Signature · 5 LILA tracts (71.4% of tracts)
Houston County, TX
Houston County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 5 LILA tracts (71.4% of the book) alongside 39.2% low-access.
- 39.2%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 17.9%
- on SNAP
- 22K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Houston County, TX
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 39.2% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +17.1 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 5 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 17.9% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 8.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 71% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Hockley County (+ 0.5 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Houston County sits in the upper national band (39.2%, #431 of 3,079) with 5 LILA tracts.
- #431
- national by low-access %
- #49
- in TX
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 5 LILA tracts (71.4% of tracts) .
How Houston County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Houston County's 39.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 86% of them and ranked #431 most-affected nationwide.
Houston County's elevated USDA tier split
7 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 5 LILA.
Houston County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (5 rural, 2 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 2 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Houston County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Texas, not a full county-board reprint
- Throckmorton
Throckmorton 100%
100 % low-access
- McCulloch
McCulloch 40.9%
40.9 % low-access
- Hockley 39.7
Hockley 39.7%
39.7 % low-access
- Houston 39.2
Houston 39.2%
39.2 % low-access
- Wilbarger 38.7
Wilbarger 38.7%
38.7 % low-access
- Brewster 38.6
Brewster 38.6%
38.6 % low-access
- Rains 0
Rains 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 23,732 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,303 |
| Low-Access Share | 39.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,224 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 22,051 |
| Median Household Income | $56,531 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.0%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,425 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.8%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 12.3% |
SNAP retailers in Houston County
Houston County has 24 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 10 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
5 towns share the 24 authorized stores; Crockett holds 71% of them. 4 of the 5 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Grapeland, Kennard, Latexo, Lovelady.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Crockett | 17 | 3 |
| Grapeland | 4 | none |
| Kennard | 1 | none |
| Latexo | 1 | none |
| Lovelady | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 10
- big's 3830, crockett
- castaneda's mexican meat market #2, crockett
- crockett food mart 1, crockett
- grapeland grocery, grapeland
- hot spot # 4, crockett
- hot spot 2, latexo
- pop in 4, crockett
- pop in 5, crockett
- ranch express 2, grapeland
- sns express, crockett
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- dollar general 2957, crockett
- dollar general 6105, crockett
- dollar general 30357, crockett
- dollar general 6909, grapeland
- dollar tree 5896, crockett
- family dollar 10185, lovelady
- family dollar 11591, kennard
- family dollar 12651, grapeland
- family dollar 6713, crockett
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- j & w meats and wild game 1, crockett
- tyer's processing, crockett
Super Store · 2
- brookshire brothers 85, crockett
- walmart supermarket 236, crockett
Supermarket · 1
- heb 287, crockett
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Texas
One of 253 counties in Texas, 6 are shown here.
Compare Houston County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Counties near Houston County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Houston County, both outside Texas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside TX (39.2% here).
- St. Charles County, MO · 39.2% low-access
- Clayton County, GA · 39.2% low-access
- Union County, NC · 39.3% low-access
- Cibola County, NM · 39.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside TX (17.9% here).
- Blair County, PA · 17.9% SNAP
- Jackson County, OR · 17.9% SNAP
- Covington County, MS · 17.9% SNAP
- Piscataquis County, ME · 17.9% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Texas among West South Central states
Texas ranks 3rd of 4 West South Central states by population-weighted low-access (25.0%). Houston County, at 39.2%, runs 14.2 pts above the Texas rate.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Houston County, TX are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 48225. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.