County food-access profile · Kansas
Finney County, KS
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Finney 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).
- 21.9%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 11.4%
- on SNAP
- 38K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
21.9% of Finney County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 5.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.1%
- 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 Finney County's low-access share at 21.9%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 12 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 8,066 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,936 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 Finney County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Finney County's 21.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 51% of them and ranked #1,535 most-affected nationwide.
Finney County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 12 census tracts in Finney County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Finney County vs. other Kansas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kansas
- Finney
Finney County, KS
21.9 % 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 | 12 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 36,776 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,066 |
| Low-Access Share | 21.9%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,936 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 38,084 |
| Median Household Income | $73,009 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.1%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,503 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.9% |
About 11.4% of Finney County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 21.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,503 households here.
- 5.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Finney County
above the national share
2 of Finney County's 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 16.7% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 8,066 residents, roughly 21.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,936 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 7 tracts (58.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Finney County
Finney County has 39 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 19 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 19
- casey's 4030, garden city
- casey's 4609, garden city
- corner market 102 llc, garden city
- corner market 116 llc, garden city
- food mart 3, garden city
- jj mart #1, garden city
- kwik shop 350700, garden city
- love's country store 93, garden city
- love's travel stop 656, holcomb
- maverik, inc 776, garden city
- maverik, inc 781, garden city
- ta travel center, garden city
- thang asian market llc 504, garden city
- u pump it 203, garden city
- u pump it 212, garden city
- u pump it 215, garden city
- u pump it 216 216, garden city
- u pump it 217, garden city
- u pump it 220, garden city
Combination Grocery/Other · 7
- dollartree 9542, garden city
- dollar general 0098, garden city
- dollar general 21612, holcomb
- dollar general 2699, garden city
- dollar tree 5959, garden city
- family dollar 6505, garden city
- walgreens 07972, garden city
Super Store · 6
- dillon store 005, garden city
- dillon store 060, garden city
- sam's club 4791, garden city
- target stores t- 0906, garden city
- walmart neighborhood market 4625, garden city
- walmart sc 0652, garden city
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- african shop, garden city
- rons market, holcomb
- savan market, garden city
- tienda santa rosa, garden city
- yoyolay asian market, garden city
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- ehresman packing co, garden city
Small Grocery Store · 1
- supermarket vero, garden city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kansas
Compare Finney County vs Allen County → · All Kansas counties →
Food access nationally, Kansas in context
Finney 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 Finney County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Finney County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Finney County? ▼
Is Finney County a food desert? ▼
What share of Finney 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.