County food-access profile · Texas
Hale County, TX
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Hale 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).
- 23.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 23.0%
- on SNAP
- 32K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
23.5% of Hale County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 6.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 20.5%
- 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 Hale County's low-access share at 23.5%, above the national share. 3 of the county's 9 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 8,515 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Hale County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Hale County's 23.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 55% of them and ranked #1,404 most-affected nationwide.
Hale County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 9 census tracts in Hale County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Hale County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Hale
Hale County, TX
23.5 % 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 | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 36,273 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,515 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.5%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,955 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 32,131 |
| Median Household Income | $51,897 |
| Poverty Rate | 20.5%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,532 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 23.0%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.3% |
About 23.0% of Hale County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 23.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 23.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,532 households here.
- 6.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $51,897 with a 20.5% poverty rate.
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 Hale County
above the national share
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.
An estimated 8,515 residents, roughly 23.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,955 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (66.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Hale County
Hale County has 32 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 16 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 16
- 7-eleven, inc. 42534, plainview
- allsup's 102367, plainview
- allsups 017, plainview
- allsups 022, plainview
- allsups 023, plainview
- allsups 072, petersburg
- allsups 073, abernathy
- allsups 074, hale center
- allsups 214, plainview
- allsups 231, plainview
- bulldogs grab n go, plainview
- cefco 2070, plainview
- cefco 2074, plainview
- murphy usa 7833, plainview
- quick stop 00001, plainview
- toot'n totum 127, plainview
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- braum's 292, plainview
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 1533, plainview
- dollar general 1713, plainview
- dollar general 7593, plainview
- dollar general 23543, petersburg
- dollar tree 2491, plainview
- family dollar 10604, hale center
- family dollar 4718, plainview
- frontier market, plainview
Large Grocery Store · 2
- la super economica, lp 01, plainview
- lowes 11, abernathy
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- grocery services north 18, plainview
- lowes 62, hale center
Supermarket · 2
- amigos 508, plainview
- united supermarket 507, plainview
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 927, plainview
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Hale County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Hale 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 Hale County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Hale County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Hale County? ▼
Is Hale County a food desert? ▼
What share of Hale 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.