County food-access profile · Texas
Grayson County, TX
Grayson County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 18.6%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 8.3%
- on SNAP
- 143K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
18.6% of Grayson County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 26 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 12
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
- 3.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.2%
- 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).
Grayson County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 18.6% per the USDA Atlas. 12 of the county's 26 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 22,494 residents who live far from a supermarket. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,128 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 Grayson County compares nationally
Grayson County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 18.6% low-access share that beats 42% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,809).
Grayson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 26 census tracts in Grayson County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Grayson County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Grayson
Grayson County, TX
18.6 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, TX
43.8 % low-access
- Andrews
Andrews County, TX
26.8 % low-access
- Angelina
Angelina County, TX
26 % low-access
- Aransas
Aransas County, TX
31.7 % low-access
- Archer
Archer County, TX
18.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 26 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 120,877 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 12 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 22,494 |
| Low-Access Share | 18.6%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,128 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 143,337 |
| Median Household Income | $72,182 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,565 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.3%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
About 8.3% of Grayson County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 18.6% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,565 households here.
- 3.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Grayson County
near the national share
6 of Grayson County's 26 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 23.1% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 12.
An estimated 22,494 residents, roughly 18.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,128 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 14 tracts (53.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Grayson County
Grayson County has 125 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 67 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 67
- 7-eleven convenience store 41716a, whitesboro
- allsups 148, whitesboro
- allsups 313, pilot point
- aloha, pottsboro
- austin passport 2, denison
- bj's c store, denison
- casey's 4480, bells
- casey's 4483, denison
- casey's 4492, sherman
- casey's 4495, sherman
- casey's 4496, sherman
- casey's 4497, sherman
- casey's 4498, sherman
- collinsville food mart, collinsville
- convenience plus, sherman
- crawford quick mart, denison
- crzs2 llc, pottsboro
- denison food mart, denison
- e-z mart 4207, whitesboro
- express food mart, sherman
- express food mart, sherman
- gajanand inc, denison
- gateway 58, whitewright
- get and go, sherman
- gunter food mart, gunter
- happy stop, whitesboro
- howe passport 3, howe
- kwik fuels, denison
- lone star food store 4481, denison
- lone star food store 4482, denison
- lone star food store 4484, denison
- lone star food store 4491, sherman
- lone star food store 4493, sherman
- lone star food store 4494, sherman
- la mexicana meat market denison llc, denison
- lucky food store 2, denison
- lucky stop #12 #12, denison
- lucky stop 10, sherman
- lucky stop 8, sherman
- lucky stop food 4, denison
- lucky stop food 9, denison
- lucky truck stop, whitesboro
- murphy usa 5658, sherman
- murphy usa 5676, denison
- one stop food store, denison
- one stop sherman, sherman
- panaderia gloria, sherman
- pottsboro passport 2, pottsboro
- preston center, pottsboro
- quik trip 1918, sherman
- quiktrip 1911, van alstyne
- quiktrip 1915, sherman
- quiktrip 1917, sherman
- quiktrip 1919, denison
- sherman passport 2, sherman
- sherwood food mart, gordonville
- speed track, denison
- stop n shop, denison
- sunset food mart, sherman
- sunshine 1, denison
- sunshine 2, sherman
- super quick mart, denison
- super stop 2 02, sherman
- texoma food mart, pottsboro
- texoma food mart, sherman
- tom bean food, tom bean
- whitneys food store, sherman
Combination Grocery/Other · 39
- braum's 83, denison
- braum's 116, sherman
- braum's 82, van alstyne
- cvs pharmacy inc 6984, denison
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 7682, sherman
- dollar general 10620, bells
- dollar general 10639, sherman
- dollar general 1779, denison
- dollar general 3627, sherman
- dollar general 3857, whitesboro
- dollar general 3956, sherman
- dollar general 4275, denison
- dollar general 7135, pottsboro
- dollar general 9248, whitewright
- dollar general 9603, van alstyne
- dollar general 982, sherman
- dollar general 10165, collinsville
- dollar general 13362, gordonville
- dollar general 15093, sherman
- dollar general 15360, tom bean
- dollar general 16379, denison
- dollar general 19790, tioga
- dollar general 23837, sherman
- dollar general 25095, bells
- dollar general 6888, sherman
- dollar general 7996, howe
- dollar general 9893, gunter
- dollar general store 17226, pottsboro
- dollar tree 2868, sherman
- dollar tree 6718, denison
- dollar tree 8430, sherman
- family dollar 13178, whitewright
- family dollar 13393, whitewright
- family dollar 13562, bells
- family dollar 13834, pottsboro
- family dollar 2586, denison
- family dollar 4119, sherman
- family dollar 7264, whitesboro
- walgreens 09104, sherman
Super Store · 9
- brookshire brothers 92, whitesboro
- kroger 824, sherman
- la michoacana meat market 32 d, sherman
- sam's club 6350, sherman
- supermercado del pueblo 2, sherman
- target store t 1861, sherman
- walmart 147, denison
- walmart neighborhood market 3521, sherman
- walmart supercenter 947, sherman
Supermarket · 5
- albertsons 0226, sherman
- albertsons 0716, denison
- aldi 75048, sherman
- brookshire food store 127, pottsboro
- spring market 717, whitewright
Large Grocery Store · 2
- bells market, bells
- green market natural foods, sherman
Delivery Route · 1
- texas choice fine foods, sherman
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- donssmokehouse butcher shop 1, howe
Small Grocery Store · 1
- jeim asian grocery stores, sherman
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Grayson County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Grayson County sits inside Texas (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 Grayson County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Grayson County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Grayson County? ▼
Is Grayson County a food desert? ▼
What share of Grayson 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.