County food-access profile · Texas
Henderson County, TX
Henderson 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.
- 18.3%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 12.8%
- on SNAP
- 85K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
18.3% of Henderson County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
- 4.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.7%
- 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).
Henderson County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 18.3% per the USDA Atlas. 6 of the county's 17 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 14,389 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,556 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 Henderson County compares nationally
Henderson County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 18.3% low-access share that beats 41% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,834).
Henderson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 17 census tracts in Henderson County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Henderson County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Henderson
Henderson County, TX
18.3 % 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 | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 78,532 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 14,389 |
| Low-Access Share | 18.3%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,556 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 84,862 |
| Median Household Income | $65,179 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.7%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,306 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.8%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
About 12.8% of Henderson County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 18.3% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,306 households here.
- 4.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Henderson County
near the national share
3 of Henderson County's 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 17.6% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 14,389 residents, roughly 18.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 6,556 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (64.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Henderson County
Henderson County has 79 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 36 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 36
- 24 seven mart # tx 2, chandler
- 24 seven mart # tx 3, chandler
- 24 seven mart # tx 4, chandler
- a to z discount stop, malakoff
- casey's 4790, gun barrel city
- cefco 1051, athens
- cefco 1063, gun barrel city
- cefco 1069, brownsboro
- cefco 1115, mabank
- cedar lake mart, eustace
- circle s mart, tool
- countryside store, payne springs
- cross road 1, malakoff
- divine fuel, malakoff
- dragon mart 1, tool
- eustacetiger mart, eustace
- fast trip, kemp
- gateway 54 1, brownsboro
- gateway 66, athens
- happy days food mart 01, malakoff
- highway corner food mart, mabank
- la moreliana meat market, kemp
- lakeside grocery, chandler
- murphy usa 7747, gun barrel city
- murphy usa 7863, athens
- passport #11, brownsboro
- pump & go #1, athens
- refuge food mart, trinidad
- rj food mart, gun barrel city
- shady oaks general store, athens
- shopper stop, athens
- shopper stop 1, murchison
- super stop, murchison
- tiger mart 84, log cabin
- tristar 18, athens
- tristar#9, larue
Combination Grocery/Other · 32
- braum's 269, athens
- cvs 7419, gun barrel city
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 7295, athens
- dollar general 0259, mabank
- dollar general 0515, malakoff
- dollar general 14369, malakoff
- dollar general 18718, athens
- dollar general 2290, athens
- dollar general 4803, gun barrel city
- dollar general 6263, brownsboro
- dollar general 6446, eustace
- dollar general 7040, athens
- dollar general 7597, chandler
- dollar general 7885, frankston
- dollar general 11613, eustace
- dollar general 15592, trinidad
- dollar general 15659, tool
- dollar general 17820, chandler
- dollar general 21489, murchison
- dollar general 22752, athens
- dollar tree 1173, athens
- dollar tree 2798, gun barrel city
- family dollar 11232, chandler
- family dollar 13284, brownsboro
- family dollar 13426, kemp
- family dollar 13501, malakoff
- family dollar 2713, athens
- family dollar 3372, athens
- family dollar store 5021, gun barrel city
- hlr beef shop, eustace
- kim's 1024, eustace
- walgreens 09410, athens
Supermarket · 5
- brookshire 11, athens
- brookshire food store 20, malakoff
- brookshire food store 64, mabank
- brookshire food store 84, chandler
- piggly wiggly 4679, athens
Super Store · 2
- walmart 412, athens
- walmart supercenter 516, gun barrel city
Farmers' Market · 1
- athens, tx farmers market ffab, athens
Large Grocery Store · 1
- y's hometown foods, brownsboro
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- flying t meat market, athens
Small Grocery Store · 1
- 3 flags meat market, gun barrel city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Henderson County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Henderson 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 Henderson County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Henderson County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Henderson County? ▼
Is Henderson County a food desert? ▼
What share of Henderson 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.