County food-access profile · Kansas
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)
The food-access picture
22.1% of Douglas County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 7.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.7%
- 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 Douglas County's low-access share at 22.1%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 22 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 24,438 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,969 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 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 #1,524 most-affected nationwide.
Douglas County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 22 census tracts in Douglas County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Douglas County vs. other Kansas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kansas
- Douglas
Douglas County, KS
22.1 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, KS
15.4 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, KS
18.5 % low-access
- Atchison
Atchison County, KS
28.7 % low-access
- Barber 11.5
Barber County, KS
11.5 % low-access
- Barton
Barton County, KS
34.4 % 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% |
About 5.3% of Douglas County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 22.1% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,652 households here.
- 7.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Douglas County
above the national share
5 of Douglas County's 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 22.7% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 24,438 residents, roughly 22.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,969 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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.
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 retailers.
Other Counties in Kansas
Compare Douglas County vs Allen County → · All Kansas counties →
Food access nationally, Kansas in context
Douglas County sits inside Kansas (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 Douglas County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Douglas County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Douglas County? ▼
Is Douglas County a food desert? ▼
What share of Douglas 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.