County food-access profile · Oklahoma
Kay County, OK
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Kay County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 38.2%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 17.2%
- on SNAP
- 44K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
38.2% of Kay County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
- 6.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.0%
- 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).
USDA data puts Kay County's low-access share at 38.2%, above the national share. 8 of the county's 11 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 17,781 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,106 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 Kay County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Kay County's 38.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 85% of them and ranked #475 most-affected nationwide.
Kay County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 11 census tracts in Kay County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Kay County vs. other Oklahoma counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Oklahoma
- Kay
Kay County, OK
38.2 % low-access
- Adair 9.7
Adair County, OK
9.7 % low-access
- Alfalfa
Alfalfa County, OK
58.5 % low-access
- Atoka
Atoka County, OK
34.7 % low-access
- Beaver
Beaver County, OK
38.2 % low-access
- Beckham
Beckham County, OK
26.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 46,562 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 17,781 |
| Low-Access Share | 38.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,106 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 43,625 |
| Median Household Income | $58,423 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.0%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,880 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.2%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.0% |
About 17.2% of Kay County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 38.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 17.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,880 households here.
- 6.0% 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 Kay County
above the national share
3 of Kay County's 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 27.3% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 17,781 residents, roughly 38.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,106 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 3 tracts (27.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Kay County
Kay County has 52 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 26 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 26
- blackwell one stop 3, blackwell
- casey's 3787, blackwell
- casey's general store 3681, ponca city
- jiffy trip 142, newkirk
- jiffy trip 327, tonkawa
- jiffy trip 450, ponca city
- love's travel stops & country stores inc 213, tonkawa
- murphy usa 6607, ponca city
- new point store, newkirk
- oncue express 16, ponca city
- oncue express 17, ponca city
- pilot travel center 1004, tonkawa
- red pipe 165, tonkawa
- shepherd's food mart, blackwell
- shepherd's food mart #400, blackwell
- short stop 1 3, ponca city
- short stop 2 4, ponca city
- short stop 3 5, blackwell
- short stop no.4 6, ponca city
- southwind express, llc, kaw city
- triple t #5, ponca city
- ta express tonkawa, tonkawa
- tonkawa smoke shop, tonkawa
- triple t #4, ponca city
- triple t #6, ponca city
- woodridge market, ponca city
Combination Grocery/Other · 15
- braum's 10, ponca city
- braum's 21, blackwell
- dollar general 3248, ponca city
- dollar general 3719, blackwell
- dollar general 4568, ponca city
- dollar general 4816, ponca city
- dollar general 7779, tonkawa
- dollar general 8170, newkirk
- dollartree 8316, blackwell
- dollar general 22100, ponca city
- dollar general 22721, kaw city
- dollar general 25580, ponca city
- dollar tree 1180, ponca city
- rikkis market, ponca city
- walgreens 7698, ponca city
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 46025 46025, ponca city
- homeland 460, ponca city
- homeland 468, ponca city
- ponca city discount foods 419, ponca city
- united supermarket 378, blackwell
- venture foods, tonkawa
Super Store · 3
- harps food store 485, newkirk
- walmart store 136, blackwell
- walmart supercenter 823, ponca city
Farmers' Market · 1
- barney family farms llc, newkirk
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- osage country meat market, ponca city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Oklahoma
Compare Kay County vs Adair County → · All Oklahoma counties →
Food access nationally, Oklahoma in context
Kay County sits inside Oklahoma (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 Kay County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Kay County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Kay County? ▼
Is Kay County a food desert? ▼
What share of Kay 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.