County food-access profile · Kansas
Leavenworth County, KS
Leavenworth 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.
- 45.8%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 5.6%
- on SNAP
- 83K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
45.8% of Leavenworth County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 4.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.8%
- 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).
Leavenworth County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 45.8% is well above the national share. 10 of the county's 16 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 34,916 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,395 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 Leavenworth County compares nationally
Leavenworth County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 45.8% low-access share outpaces 91% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #268 most-affected nationwide.
Leavenworth County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 16 census tracts in Leavenworth County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Leavenworth County vs. other Kansas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kansas
- Leavenworth
Leavenworth County, KS
45.8 % low-access
- Allen 15.4
Allen County, KS
15.4 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, KS
18.5 % low-access
- Atchison
Atchison County, KS
28.7 % low-access
- Barber 11.5
Barber County, KS
11.5 % low-access
- Barton
Barton County, KS
34.4 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 16 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 76,227 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 34,916 |
| Low-Access Share | 45.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,395 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 83,123 |
| Median Household Income | $89,218 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,698 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.6%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.0% |
About 5.6% of Leavenworth County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 45.8% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,698 households here.
- 4.8% 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 Leavenworth County
well above the national share
3 of Leavenworth County's 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 18.8% of all its tracts.
A further 7 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 34,916 residents, roughly 45.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,395 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (37.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Leavenworth County
Leavenworth County has 38 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 17
- 7-eleven store 41629a, leavenworth
- casey's 3780, tonganoxie
- casey's 2620, basehor
- casey's general store 1261, leavenworth
- casey's general store 2609, leavenworth
- casey's general store 2826, leavenworth
- fast track, leavenworth
- fav trip, leavenworth
- hometown store, leavenworth
- jk mart, leavenworth
- lansing quike stop, lansing
- murphy usa 7486, leavenworth
- quiktrip 188, lansing
- shop smart no, leavenworth
- shree nivas inc dba finish line, lansing
- star gas, leavenworth
- wood oil company 35, leavenworth
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- cvs pharmacy 5268, leavenworth
- dollartree 10056, leavenworth
- dollartree 9366, basehor
- dollar general 12260, basehor
- dollar general 23216, linwood
- dollar general 4664, leavenworth
- dollar general 7224, lansing
- dollar general 9411, tonganoxie
- dollartree 9076, leavenworth
- family dollar 3380, leavenworth
- family dollar 3690, leavenworth
- walgreens 12923, leavenworth
Super Store · 3
- dillon store 040, leavenworth
- fareway stores, inc. 259, basehor
- walmart sc 26, leavenworth
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 46098, lansing
- brother's market 5, inc. 1827, tonganoxie
- price chopper 20, leavenworth
Farmers' Market · 1
- leavenworth farmers market inc, leavenworth
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- morefields supersaver, leavenworth
Military Commissary · 1
- fort leavenworth commissary 2610, fort leavenworth
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kansas
Compare Leavenworth County vs Allen County → · All Kansas counties →
Food access nationally, Kansas in context
Leavenworth 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
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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.