County food-access profile · Texas

Cottle County, TX

Cottle County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

Compiled by Plainfoodaccess, Food Access Editorial Process · June 23, 2026

100.0%
low-access pop.: 1
food-desert tracts: 29.8%
on SNAP: 1K
residents (ACS 2024)

USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 TX

The food-access picture

100.0% of Cottle County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 1 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

1
low-access tracts: 856
food-desert residents: 2.8%
households, no vehicle: 17.1%
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).

Cottle County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 100.0% is well above the national share. 1 of the county's 1 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 1,504 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 856 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 Cottle County compares nationally

Cottle County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 100.0% low-access share outpaces 98% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #49 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Cottle County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 1 census tracts in Cottle County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Cottle

100
Anderson

43.8
Andrews

26.8
Angelina

26
Aransas

31.7
Archer

18.3

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Cottle County
Indicator	Value
Census Tracts	1
Atlas Population (2010 basis)	1,505
Low-Access Tracts	1
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)	1
Low-Access Population	1,504
Low-Access Share	100.0%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population	856

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Cottle County
Indicator	Value
Population	1,368
Median Household Income	$59,063
Poverty Rate	17.1%above the national average
SNAP Households	172
SNAP Participation Rate	29.8%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle	2.8%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population	0.4%

SNAP participation in Cottle County 29.8%

About 29.8% of Cottle County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

100.0% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
29.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 172 households here.
2.8% 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 Cottle County

well above the national share

1 of Cottle County's 1 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 100.0% of all its tracts.

An estimated 1,504 residents, roughly 99.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 856 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

SNAP retailers in Cottle County

Cottle County has 3 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 2 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 2 locations (67% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 2

allsups 060, paducah
the store of paducah, paducah

Combination Grocery/Other · 1

family dollar 11957, paducah

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 Cottle County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →

Food access nationally, Texas in context

Cottle 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 Cottle County has low food access? ▼

100.0% of residents in Cottle 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 Cottle County? ▼

29.8% of households in Cottle County receive SNAP, covering 172 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).

What is the poverty rate in Cottle County? ▼

The poverty rate in Cottle County, TX is 17.1%, with a median household income of $59,063 (Census ACS 2024).

Is Cottle County a food desert? ▼

1 of Cottle County's 1 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 Cottle County households lack a vehicle? ▼

2.8% of households in Cottle 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 2026-06-23 (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.