County food-access profile · Texas
Cooke County, TX
Cooke 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.
- 9.0%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 9.4%
- on SNAP
- 43K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
9.0% of Cooke County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
- 3.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.5%
- 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).
Cooke County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.0% per the USDA Atlas. 3 of the county's 8 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 3,454 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,040 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 Cooke County compares nationally
Cooke County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.0% low-access share that beats 18% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,566).
Cooke County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 8 census tracts in Cooke County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Cooke County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Cooke 9
Cooke County, TX
9 % 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 | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 38,437 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,454 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,040 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 43,046 |
| Median Household Income | $73,932 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.5%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,561 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.4%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
About 9.4% of Cooke County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 9.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,561 households here.
- 3.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Cooke County
near the national share
1 of Cooke County's 8 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 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.
An estimated 3,454 residents, roughly 9.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,040 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 5 tracts (62.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Cooke County
Cooke County has 43 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 22 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 22
- 82 travel center, gainesville
- bayers bakery, muenster
- gainesville truck stop, gainesville
- get n go, gainesville
- grand central express 1, gainesville
- grand food mart, gainesville
- highway 51 quick stop, gainesville
- hwy 82 kountry korner, muenster
- lone star food store 4486, gainesville
- lone star food store 4487, gainesville
- lama 111 001, gainesville
- murphy usa 7741, gainesville
- mushi's #2, era
- q stop, gainesville
- quiktrip 1883, gainesville
- red river stop, gainesville
- road ranger llc 282, gainesville
- runnin' red food store, gainesville
- south grand xpress, gainesville
- valero corner 2744503, gainesville
- valley view station 2, valley view
- xpress way, gainesville
Combination Grocery/Other · 13
- braum's 65, gainesville
- cvs pharmacy inc 6901, gainesville
- dollar general 10607, muenster
- dollar general 4215, gainesville
- dollar tree 2549, gainesville
- dollar general 11585, valley view
- dollar general 17609, gainesville
- dollar general 17810, gainesville
- dollar general 22840, lindsay
- family dollar 13561, muenster
- family dollar 13606, valley view
- family dollar 13778, gainesville
- family dollar 2229, gainesville
Large Grocery Store · 2
- mi pueblito meat market llc 4, gainsville
- scivally's grocery, gainesville
Super Store · 2
- fischer's meat market gp llc, muenster
- walmart supercenter 185, gainesville
Supermarket · 2
- lowes 169, gainesville
- tom thumb 2557, gainesville
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- la villa meat market 1, gainesville
Small Grocery Store · 1
- hess meat market & grocery, valley view
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Cooke County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Cooke 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 Cooke County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Cooke County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Cooke County? ▼
Is Cooke County a food desert? ▼
What share of Cooke 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.