County food-access profile · Texas
Matagorda County, TX
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Matagorda County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 34.7%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 17.0%
- on SNAP
- 36K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
34.7% of Matagorda County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 6.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 20.7%
- 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).
USDA data puts Matagorda County's low-access share at 34.7%, above the national share. 4 of the county's 10 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 12,741 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,233 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 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 #612 most-affected nationwide.
Matagorda County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Matagorda County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Matagorda County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Matagorda
Matagorda County, TX
34.7 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, TX
43.8 % low-access
- Andrews
Andrews County, TX
26.8 % low-access
- Angelina
Angelina County, TX
26 % low-access
- Aransas
Aransas County, TX
31.7 % low-access
- Archer
Archer County, TX
18.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| 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 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| 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% |
About 17.0% of Matagorda County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 34.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 17.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,628 households here.
- 6.0% 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 Matagorda County
above the national share
3 of Matagorda County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 30.0% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 12,741 residents, roughly 34.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,233 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (60.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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.
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 retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Matagorda County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Matagorda County sits inside Texas (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 Matagorda County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Matagorda County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Matagorda County? ▼
Is Matagorda County a food desert? ▼
What share of Matagorda 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.