Signature · 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts)
Howard County, AR
Howard County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of the book) alongside 34.8% low-access.
- 34.8%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 9.8%
- on SNAP
- 13K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Howard County, AR
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 34.8% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +12.7 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.8% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 33% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Ouachita County ( -0.1 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Howard County sits in the upper national band (34.8%, #598 of 3,079) with 1 LILA tracts.
- #598
- national by low-access %
- #10
- in AR
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- 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: 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts) .
How Howard County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Howard County's 34.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 81% of them and ranked #602 most-affected nationwide.
Howard County's elevated USDA tier split
3 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Howard County has 1 urban and 2 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Howard County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Arkansas, not a full county-board reprint
- Calhoun
Calhoun 65.5%
65.5 % low-access
- Howard
Howard 34.8%
34.8 % low-access
- Ouachita
Ouachita 34.7%
34.7 % low-access
- Sharp
Sharp 34.7%
34.7 % low-access
- Crawford
Crawford 34.4%
34.4 % low-access
- Scott
Scott 34.4%
34.4 % low-access
- Izard 0.9
Izard 0.9%
0.9 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 3 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 13,789 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,796 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,223 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 12,583 |
| Median Household Income | $45,603 |
| Poverty Rate | 22.5%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 501 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.8%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
SNAP retailers in Howard County
Howard County has 16 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 8 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 8
- b's quick stop, mineral springs
- buddy's quick stop, mineral springs
- e z mart 4445, nashville
- e z mart 4446, nashville
- e z mart 4450, dierks
- murphy usa 6955, nashville
- quick track 51, dierks
- the gas spot 1010, nashville
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- dollar general 624, nashville
- dollar general 676, dierks
- dollar general 15872, mineral springs
- dollar tree 5953, nashville
- family dollar 13185, dierks
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- el karnalito 1, nashville
Super Store · 1
- walmart 33, nashville
Supermarket · 1
- cash saver 7738, nashville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Arkansas
One of 74 counties in Arkansas, 6 are shown here.
Compare Howard County vs Arkansas County → · All Arkansas counties →
Counties near Howard County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Howard County, both outside Arkansas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside AR (34.8% here).
- Nevada County, CA · 34.8% low-access
- Nevada County, CA · 34.8% low-access
- Madison County, AL · 34.8% low-access
- Madison County, AL · 34.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside AR (9.8% here).
- Amador County, CA · 9.8% SNAP
- Amador County, CA · 9.8% SNAP
- New Castle County, DE · 9.8% SNAP
- New Castle County, DE · 9.8% 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.
Howard County inside a higher low-access state context
Howard County sits inside Arkansas (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Howard County, AR are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 05061. 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.