- target stores t- 1388, kansas city
- target stores t- 1455, kansas city
- walmart 195, excelsior springs
- walmart neighborhood market 2442, kansas city
- walmart sc 1120, kansas city
- walmart sc 234, kansas city
Supermarket · 15
- aldi 46056, excelsior springs
- aldi 46062, gladstone
- aldi 46108, kansas city
- aldi 74032 74032, kansas city
- cosentino's new mark sun fresh 156, kansas city
- cosentino's price chopper 120, liberty
- cosentino's price chopper 288, kansas city
- cosentinos 319, smithville
- kearney price chopper 404, kearney
- parvin thriftway, kansas city
- price chopper 11, kansas city
- price chopper 21, kansas city
- save a lot 60048, kansas city
- sprouts farmers market 721, kansas city
- vitamin cottage natural food market u128, liberty
Bakery Specialty · 4
- papa murphy's pizza mo074, kansas city
- papa murphy's take n bake pizza mo-055, liberty
- papa murphy's take-n-bake pizza mo008, kansas city
- papa murphy's take-n-bake pizza mo065, kansas city
Small Grocery Store · 4
- afrique international market llc, kansas city
- barakah halal market 1, kansas city
- la bodeguita, kansas city
- tour of africa food market, kansas city
Farmers' Market · 3
- excelsior farmers market, excelsior springs
- gladstone farmers market nafmnp, gladstone
- historic downtown liberty farmers' market, liberty
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- jad ak llc, kansas city
- jasmine mini mart llc, kansas city
- one stop store, kansas city
Large Grocery Store · 1
- guitar super market, kansas city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Missouri
Compare Clay County vs Adair County → · All Missouri counties →
Food access nationally, Missouri in context
Clay 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 Clay County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Clay County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Clay County? ▼
Is Clay County a food desert? ▼
What share of Clay 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.