PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Texas

Comal County, TX

Comal 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.

14.6%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
4.4%
on SNAP
184K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 TX

The food-access picture

14.6% of Comal County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

8
low-access tracts
5K
food-desert residents
2.2%
households, no vehicle
6.5%
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).

Comal County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 14.6% per the USDA Atlas. 8 of the county's 24 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 15,842 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,851 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 Comal County compares nationally

Comal County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.6% low-access share that beats 31% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,147).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Comal County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 24 census tracts in Comal County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Comal County, TX USDA-defined food-access tiers: 16 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 5 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 24 tracts evaluated. 16 tracts adequate (66.7%) 5 tracts limited (20.8%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (12.5%) Adequate 67% Limited 21% Severe 13% Food-access tier distribution: Comal County, TX
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Comal County vs. other Texas counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Comal County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts24
Atlas Population (2010 basis)108,472
Low-Access Tracts8
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population15,842
Low-Access Share14.6%below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population4,851

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Comal County
IndicatorValue
Population183,826
Median Household Income$101,889
Poverty Rate6.5%well below the national average
SNAP Households3,111
SNAP Participation Rate4.4%well below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle2.2%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.8%
SNAP participation in Comal County 4.4%

About 4.4% of Comal County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 14.6% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 4.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,111 households here.
  • 2.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 3 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 Comal County

near the national share

3 of Comal County's 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 12.5% of all its tracts.

A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.

An estimated 15,842 residents, roughly 14.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 4,851 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 16 tracts (66.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Comal County

Comal County has 101 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 53 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 53

  • 7-eleven 41752h, new braunfels
  • 7-eleven convenience store 40571a, spring branch
  • 7-eleven convenience store 35800b, new braunfels
  • 7-eleven convenience store 36259b, bulverde
  • 7-eleven convenience store 36569a, canyon lake
  • 7-eleven convenience store 36615, san antonio
  • bigs 107, new braunfels
  • circle k 1074, new braunfels
  • circle k 2704029, new braunfels
  • circle k 2704041, new braunfels
  • circle k 2704090, new braunfels
  • circle k 2741095, new braunfels
  • circle k store 2704080, new braunfels
  • e-z mart 4386, garden ridge
  • fastway, new braunfels
  • fillspot # 1, new braunfels
  • fillspot # 2, new braunfels
  • fischer's neighborhood market 10, canyon lake
  • food basket #5, canyon lake
  • market stand, new braunfels
  • mi dulce tierra llc, new braunfels
  • minute fuel #4, new braunfels
  • murphy usa 6690, new braunfels
  • new braunfels food store, new braunfels
  • park place foods, new braunfels
  • picnpac 19, new braunfels
  • picnpac 2, canyon lake
  • pilot travel center 330, new braunfels
  • pit stop food mart 2, new braunfels
  • pit stop food mart 20, spring branch
  • pit stop food mart 5, new braunfels
  • pit stop food mart 8, new braunfels
  • pit stop food mart 9, new braunfels
  • quick mart, new braunfels
  • quiktrip 4029, spring branch
  • quiktrip 4032, schertz
  • quiktrip 4037, new braunfels
  • quiktrip 4040, new braunfels
  • quiktrip 4076, new braunfels
  • rivercrest grocery, new braunfels
  • stripes 40564h, new braunfels
  • stripes 40565h, new braunfels
  • stripes 40566h, new braunfels
  • stripes 40567h, new braunfels
  • stripes 40572h, new braunfels
  • stripes 40573h, spring branch
  • sbs food mart no 10, new braunfels
  • short stop 35, new braunfels
  • snax max 14, canyon lake
  • snax max 5, new braunfels
  • ta new braunfels 232, new braunfels
  • tex best travel center 505, new braunfels
  • valero corner store 274535, new braunfels

Combination Grocery/Other · 31

  • cvs 10428, spring branch
  • cvs 10541, new braunfels
  • cvs pharmacy inc 7207, new braunfels
  • cvs pharmacy 10403, canyon lake
  • cvs pharmacy 10947, new braunfels
  • dollar general 13433, canyon lake
  • dollar general 13833, new braunfels
  • dollar general 7443, new braunfels
  • dollar general 9130, canyon lake
  • dollar general 10042, spring branch
  • dollar general 12529, canyon lake
  • dollar general 13428, new braunfels
  • dollar general 15617, canyon lake
  • dollar general 17372, canyon lake
  • dollar general 22275, new braunfels
  • dollar general 25464, spring branch
  • dollar general 6835, new braunfels
  • dollar general 9904, new braunfels
  • dollar tree 1960, new braunfels
  • dollar tree 6579, new braunfels
  • dollar tree 8289, new braunfels
  • family dollar store 8330, canyon lake
  • for goodness sake natural foods, new braunfels
  • papa murphy's tx051, new braunfels
  • the rust game place & meat market, new braunfels
  • walgreens 10393, new braunfels
  • walgreens 13086, new braunfels
  • walgreens 06337, new braunfels
  • walgreens 09394, new braunfels
  • walgreens 11928, new braunfels
  • walgreens 15904, bulverde

Supermarket · 8

  • arlan's market #14, new braunfels
  • heb 074, new brawnfels
  • heb 694, new braunfels
  • heb 775, new braunfels
  • heb food store 622, spring branch
  • lowes 108, canyon lake
  • lowes 141, canyon lake
  • sprouts farmers market 187, new braunfels

Super Store · 5

  • brookshire brothers 79, canyon lake
  • granzin meat market inc, new braunfels
  • target t 2429, new braunfels
  • walmart supercenter 3056, spring branch
  • walmart supercenter 865, new braunfels

Large Grocery Store · 2

  • guadalajara meat market, new braunfels
  • guadalajara meat market 2, new braunfels

Farmers' Market · 1

  • new braunfels food bank, new braunfels

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • del campo market, bulverde

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Texas

Anderson County
43.8% low-access · 18.0% SNAP
Andrews County
26.8% low-access · 13.0% SNAP
Angelina County
26.0% low-access · 16.7% SNAP
Aransas County
31.7% low-access · 8.6% SNAP
Archer County
18.3% low-access · 6.5% SNAP
Armstrong County
99.7% low-access · 3.4% SNAP

Compare Comal County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →

Food access nationally, Texas in context

Comal County sits inside Texas (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Comal County has low food access? ▼
14.6% of residents in Comal County, TX live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Comal County? ▼
4.4% of households in Comal County receive SNAP, covering 3,111 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Comal County? ▼
The poverty rate in Comal County, TX is 6.5%, with a median household income of $101,889 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Comal County a food desert? ▼
3 of Comal County's 24 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Comal County households lack a vehicle? ▼
2.2% of households in Comal County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.