County food-access profile · Kansas

Elk County, KS

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Elk 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).

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

36.8%
low-access pop.: 1
food-desert tracts: 7.3%
on SNAP: 2K
residents (ACS 2024)

USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 KS

The food-access picture

36.8% of Elk County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 1 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

1
low-access tracts: 534
food-desert residents: 7.2%
households, no vehicle: 10.4%
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).

USDA data puts Elk County's low-access share at 36.8%, above the national share. 1 of the county's 1 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 1,062 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 534 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 Elk County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Elk County's 36.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 83% of them and ranked #526 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Elk County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 1 census tracts in Elk 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

Elk

36.8
Allen

15.4
Anderson

18.5
Atchison

28.7
Barber

11.5
Barton

34.4

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Elk County
Indicator	Value
Census Tracts	1
Atlas Population (2010 basis)	2,882
Low-Access Tracts	1
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)	1
Low-Access Population	1,062
Low-Access Share	36.8%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population	534

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Elk County
Indicator	Value
Population	2,453
Median Household Income	$64,609
Poverty Rate	10.4%below the national average
SNAP Households	73
SNAP Participation Rate	7.3%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle	7.2%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population	0.5%

SNAP participation in Elk County 7.3%

About 7.3% of Elk County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

36.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
7.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 73 households here.
7.2% 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 Elk County

above the national share

1 of Elk 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 1,062 residents, roughly 36.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 534 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

SNAP retailers in Elk County

Elk County has 3 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 1 locations (33% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 1

dollar general 16620, howard

Convenience Store · 1

sunflower station 1, elk city

Large Grocery Store · 1

batsons drug and family market, howard

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Kansas

Allen County

15.4% low-access · 9.3% SNAP

Anderson County

18.5% low-access · 5.2% SNAP

Atchison County

28.7% low-access · 10.9% SNAP

Barber County

11.5% low-access · 2.8% SNAP

Barton County

34.4% low-access · 7.0% SNAP

Bourbon County

27.5% low-access · 7.8% SNAP

Compare Elk County vs Allen County → · All Kansas counties →

Food access nationally, Kansas in context

Elk 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 Elk County has low food access? ▼

36.8% of residents in Elk County, KS 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 Elk County? ▼

7.3% of households in Elk County receive SNAP, covering 73 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).

What is the poverty rate in Elk County? ▼

The poverty rate in Elk County, KS is 10.4%, with a median household income of $64,609 (Census ACS 2024).

Is Elk County a food desert? ▼

1 of Elk 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 Elk County households lack a vehicle? ▼

7.2% of households in Elk 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.