County food-access profile · Arkansas
Garland County, AR
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Garland 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).
- 29.2%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 9.0%
- on SNAP
- 100K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
29.2% of Garland County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 10K
- food-desert residents
- 5.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.8%
- 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 Garland County's low-access share at 29.2%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 20 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 28,069 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 10,230 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 Garland County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Garland County's 29.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 69% of them and ranked #986 most-affected nationwide.
Garland County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Garland County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Garland County vs. other Arkansas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Arkansas
- Garland
Garland County, AR
29.2 % 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 | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 96,024 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 28,069 |
| Low-Access Share | 29.2%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 10,230 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 100,035 |
| Median Household Income | $57,181 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,945 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.7% |
About 9.0% of Garland County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 29.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,945 households here.
- 5.6% 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 Garland County
above the national share
5 of Garland County's 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 25.0% 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 28,069 residents, roughly 29.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 10,230 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (45.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Garland County
Garland County has 91 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 37 locations (41% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 37
- 4751 central ave llc - corner store - valero, hot springs national park
- c&j market and gifts, hot springs
- casey's 4376, hot springs
- central food mart, hot springs national park
- circle k store 2709973, hot springs national park
- circle k store 2709987, pearcy
- circle k store 2709995, hot springs national park
- clampit's country kitchen and meat market, hot springs village
- crackerbox 2741779, hot springs national park
- crackerbox 2741781, hot springs national park
- crackerbox 2741785, hot springs national park
- dodge store 6301, hot springs
- dons country butcher inc, hot springs
- e z mart 4438, hot springs national park
- e z mart 4439, hot springs national park
- e-z mart 4440, hot springs national park
- family market #2, hot springs national park
- flowers bakery outlet 576, hot springs national park
- grace convieniencestore 5014636486, hot springs
- hogg's, hot springs national park
- hot spring exxon, hot springs national park
- ik fuel llc, hot springs national park
- jai ganesh food mart, hot springs national park
- la bodeguita 2, hot springs national park
- lucky time petrolum llc, hot springs national park
- mapco mart 7506, hot springs
- murphy usa 6709, hot springs national park
- murphy usa 7116, hot springs village
- murphy usa 7134, hot springs national park
- pearcy mall, pearcy
- quickstop, hot springs national park
- royal pit stop, royal
- sik fuel llc, hot springs national park
- stopbystore llc, pearcy
- stopnshop, hot springs national park
- tees one stop, hot springs national park
- village nutrition, inc., hot springs village
Combination Grocery/Other · 36
- cvs 10539, hot springs
- dollar general 0397, hot springs
- dollar general 13914, hot springs national park
- dollar general 14439, royal
- dollar general 18309, hot springs
- dollar general 3421, hot springs village
- dollar general 4426, hot springs national park
- dollar general 7206, lonsdale
- dollar general 8050, hot springs
- dollar general 12461, hot springs national park
- dollar general 16014, pearcy
- dollar general 16026, hot springs national park
- dollar general 16231, hot springs
- dollar general 16656, hot springs
- dollar general 18225, mountain pine
- dollar general 25885, hot springs national park
- dollar general 30035, lonsdale
- dollar general 30608, hot springs
- dollar general 31001, pearcy
- dollar general 31136, hot springs national park
- dollar general store 17027, hot springs
- dollar tree 1550, hot springs
- dollar tree 386, hot springs
- dollar tree 6168, hot springs village
- dollar tree 7649, hot springs national park
- family dollar 13175, lonsdale
- family dollar 13176, royal
- family dollar 1526, hot springs
- family dollar 3261, hot springs
- family dollar 6016, hot springs
- family dollar store 8473, hot springs national park
- walgreen's 3411, hot springs
- walgreens 05535, hot springs village
- walgreens 7283, hot springs
- walgreens 12384, hot springs national park
- walgreens 3425, hot springs
Super Store · 11
- harps food store 391, hot springs national park
- harps food store 394, hot springs national park
- kroger food store 590, hot springs national park
- kroger food store 619, hot springs national park
- kroger food & pharmacy 621, hot springs
- sam's club 4825, hot springs national park
- walmart neighborhood market 5789, hot springs
- walmart neighborhood market 5790, hot springs
- walmart supercenter 261, hot springs
- walmart supercenter 52, hot springs
- walmart supercenter 5433, hot springs village
Small Grocery Store · 2
- la bodeguita, hot springs national park
- la potosina meat market #2 inc, hot springs national park
Supermarket · 2
- bill's cash saver 409, hot springs national park
- brookshire food store 41, hot springs village
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's of hot springs ar030, hot springs national park
Farmers' Market · 1
- hot springs farmers & artisans market, hot springs national park
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- weldon's meat market, hot springs national park
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Arkansas
Compare Garland County vs Arkansas County → · All Arkansas counties →
Food access nationally, Arkansas in context
Garland 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 Garland County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Garland County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Garland County? ▼
Is Garland County a food desert? ▼
What share of Garland 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.