County food-access profile · Texas
Hays County, TX
Hays 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.
- 8.3%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 5.0%
- on SNAP
- 269K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
8.3% of Hays County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 3.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.1%
- 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).
Hays County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 8.3% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 25 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 13,082 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,848 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 Hays County compares nationally
Hays County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.3% low-access share that beats 16% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,623).
Hays County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 25 census tracts in Hays County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Hays County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Hays 8.3
Hays County, TX
8.3 % 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 | 25 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 157,107 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 13,082 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.3%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,848 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 268,638 |
| Median Household Income | $89,097 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.1%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,032 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.0%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.1% |
About 5.0% of Hays County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 8.3% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,032 households here.
- 3.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Hays County
near the national share
1 of Hays County's 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 4.0% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 13,082 residents, roughly 8.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,848 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 21 tracts (84.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Hays County
Hays County has 137 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 71 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 71
- 7-eleven 35881j, kyle
- 7-eleven 40579h, san marcos
- 7-eleven 41670h, san marcos
- 7-eleven convenience store 42153a, san marcos
- 7-eleven convenince store 40560a, san marcos
- 7-eleven store 40586h, buda
- 7-eleven convenience store 38575a, austin
- 7-eleven convenience store 38610a, san marcos
- 7-eleven convenience store 38621a, dripping springs
- 7-eleven convenience store 40582a, kyle
- 7-eleven convenience store 40584a, kyle
- 7-eleven convenience store 41708a, buda
- african eats & market, san marcos
- bob cat express, san marcos
- bread basket, kyle
- bread basket, kyle
- bread basket, kyle
- circle k 2704692, dripping springs
- corner store 2741318, dripping springs
- fast break 7, san marcos
- fast break 8, san marcos
- food & fuel express, san marcos
- herberts grocery, san marcos
- kwik chek 57, wimberley
- kyle food mart, kyle
- murphy express 8833, san marcos
- murphy usa 7395, buda
- neu hub #4, kyle
- poco loco market 4, buda
- poco loco market 5, kyle
- pac n go 901, san marcos
- pac n go 904, san marcos
- park place foods, kyle
- pilot travel center 1054, mustang ridge
- poco loco, kyle
- q-way mart, kyle
- quiktrip 4151, buda
- quiktrip 4154, kyle
- rainbow food mart, san marcos
- rancho food mart, kyle
- refuel 1328, san marcos
- refuel 1330, san marcos
- refuel 1332, buda
- refuel 1333, san marcos
- refuel 1334, san marcos
- refuel 352, san marcos
- rise n stop #1, buda
- riverside mart enterprises inc, san marcos
- stripes 40568h, wimberley
- stripes 40569h, san marcos
- stripes 40576h, san marcos
- stripes 40577h, san marcos
- stripes 40578h, san marcos
- stripes 40580h, san marcos
- stripes 40581h, san marcos
- stripes 40583h, kyle
- stripes 40585h, kyle
- stripes 40587h, kyle
- stripes 40590h, buda
- shell food mart, dripping springs
- snax max 2, san marcos
- snax max 4, buda
- speed in food store, kyle
- speedy stop 105, buda
- stripes no. 5203 5203, san marcos
- sunfield market, buda
- sunny foods, san marcos
- sunrise market, san marcos
- super stop, san marcos
- txb 68, kyle
- tex best travel center 503, kyle
Combination Grocery/Other · 36
- cvs 10535, buda
- cvs pharmacy inc 7422, san marcos
- cvs pharmacy 10669, austin
- cvs pharmacy 8925, bee cave
- cvs pharmacy cvs07607, austin
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 3505, kyle
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 5776, san marcos
- dollar general 10491, buda
- dollar general 10493, kyle
- dollar general 14603, san marcos
- dollar general 3951, san marcos
- dollar general 7191, san marcos
- dollar general 12667, creedmore
- dollar general 13481, kyle
- dollar general 14467, kyle
- dollar general 17682, buda
- dollar general 19871, buda
- dollar general 22772, buda
- dollar general 30133, niederwald
- dollar general 31117, kyle
- dollar general 5728, san marcos
- dollar general 6585, wimberley
- dollar general 6686, kyle
- dollar general 6919, dripping springs
- dollar tree 1172, san marcos
- dollar tree 4228, kyle
- dollar tree 7427, san marcos
- dollar tree 8018, kyle
- family dollar 12209, kyle
- family dollar 12288, kyle
- walgreens 12029, dripping springs
- walgreens 12521, san marcos
- walgreens 15156, kyle
- walgreens 04550, san marcos
- walgreens 10841, buda
- walgreens 12517, kyle
Supermarket · 17
- heb 014, kyle
- heb 243, san marcos
- heb 455, san marcos
- heb 477, buda
- heb food store 611, dripping springs
- heb food store 708, wimberley
- heb food store 780, austin
- los jefe's restaurant supply and supermarket 1, kyle
- mills street market, san marcos
- poco loco market, buda
- poco loco supermercado 20, san marcos
- poco loco supermercado 21, kyle
- poco loco supermercado 3, kyle
- poco loco supermercado 4, buda
- poco loco supermercado 5, uhland
- quinta caporales meat market, san marcos
- sprouts farmers market 189, kyle
Super Store · 9
- brookshire brothers 0067, wimberley
- costco wholesale 1629, kyle
- sam's club 4958, san marcos
- target store 2438, san marcos
- target store 2725, kyle
- target store t3335, san marcos
- walmart 404, san marcos
- walmart supercenter 4219, buda
- walmart supercenter 4130, kyle
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- bon ton market, uhland
- lone star family market 10, san marcos
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza tx042, kyle
Large Grocery Store · 1
- b b market, san marcos
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Hays County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Hays 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 Hays County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Hays County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Hays County? ▼
Is Hays County a food desert? ▼
What share of Hays 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.