County food-access profile · Texas
Denton County, TX
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Denton 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).
- 22.9%
- low-access pop.
- 8
- food-desert tracts
- 4.4%
- on SNAP
- 980K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
22.9% of Denton County residents live in a low-access area, and 8 of its 137 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 60
- low-access tracts
- 31K
- food-desert residents
- 3.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.1%
- 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).
USDA data puts Denton County's low-access share at 22.9%, above the national share. 60 of the county's 137 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 152,028 people. 8 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 31,443 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 Denton County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Denton County's 22.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 53% of them and ranked #1,460 most-affected nationwide.
Denton County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 137 census tracts in Denton County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Denton County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Denton
Denton County, TX
22.9 % 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 | 137 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 662,614 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 60 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 8 |
| Low-Access Population | 152,028 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.9%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 31,443 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 979,561 |
| Median Household Income | $111,498 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.1%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 15,679 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.2% |
About 4.4% of Denton County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 22.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 4.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 15,679 households here.
- 3.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 8 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 Denton County
above the national share
8 of Denton County's 137 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 5.8% of all its tracts.
A further 52 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 60.
An estimated 152,028 residents, roughly 22.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 31,443 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 77 tracts (56.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Denton County
Denton County has 354 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 155 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 155
- 7 11, lewisville
- 7 eleven 32740, dallas
- 7 eleven 32921, roanoke
- 7 eleven 34107, denton
- 7-eleven 25298, carrollton
- 7-eleven 26412, lewisville
- 7-eleven convenience store 33120, lewisville
- 7-eleven convenience store 33264c, frisco
- 7-eleven convenience store 35387b, flower mound
- 7-eleven convenience store 35856b, aubrey
- 7-eleven convenience store 37118a, denton
- 7-eleven convenience store 37210a, roanoke
- 7-eleven convenience store 37264a, the colony
- 7-eleven convenience store 37277b, aubrey
- 7-eleven convenience store 41170a, providence village
- 7-eleven store 26575, denton
- 7-eleven store 34356b, denton
- 7-eleven store 38634a, oak point
- 7-eleven 23864, lewisville
- 7-eleven convenience store # 36356c, carrollton
- 7-eleven convenience store 21495b, denton
- 7-eleven convenience store 29404b, lewisville
- 7-eleven convenience store 32379c, carrollton
- 7-eleven convenience store 32812c, denton
- 7-eleven convenience store 33093b, roanoke
- 7-eleven convenience store 34010b, little elm
- 7-eleven convenience store 34557c, carrollton
- 7-eleven convenience store 35383c, lewisville
- 7-eleven convenience store 35385c, lewisville
- 7-eleven convenience store 35758a, flower mound
- 7-eleven convenience store 36059b, denton
- 7-eleven convenience store 36436a, corinth
- 7-eleven convenience store 37084a, denton
- 7-eleven convenience store 37266b, the colony
- 7-eleven convenience store 37616a, flower mound
- 7-eleven convenience store 37931a, lewisville
- 7-eleven convenience store 38113a, lewisville
- 7-eleven convenience store 38149a, northlake
- 7-eleven convenience store 38173a, lewisville
- 7-eleven convenience store 38332a, bartonville
- 7-eleven convenience store 38460a, frisco
- 7-eleven convenience store 38586a, denton
- 7-eleven convenience store 38993a, fort worth
- 7-eleven convenience store 39059b, dallas
- 7-eleven convenience store 41106a, lewisville
- 7-eleven convenience store 41158a, denton
- 7-eleven convenience store 41757a, krum
- 7-eleven convenience store 41928a, the colony
- aj's food mart, denton
- allsup's 102463, aubrey
- allsups 040, lake dallas
- allsups 238, justin
- asap store, carrollton
- chaparral store, aubrey
- chilly mart, denton
- cigarette mart 00002, lewisville
- circle k 2741764, roanoke
- circle k management ck133, lake dallas
- ck 125, frisco
- cold's beverage, lewisville
- corner stop, denton
- corner store 2741194, aubrey
- corner store 2741202, northlake
- corner store 2741211, little elm
- corner store 2741572, little elm
- corner store 2741577, the colony
- corner store 2741876, cross roads
- corner store 2742187, the colony
- corner store 2742375, the colony
- d and m mini mart n/a, lewisville
- delisias 9, northlake
- dollar pointe inc, lewisville
- e-z mart 4556, little elm
- e-z mart 4556, little elm
- e-z check # 6, denton
- el pariente america n/a, denton
- euless enterprise llc 1, dallas
- ez trip store 8, carrollton
- f & m african store llc., lewisville
- fast market 4555, lewisville
- flowers bakery outlet 940, denton
- gana shell, denton
- golden stop, denton
- grace farmers market, lewisville
- highland of 380, denton
- howdy doody, denton
- hwy us 380 travel center, crossroads
- ice box, little elm
- jerry's beverage city, pilot point
- johnny joe's food mart, little elm
- justin mini mart, justin
- kelly food mart, dallas
- kelly's beer & wine, carrollton
- keno's express, denton
- lone star food store 4479, argyle
- lone star food store 4485, denton
- la familia, dallas
- lakewood market, lakewood village
- love's travel stop 609, denton
- mayhill mart, denton
- midway beverage, dallas
- millennium african store, little elm
- murphy express 8925, cross roads
- murphy express 8926, denton
- murphy express 8965, lewisville
- murphy usa 6527, denton
- murphy usa 6636, dallas
- murphy usa 6701, lewisville
- murphy usa 7013, lewisville
- murphy usa 7189, roanoke
- murphy usa 7584, highland village
- murphy usa 7711, hickory creek
- oakland mini mart, denton
- one stop food store, carrollton
- osvaldo's meat market, lewisville
- quiktrip #911 911, denton
- quiktrip #917 917, the colony
- quiktrip #930 930, carrollton
- quiktrip #932 932, dallas
- quiktrip 927, lewisville
- quiktrip 941, lewisville
- quickway food store 12, carrollton
- quik trip 942, lewisville
- quiktrip 1859, sanger
- quiktrip 1863, northlake
- quiktrip 4184, georgetown
- quiktrip 899, denton
- quiktrip 905, denton
- quiktrip 940, lake dallas
- quiktrip 944, flower mound
- quiktrip 966, westlake
- quiktrip 912, denton
- quiktrip 920, little elm
- quiktrip 928, lewisville
- rj corner store, sanger
- race trac #2525 2525, hickory creek
- race trac 2370, lewisville
- racetrac 198, dallas
- racetrac 370, carrollton
- racetrac 375, flower mound
- racetrac 484, lewisville
- racetrac 600, carrollton
- racetrac 685, little elm
- racetrac 77, carrollton
- racetrac 132, denton
- racetrac 2346, lewisville
- racetrac 528, denton
- racetrac 650, denton
- raceway, denton
- rsb sahota llc 38240a, roanoke
- sams1, lewisville
- shane enterprises, inc., lewisville
- shell 3eighty, providence village
- spice n rice indian groceries, carrollton
- super food mart, denton
Combination Grocery/Other · 94
- braum's 122, denton
- braum's 205, flower mound
- braum's 260, denton
- braum's 310, double oak
- braum's 89, lewisville
- braum's 98, the colony
- braum's 76, frisco
- c town asian market, lewisville
- cvs 10138, crossroads
- cvs 5002, lantana
- cvs pharmacy # 10271 10271, denton
- cvs pharmacy inc 5962, denton
- cvs pharmacy inc 6865, lewisville
- cvs pharmacy inc 6892, the colony
- cvs pharmacy inc 6920, the colony
- cvs pharmacy 10487, roanoke
- cvs pharmacy 10524, frisco
- cvs pharmacy 10642, corinth
- cvs pharmacy 10881, westlake
- cvs pharmacy 11091, argyle
- cvs pharmacy 11133, oak point
- cvs pharmacy 11276, frisco
- cvs pharmacy 6856, denton
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 1745, flower mound
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 7498, lewisville
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 7787, flower mound
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 8336, little elm
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 8440, carrollton
- dollar general 0417, denton
- dollar general 0555, pilot point
- dollar general 10300, lewisville
- dollar general 10612, carrollton
- dollar general 14475, aubrey
- dollar general 2905, denton
- dollar general 3459, the colony
- dollar general 3542, lewisville
- dollar general 3739, lewisville
- dollar general 4098, carrollton
- dollar general 4606, little elm
- dollar general 4692, lake dallas
- dollar general 4955, sanger
- dollar general 6507, aubrey
- dollar general 6609, krum
- dollar general 7050, denton
- dollar general 8688, justin
- dollartree 9399, pilot point
- dollartree 9635, cross roads
- dollartree 9854, carrollton
- dollar general 12244, ponder
- dollar general 21827, denton
- dollar general 24707, lewisville
- dollar general 24776, lewisville
- dollar general 25372, sanger
- dollar general 30450, denton
- dollar general 6976, denton
- dollar tree 1108, denton
- dollar tree 2506, carrollton
- dollar tree 2589, lewisville
- dollar tree 3670, little elm
- dollar tree 3797, flower mound
- dollar tree 4057, frisco
- dollar tree 4155, the colony
- dollar tree 5619, highland village
- dollar tree 5708, lewisville
- dollar tree 5880, denton
- dollar tree 6185, roanoke
- dollar tree 6534, aubrey
- dollar tree 8439, denton
- el tapatio meat market ii, little elm
- family dollar 5223, denton
- family dollar 7434, sanger
- family dollar 9134, denton
- india metro hypermarket, little elm
- lmmm dallas 1, ltd., denton
- myanmar market, lewisville
- sankofa african market, the colony
- walgreens 04014, carrollton
- walgreens 04578, flower mound
- walgreens 04587, lewisville
- walgreens 04171, flower mound
- walgreens 04719, the colony
- walgreens 05960, lewisville
- walgreens 06047, roanoke
- walgreens 06759, corinth
- walgreens 07542, denton
- walgreens 07645, frisco
- walgreens 10816, carrollton
- walgreens 10920, frisco
- walgreens 11320, little elm
- walgreens 11340, flower mound
- walgreens 11515, denton
- walgreens 11567, aubrey
- walgreens 4013, dallas
- walgreens 5161, denton
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza 052, frisco
Showing 250 of 354 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Denton County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Denton 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 Denton County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Denton County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Denton County? ▼
Is Denton County a food desert? ▼
What share of Denton 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.