PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Texas

Hill County, TX

Most of Hill County sits within reach of a supermarket, better than most U.S. counties. This profile covers who, if anyone, qualifies as a food desert here, plus the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).

5.0%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
11.1%
on SNAP
37K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 TX

The food-access picture

5.0% of Hill County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.

1
low-access tracts
662
food-desert residents
5.2%
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).

By the USDA's measure, Hill County fares better than most: just 5.0% of residents live in a low-access tract, below the national share. Still, 1 of the county's 11 tracts meet that threshold, covering about 1,747 people who live far from a supermarket, and 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 Hill County compares nationally

Food access in Hill County compares favorably nationally: its 5.0% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 10% of them (rank #2,815).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Hill County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 11 census tracts in Hill County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Hill County, TX USDA-defined food-access tiers: 10 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 11 tracts evaluated. 10 tracts adequate (90.9%) 1 tracts limited (9.1%) Adequate 91% Limited 9% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Hill County, TX
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Hill County vs. other Texas counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Hill County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts11
Atlas Population (2010 basis)35,089
Low-Access Tracts1
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population1,747
Low-Access Share5.0%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population662

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Hill County
IndicatorValue
Population37,328
Median Household Income$64,591
Poverty Rate14.7%near the national average
SNAP Households1,535
SNAP Participation Rate11.1%near the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.2%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.0%
SNAP participation in Hill County 11.1%

About 11.1% of Hill County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 5.0% of residents are low-access, below the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 11.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,535 households here.
  • 5.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • Median household income is $64,591 with a 14.7% 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 Hill County

below the national share

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 1.

An estimated 1,747 residents, roughly 5.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 662 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 10 tracts (90.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Hill County

Hill County has 52 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 30 locations (58% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 30

  • 7-eleven 32314k, hillsboro
  • allsup's 102410, whitney
  • big willy's hillsboro, hillsboro
  • bonanza mart, whitney
  • cefco 026, hubbard
  • cefco 76, covington
  • casey's 4710, covington
  • circle k 2740799, hillsboro
  • david's express 102, whitney
  • gateway 55 1, itasca
  • hill stop 1 shell, hillsboro
  • hill stop 3 valero, hillsboro
  • itasca mart, itasca
  • itasca mart 2, itasca
  • jake's convenience store 02, whitney
  • jake's convenience store 1, whitney
  • lamp post, whitney
  • lone star shell, whitney
  • los compas tortilleria & more, itasca
  • love's travel stops & country stores 231, hillsboro
  • lucko's grocery, malone
  • main street market 164, abbott
  • mr. g's #7, hillsboro
  • murphy usa 7916, hillsboro
  • pit stop express, whitney
  • quiktrip 1943, hillsboro
  • river stop, blum
  • s&a express, whitney
  • ta hillsboro 333, hillsboro
  • tommy's 30, blum

Combination Grocery/Other · 14

  • braum's 51, hillsboro
  • dollar general 0525, hillsboro
  • dollar general 1862, groesbeck
  • dollar general 4675, whitney
  • dollar general 7165, hubbard
  • dollar general 7758, itasca
  • dollar general 11345, whitney
  • dollar general 19932, whitney
  • dollar general 20098, covington
  • dollar tree 5507, hillsboro
  • family dollar 13108, hubbard
  • family dollar 13513, itasca
  • family dollar 13669, whitney
  • family dollar 6839, whitney

Super Store · 3

  • brookshire brothers 94, hubbard
  • david's 104, whitney
  • walmart 211, hillsboro

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • carniceria el paya, hillsboro
  • olde towne country store, itasca

Supermarket · 2

  • brookshire food store 36, whitney
  • brookshire food store 53, hillsboro

Farmers' Market · 1

  • hillsboro farmers market, hillsboro

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Texas

Anderson County
43.8% low-access · 18.0% SNAP
Andrews County
26.8% low-access · 13.0% SNAP
Angelina County
26.0% low-access · 16.7% SNAP
Aransas County
31.7% low-access · 8.6% SNAP
Archer County
18.3% low-access · 6.5% SNAP
Armstrong County
99.7% low-access · 3.4% SNAP

Compare Hill County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →

Food access nationally, Texas in context

Hill County sits inside Texas (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Hill County has low food access? ▼
5.0% of residents in Hill County, TX live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Hill County? ▼
11.1% of households in Hill County receive SNAP, covering 1,535 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Hill County? ▼
The poverty rate in Hill County, TX is 14.7%, with a median household income of $64,591 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Hill County a food desert? ▼
0 of Hill County's 11 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). No tracts here meet both conditions in the 2019 Atlas.
What share of Hill County households lack a vehicle? ▼
5.2% of households in Hill County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.