PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Texas

Loving County, TX

Loving 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.

100.0%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
7.4%
on SNAP
33
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 TX

The food-access picture

100.0% of Loving County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.

1
low-access tracts
15
food-desert residents
7.4%
households, no vehicle
6.1%
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).

Loving County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 100.0% 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 82 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 Loving County compares nationally

Loving County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 100.0% low-access share outpaces 98% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #49 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Loving County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 1 census tracts in Loving 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 Loving County, TX USDA-defined food-access tiers: 0 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 1 tracts evaluated. 1 tracts limited (100.0%) Adequate 0% Limited 100% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Loving County, TX
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Loving County vs. other Texas counties

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

% 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 Loving County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts1
Atlas Population (2010 basis)82
Low-Access Tracts1
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population82
Low-Access Share100.0%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population15

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Loving County
IndicatorValue
Population33
Median Household Income$51,250
Poverty Rate6.1%well below the national average
SNAP Households2
SNAP Participation Rate7.4%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle7.4%near the national average
Group-Quarters PopulationN/A
SNAP participation in Loving County 7.4%

About 7.4% of Loving County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 100.0% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 7.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2 households here.
  • 7.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • Median household income is $51,250 with a 6.1% 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 Loving County

well above the national share

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 1.

An estimated 82 residents, roughly 100.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 15 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

Other Counties in Texas

Anderson County
43.8% low-access · 18.0% SNAP
Andrews County
26.8% low-access · 13.0% SNAP
Angelina County
26.0% low-access · 16.7% SNAP
Aransas County
31.7% low-access · 8.6% SNAP
Archer County
18.3% low-access · 6.5% SNAP
Armstrong County
99.7% low-access · 3.4% SNAP

Compare Loving County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →

Food access nationally, Texas in context

Loving County sits inside Texas (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Loving County has low food access? ▼
100.0% of residents in Loving County, TX 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 Loving County? ▼
7.4% of households in Loving County receive SNAP, covering 2 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Loving County? ▼
The poverty rate in Loving County, TX is 6.1%, with a median household income of $51,250 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Loving County a food desert? ▼
0 of Loving County's 1 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 Loving County households lack a vehicle? ▼
7.4% of households in Loving 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.