Signature · 3 LILA tracts (30% of tracts)
Matagorda County, TX
Matagorda County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 3 LILA tracts (30% of the book) alongside 34.7% low-access.
- 34.7%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 17.0%
- on SNAP
- 36K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Matagorda County, TX
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 34.7% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +12.6 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 17.0% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 30% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Hidalgo County (+ 0.0 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Matagorda County sits in the upper national band (34.7%, #608 of 3,079) with 3 LILA tracts.
- #608
- national by low-access %
- #62
- in TX
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 3 LILA tracts (30% of tracts) .
How Matagorda County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Matagorda County's 34.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 80% of them and ranked #608 most-affected nationwide.
Matagorda County's elevated USDA tier split
10 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
Matagorda County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (7 rural, 3 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 3 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Matagorda County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Texas, not a full county-board reprint
- Throckmorton
Throckmorton 100%
100 % low-access
- Jim Hogg 34.9
Jim Hogg 34.9%
34.9 % low-access
- Matagorda 34.7
Matagorda 34.7%
34.7 % low-access
- Hidalgo 34.7
Hidalgo 34.7%
34.7 % low-access
- Ellis 34.6
Ellis 34.6%
34.6 % low-access
- Wichita 34.6
Wichita 34.6%
34.6 % low-access
- Rains 0
Rains 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 36,702 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,741 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,233 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 36,329 |
| Median Household Income | $58,628 |
| Poverty Rate | 20.7%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,628 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.0%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
Thick SNAP store book in Matagorda County
Matagorda County has 52 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 29 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
7 towns share the 52 authorized stores; Bay City holds 58% of them. 4 of the 7 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Blessing, Markham, Sargent, Wadsworth.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Bay City | 30 | 4 |
| Palacios | 7 | 1 |
| Blessing | 5 | none |
| Markham | 3 | none |
| Matagorda | 3 | 1 |
| Sargent | 2 | none |
| Wadsworth | 2 | none |
Convenience Store · 29
- allen's market & deli, bay city
- bay city chevron, bay city
- bay city food mart, bay city
- bay city shell, bay city
- big star, bay city
- blackcat chevron, bay city
- blessing country market, blessing
- e z stop, bay city
- fd food mart, bay city
- fuel dude, blessing
- grab n go # 5, palacios
- guffey's grocery, wadsworth
- m s express 4, bay city
- markham country truck stop, bay city
- markham handy pantry, markham
- maverick market group, bay city
- murphy usa 7426, bay city
- quick stop #8, bay city
- sargent country store, sargent
- shell mini mart, palacios
- shop & fuel food mart, bay city
- shop n go, bay city
- speedy stop 111, bay city
- stanley's, matagorda
- the point, palacios
- tiger stop, blessing
- wadsworth corner, wadsworth
- zoom mart, bay city
- zoom mart #4, bay city
Combination Grocery/Other · 16
- b&s meat market, markham
- cvs pharmacy inc 6723, bay city
- dollar general 14008, blessing
- dollar general 18534, bay city
- dollar general 2934, bay city
- dollar general 6310, palacios
- dollar tree 2288, bay city
- dollar general 16431, sargent
- dollar general 20652, matagorda
- dollar general 25191, palacios
- dollar general 25714, bay city
- family dollar 12426, bay city
- family dollar 12652, blessing
- family dollar 13011, palacios
- family dollar 2433, bay city
- walgreens 09940, bay city
Supermarket · 3
- heb 292, bay city
- lowes 113, palacios
- la michoacana meat market 59, bay city
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- buddy's butcher shop & seafood, bay city
- buddy's seafood & bait, matagorda
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- jurek smokehouse, markham
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 1405, bay city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Texas
One of 253 counties in Texas, 6 are shown here.
Compare Matagorda County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Counties near Matagorda County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Matagorda County, both outside Texas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside TX (34.7% here).
- Linn County, OR · 34.7% low-access
- Atoka County, OK · 34.7% low-access
- Portage County, OH · 34.7% low-access
- Wayne County, MO · 34.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside TX (17.0% here).
- Wayne County, TN · 17.0% SNAP
- Rhea County, TN · 17.0% SNAP
- Buckingham County, VA · 17.0% SNAP
- Smyth County, VA · 17.0% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Texas among West South Central states
Texas ranks 3rd of 4 West South Central states by population-weighted low-access (25.0%). Matagorda County, at 34.7%, runs 9.7 pts above the Texas rate.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Matagorda County, TX are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 48321. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.