County food-access profile · Arkansas
Faulkner County, AR
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Faulkner 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).
- 32.8%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 7.1%
- on SNAP
- 128K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
32.8% of Faulkner County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
- 4.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.5%
- 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 Faulkner County's low-access share at 32.8%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 25 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 37,147 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 13,493 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 Faulkner County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Faulkner County's 32.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 76% of them and ranked #759 most-affected nationwide.
Faulkner County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 25 census tracts in Faulkner County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Faulkner County vs. other Arkansas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Arkansas
- Faulkner
Faulkner County, AR
32.8 % low-access
- Arkansas
Arkansas County, AR
47 % low-access
- Ashley
Ashley County, AR
21.8 % low-access
- Baxter 16.4
Baxter County, AR
16.4 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, AR
24.9 % low-access
- Boone
Boone County, AR
20.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 25 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 113,237 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 37,147 |
| Low-Access Share | 32.8%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 13,493 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 127,717 |
| Median Household Income | $67,289 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.5%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,499 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.1%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.1% |
About 7.1% of Faulkner County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 32.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,499 households here.
- 4.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Faulkner County
above the national share
4 of Faulkner County's 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 16.0% of all its tracts.
A further 7 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 37,147 residents, roughly 32.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 13,493 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 14 tracts (56.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Faulkner County
Faulkner County has 72 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 28 locations (39% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 28
- cvs 10518, conway
- dollar general 2730, conway
- dollar general 3469, greenbrier
- dollar general 7695, mayflower
- dollar general 953, conway
- dollar general 9833, conway
- dollar tree 2741, conway
- dollartree 10033, conway
- dollar general 12339, damascus
- dollar general 12870, wooster
- dollar general 12878, conway
- dollar general 13531, conway
- dollar general 15919, vilonia
- dollar general 15989, conway
- dollar general 17432, greenbrier
- dollar general 20114, conway
- dollar general 23442, enola
- dollar general 24583, vilonia
- dollar general 25704, conway
- dollar general 6827, conway
- dollar tree 1327, conway
- dollar tree 5925, conway
- dollar tree 8420, greenbrier
- family dollar 12780, vilonia
- family dollar store 1068, conway
- farmstand at bell urban farm, conway
- walgreens 10170, conway
- walgreens 4794, conway
Convenience Store · 24
- alon supershop, conway
- amer-asian free trader llc-new dragon asian fd mkt, conway
- bear's den, conway
- bears den, conway
- bullocks conway, conway
- casey's 4679, conway
- case 4398, conway
- casey's 3936, greenbrier
- circle k store 2709976, vilonia
- conway food store, conway
- doublebees 111, conway
- family market # 1 1, mayflower
- flowers bakery outlet 575, conway
- highway 64 superstop, conway
- mapco mart 7526, conway
- maverik 5251, conway
- maverik 5262, conway
- maverik 5273, conway
- maverik 5383, conway
- murphy usa 6739, conway
- murphy usa 6799, conway
- pro fuel express, conway
- valero, greenbrier
- ziya llc, mayflower
Super Store · 14
- 10 box cost-plus 348, conway
- harps food store 111, greenbrier
- harps food store 144, conway
- harps food store 207, mayflower
- harps food store 229, vilonia
- harps food store 351, conway
- kroger food store 652, conway
- kroger 625, conway
- sam's club 4749, conway
- target store t 1891, conway
- walmart 5, conway
- walmart neighborhood market 3168, conway
- walmart neighborhood market 7317, greenbrier
- walmart supercenter 2575, conway
Large Grocery Store · 1
- goode's cash saver - damascus, damascus
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- chicken city #3, conway
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- el pueblo mexican store, conway
Seafood Specialty · 1
- munson's crawfish & seafood 1, conway
Small Grocery Store · 1
- tienda mexicana mi tierra, conway
Supermarket · 1
- aldi 41093, conway
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Arkansas
Compare Faulkner County vs Arkansas County → · All Arkansas counties →
Food access nationally, Arkansas in context
Faulkner County sits inside Arkansas (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 Faulkner County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Faulkner County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Faulkner County? ▼
Is Faulkner County a food desert? ▼
What share of Faulkner 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.