Signature · 62 SNAP-authorized stores
Douglas County, KS
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Douglas 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).
- 22.1%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 5.3%
- on SNAP
- 120K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Douglas County, KS
LA-ELEVATED · PHOTO-FINISH · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 22.1% low-access
- PHOTO-FINISH +0.0 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 5 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 5.3% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 23% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Graham County (+ 0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Douglas County ranks #1,522 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #73 of 105 counties in KS (22.1% low-access; 5 food-desert tracts).
- #1,522
- national by low-access %
- #73
- in KS
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 62 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Douglas County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Douglas County's 22.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 51% of them and ranked #1,522 most-affected nationwide.
Douglas County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
22 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 5 LILA.
Douglas County is mostly urban by USDA tract type (19 urban, 3 rural), so most of its low-access count comes from the 1-mile test; the 3 rural tracts are held to 10 miles.
Douglas County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Kansas, not a full county-board reprint
- Clark
Clark 100%
100 % low-access
- Lane 22.3
Lane 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Norton 22.3
Norton 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Graham 22.2
Graham 22.2%
22.2 % low-access
- Douglas 22.1
Douglas 22.1%
22.1 % low-access
- Finney 21.9
Finney 21.9%
21.9 % low-access
- Jefferson 1.1
Jefferson 1.1%
1.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 22 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 110,826 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 24,438 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.1%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,969 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 120,302 |
| Median Household Income | $69,746 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.7%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,652 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.3%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.5%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 7.2% |
Thick SNAP store book in Douglas County
Douglas County has 62 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 29 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 62 authorized stores; Lawrence holds 87% of them. Every one of these towns has at least one grocery-grade outlet (16 across the county).
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrence | 54 | 14 |
| Baldwin City | 4 | 1 |
| Eudora | 4 | 1 |
Convenience Store · 29
- casey's 3838, lawrence
- casey's general store 3937, baldwin city
- casey's general store 3939, lawrence
- casey's 3882, lawrence
- casey's 3967, eudora
- commerce plaza 44, lawrence
- cosmos indian store, lawrence
- family mart, lawrence
- fast track, lawrence
- goodstop by casey's 5078, lawrence
- hy-vee gas #2 3379, lawrence
- hy-vee gas 5377, lawrence
- jayhawk food mart, lawrence
- joe's kwik marts 4008, lawrence
- joe's kwik marts 4010, lawrence
- joe's kwik marts 4011, lawrence
- kwik shop 350718, lawrence
- kwik shop 350721, lawrence
- kwik shop 350784, lawrence
- kwik shop 350702, lawrence
- kwik shop 350752, baldwin city
- kwik shop 350798, lawrence
- kwik shop inc 350783, eudora
- kwik shop inc 350785, lawrence
- love's country store 2, lawrence
- miller mart, lawrence
- quiktrip 167, lawrence
- quiktrip 268, lawrence
- satyram, lawrence
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- cvs pharmacy 3212, lawrence
- cvs pharmacy 676, lawrence
- dollar general 12290, lawrence
- dollar general 17306, lawrence
- dollar general 30481, lawrence
- dollar general 8315, baldwin city
- dollar general 9082, lawrence
- dollar tree 3088, lawrence
- family dollar 8886, eudora
- walgreens 03055, lawrence
- walgreens 03056, lawrence
- yoder meats 6, lawrence
Super Store · 11
- checkers, lawrence
- dillon store 019, lawrence
- dillon store 068, lawrence
- dillon store 070, lawrence
- dillons 170, lawrence
- dillons store 98, lawrence
- hy-vee food & drugstore 1377, lawrence
- target stores t- 0531, lawrence
- the merc co+op 01, lawrence
- walmart 0484, lawrence
- walmart sc 5219, lawrence
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 46086, lawrence
- baldwin city market inc, baldwin city
- genes heartland foods 714, eudora
- natural grocers by vitamin cottage u051, lawrence
- sprouts farmers market 173, lawrence
Farmers' Market · 2
- cottins hardware farmers market, lawrence
- lawrence farmers market, lawrence
Small Grocery Store · 2
- african caribbean grocery & gifts, lawrence
- jody's market, lawrence
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza ks-051, lawrence
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Kansas
One of 104 counties in Kansas, 6 are shown here.
Compare Douglas County vs Allen County → · All Kansas counties →
Nationwide peers for Douglas County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Douglas County, both outside Kansas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside KS (22.1% here).
- Union County, IA · 22.1% low-access
- Dallas County, IA · 22.1% low-access
- Orange County, FL · 22.1% low-access
- Conway County, AR · 22.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KS (5.3% here).
- Bremer County, IA · 5.3% SNAP
- Chisago County, MN · 5.3% SNAP
- Cass County, MO · 5.3% SNAP
- Bergen County, NJ · 5.3% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Kansas among West North Central states
Kansas ranks 4th of 7 West North Central states by population-weighted low-access (26.4%). Douglas County, at 22.1%, runs 4.3 pts below the Kansas rate.
- South Dakota 29.1%
- North Dakota 28.9%
- Minnesota 27.4%
- Kansas 26.4%
- Missouri 24.9%
- Nebraska 21.9%
- Iowa 20.0%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Douglas County, KS are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 20045. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.