County food-access profile · Kansas

Kingman County, KS

Kingman 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.

42.4%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
6.5%
on SNAP
7K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 KS

The food-access picture

42.4% of Kingman County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.

3
low-access tracts
830
food-desert residents
4.8%
households, no vehicle
10.3%
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).

Kingman County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 42.4% is well above the national share. 3 of the county's 3 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 3,329 people. 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 Kingman County compares nationally

Kingman County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 42.4% low-access share outpaces 89% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #334 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Kingman County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 3 census tracts in Kingman 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 Kingman County, KS USDA-defined food-access tiers: 0 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 3 tracts evaluated. 3 tracts limited (100.0%) Adequate 0% Limited 100% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Kingman County, KS
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Kingman County vs. other Kansas counties

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

% 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 Kingman County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts3
Atlas Population (2010 basis)7,858
Low-Access Tracts3
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population3,329
Low-Access Share42.4%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population830

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Kingman County
IndicatorValue
Population7,186
Median Household Income$59,842
Poverty Rate10.3%below the national average
SNAP Households207
SNAP Participation Rate6.5%well below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.8%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.1%
SNAP participation in Kingman County 6.5%

About 6.5% of Kingman County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 42.4% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 6.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 207 households here.
  • 4.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • Median household income is $59,842 with a 10.3% 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 Kingman County

well above the national share

A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.

An estimated 3,329 residents, roughly 42.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 830 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

SNAP retailers in Kingman County

Kingman County has 6 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 4 locations (67% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 4

  • casey's general store 2308, kingman
  • daks market daks1003, kingman
  • love's travel stop 695, cunningham
  • norwich fresh market, norwich

Combination Grocery/Other · 1

  • dollar general 3246, kingman

Supermarket · 1

  • whites foodliner, kingman

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Kansas

Compare Kingman County vs Allen County → · All Kansas counties →

Food access nationally, Kansas in context

Kingman County sits inside Kansas (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 Kingman County has low food access?
42.4% of residents in Kingman County, KS 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 Kingman County?
6.5% of households in Kingman County receive SNAP, covering 207 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Kingman County?
The poverty rate in Kingman County, KS is 10.3%, with a median household income of $59,842 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Kingman County a food desert?
0 of Kingman County's 3 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 Kingman County households lack a vehicle?
4.8% of households in Kingman 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.