PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Oklahoma

Custer County, OK

Custer 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.

42.1%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
11.8%
on SNAP
28K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 OK

The food-access picture

42.1% of Custer County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

5
low-access tracts
4K
food-desert residents
4.8%
households, no vehicle
16.4%
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).

Custer County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 42.1% is well above the national share. 5 of the county's 5 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 11,566 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,487 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 Custer County compares nationally

Custer County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 42.1% low-access share outpaces 89% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #339 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Custer County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 5 census tracts in Custer 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 Custer County, OK USDA-defined food-access tiers: 0 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 5 tracts evaluated. 2 tracts limited (40.0%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (60.0%) Adequate 0% Limited 40% Severe 60% Food-access tier distribution: Custer County, OK
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Custer County vs. other Oklahoma counties

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

% 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 Custer County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts5
Atlas Population (2010 basis)27,469
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population11,566
Low-Access Share42.1%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population4,487

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Custer County
IndicatorValue
Population28,259
Median Household Income$59,738
Poverty Rate16.4%above the national average
SNAP Households1,303
SNAP Participation Rate11.8%near the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.8%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population4.8%
SNAP participation in Custer County 11.8%

About 11.8% of Custer County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 42.1% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 11.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,303 households here.
  • 4.8% 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 Custer County

well above the national share

3 of Custer County's 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 60.0% of all its tracts.

A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.

An estimated 11,566 residents, roughly 42.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 4,487 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

SNAP retailers in Custer County

Custer County has 35 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 17

  • asap general stores 300, clinton
  • asap general store 302, thomas
  • asap general stores 101, weatherford
  • asap general stores 102, weatherford
  • asap general stores 103, weatherford
  • asap general stores 104, weatherford
  • circle k 2709251, weatherford
  • circle k 2709259, clinton
  • domino 101, clinton
  • domino 108, weatherford
  • domino 119, clinton
  • jiffy trip 129, weatherford
  • loves travel stops & country #248 248, clinton
  • northside grocery, clinton
  • pick n go, clinton
  • quick shop grocery, clinton
  • quick snackers 1, clinton

Combination Grocery/Other · 10

  • braum's 111, clinton
  • braum's 126, weatherford
  • dollar general 1845, weatherford
  • dollar general 16981, thomas
  • dollar general store 271, clinton
  • dollar tree 7482, clinton
  • family dollar store 1517, clinton
  • family dollar store 4750, weatherford
  • tortilleria torbellino, clinton
  • walgreens 07816, weatherford

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3

  • market 54, weatherford
  • rogers meat market, butler
  • south canadian meats llc, thomas

Supermarket · 3

  • homeland 148, clinton
  • united supermarkets 361, clinton
  • united supermarkets 363, weatherford

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • deck's food mart, thomas

Super Store · 1

  • walmart 392, weatherford

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Oklahoma

Adair County
9.7% low-access · 25.3% SNAP
Alfalfa County
58.5% low-access · 9.4% SNAP
Atoka County
34.7% low-access · 14.9% SNAP
Beaver County
38.2% low-access · 4.2% SNAP
Beckham County
26.5% low-access · 18.6% SNAP
Blaine County
61.4% low-access · 14.3% SNAP

Compare Custer County vs Adair County → · All Oklahoma counties →

Food access nationally, Oklahoma in context

Custer County sits inside Oklahoma (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 Custer County has low food access? ▼
42.1% of residents in Custer County, OK 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 Custer County? ▼
11.8% of households in Custer County receive SNAP, covering 1,303 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Custer County? ▼
The poverty rate in Custer County, OK is 16.4%, with a median household income of $59,738 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Custer County a food desert? ▼
3 of Custer County's 5 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 Custer County households lack a vehicle? ▼
4.8% of households in Custer 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.