County food-access profile · Nebraska

Keya Paha County, NE

Keya Paha County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

Compiled by Plainfoodaccess, Food Access Editorial Process · June 23, 2026

99.9%
low-access pop.: 1
food-desert tracts: 1.3%
on SNAP: 822
residents (ACS 2024)

USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 NE

The food-access picture

99.9% of Keya Paha County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 1 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

1
low-access tracts: 218
food-desert residents: 1.3%
households, no vehicle: 7.2%
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).

Keya Paha County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 99.9% is well above the national share. 1 of the county's 1 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 823 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 218 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 Keya Paha County compares nationally

Keya Paha County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 99.9% low-access share outpaces 98% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #50 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Keya Paha County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 1 census tracts in Keya Paha County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Keya Paha

99.9
Adams

35
Antelope

12.9
Arthur

100
Banner

98.5
Blaine

100

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Keya Paha County
Indicator	Value
Census Tracts	1
Atlas Population (2010 basis)	824
Low-Access Tracts	1
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)	1
Low-Access Population	823
Low-Access Share	99.9%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population	218

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Keya Paha County
Indicator	Value
Population	822
Median Household Income	$64,000
Poverty Rate	7.2%well below the national average
SNAP Households	4
SNAP Participation Rate	1.3%well below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle	1.3%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population	N/A

SNAP participation in Keya Paha County 1.3%

About 1.3% of Keya Paha County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

99.9% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
1.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4 households here.
1.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
1 tract 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 Keya Paha County

well above the national share

1 of Keya Paha County's 1 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 100.0% of all its tracts.

An estimated 823 residents, roughly 99.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 218 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

SNAP retailers in Keya Paha County

Keya Paha County has 1 store currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 1 store category. Every authorized retailer here is a medium grocery store.

Medium Grocery Store · 1

homeland grocery 9487, springview

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Nebraska

Adams County

35.0% low-access · 9.1% SNAP

Antelope County

12.9% low-access · 4.7% SNAP

Arthur County

100.0% low-access · 5.9% SNAP

Banner County

98.5% low-access · 1.3% SNAP

Blaine County

100.0% low-access

Boone County

12.3% low-access · 3.9% SNAP

Compare Keya Paha County vs Adams County → · All Nebraska counties →

Food access nationally, Nebraska in context

Keya Paha County sits inside Nebraska (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 Keya Paha County has low food access? ▼

99.9% of residents in Keya Paha County, NE 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 Keya Paha County? ▼

1.3% of households in Keya Paha County receive SNAP, covering 4 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).

What is the poverty rate in Keya Paha County? ▼

The poverty rate in Keya Paha County, NE is 7.2%, with a median household income of $64,000 (Census ACS 2024).

Is Keya Paha County a food desert? ▼

1 of Keya Paha County's 1 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.

What share of Keya Paha County households lack a vehicle? ▼

1.3% of households in Keya Paha 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 2026-06-23 (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.