County food-access profile · Oklahoma
Le Flore County, OK
Le Flore County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 18.0%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 20.9%
- on SNAP
- 49K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
18.0% of Le Flore County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 6.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.4%
- 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).
Le Flore County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 18.0% per the USDA Atlas. 7 of the county's 12 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 9,086 residents who live far from a supermarket. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,613 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 Le Flore County compares nationally
Le Flore County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 18.0% low-access share that beats 41% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,863).
Le Flore County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 12 census tracts in Le Flore County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Le Flore County vs. other Oklahoma counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Oklahoma
- Le Flore 18
Le Flore County, OK
18 % 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 | 12 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 50,384 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,086 |
| Low-Access Share | 18.0%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,613 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 49,053 |
| Median Household Income | $51,565 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.4%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,768 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 20.9%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.4% |
About 20.9% of Le Flore County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 18.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 20.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,768 households here.
- 6.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Le Flore County
near the national share
5 of Le Flore County's 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 41.7% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 9,086 residents, roughly 18.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,613 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 5 tracts (41.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Le Flore County
Le Flore County has 64 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 29 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 29
- big t discount grocery, bokoshe
- casey's 4562, panama
- casey's general store 3651, pocola
- casey's general store 3676, spiro
- caseys general store 3543, poteau
- choctaw travel plaza - pocola, pocola
- choctaw travel plaza - poteau, poteau
- choctaw travel plaza- heavener, heavener
- e-z mart 4224, talihina
- e-z mart 4419, poteau
- e-z mart 4421, shady point
- e-z mart 4422, spiro
- e-z mart 4423, howe
- fill me up, wister
- grand slam, pocola
- hugs and biscuits, cameron
- j-sac's, arkoma
- kps food mart, heavener
- kuntry store, whitesboro
- la tiendita sanjuan llc, poteau
- murphy usa 5722, poteau
- p j's country store, monroe
- quick mart, poteau
- rick's food mart, cameron
- sam's llc, wister
- spiro sac n pac food mart, spiro
- talihina quick stop, talihina
- tj's mountain country store llc, smithville
- wrights sunset corner store inc, spiro
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- braum's 218, poteau
- dollar general 10636, wister
- dollar general 18684, bokoshe
- dollar general 2253, poteau
- dollar general 3350, pocola
- dollar general 3939, spiro
- dollar general 4408, poteau
- dollar tree 2780, poteau
- dollar general 15305, cameron
- dollar general 16155, howe
- dollar general 24441, shady point
- dollar general 25484, wister
- dollar general 25803, spiro
- dollar general 3940, heavener
- dollar general 6881, panama
- dollar general store 16969, smithville
- family dollar 12974, wister
- family dollar 13378, spiro
- family dollar store 3736, poteau
- family dollar store 6783, heavener
- the chicken store, poteau
- three rivers meat co., smithville
Super Store · 4
- harps food store 102, poteau
- harps food store 515, spiro
- harps food store 517, heavener
- walmart 31, poteau
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- bubba's beef jerky llc, shady point
- dhat dher beef jerky, panama
- weaver's meat market & deli, poteau
Small Grocery Store · 3
- el solecito #3, heavener
- la pasadita 1, heavener
- shellie's grub & shrubs llc, wister
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- big d's truck stop, spiro
- dave's meat market inc, poteau
Farmers' Market · 1
- smacker farmers market, poteau
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Oklahoma
Compare Le Flore County vs Adair County → · All Oklahoma counties →
Food access nationally, Oklahoma in context
Le Flore 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 Le Flore County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Le Flore County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Le Flore County? ▼
Is Le Flore County a food desert? ▼
What share of Le Flore 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.