County food-access profile · Texas
McLennan County, TX
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of McLennan 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).
- 36.8%
- low-access pop.
- 16
- food-desert tracts
- 12.1%
- on SNAP
- 266K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
36.8% of McLennan County residents live in a low-access area, and 16 of its 51 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 30
- low-access tracts
- 39K
- food-desert residents
- 5.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.6%
- 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 McLennan County's low-access share at 36.8%, above the national share. 30 of the county's 51 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 86,484 people. 16 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 39,470 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 McLennan County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, McLennan County's 36.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 83% of them and ranked #526 most-affected nationwide.
McLennan County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 51 census tracts in McLennan County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
McLennan County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- McLennan
McLennan County, TX
36.8 % 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 | 51 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 234,906 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 30 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 16 |
| Low-Access Population | 86,484 |
| Low-Access Share | 36.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 39,470 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 266,067 |
| Median Household Income | $66,643 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.6%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 11,783 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.1%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.4% |
About 12.1% of McLennan County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 36.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 11,783 households here.
- 5.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 16 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 McLennan County
above the national share
16 of McLennan County's 51 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 31.4% of all its tracts.
A further 14 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 30.
An estimated 86,484 residents, roughly 36.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 39,470 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 21 tracts (41.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in McLennan County
McLennan County has 224 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 130 locations (58% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 130
- 7-eleven 36105j, waco
- 7-eleven 40558, woodway
- 7-eleven 40559h, waco
- 7-eleven convenience store 35376, woodway
- 7-eleven convenience store 36030b, waco
- 7-eleven convenience store 38771a, west
- 7-eleven convenience store 42340a, woodway
- a & p food mart 1, waco
- adams drive inn, waco
- ahap ice 2, waco
- alexander express mart n/a, waco
- bellmead grocery mart, waco
- be'ur mart, waco
- bellmart food & fuel, waco
- bellmead food mart, waco
- brake time, waco
- buzzy bee waco, waco
- cefco 10, waco
- cefco 100, hewitt
- cefco 108, robinson
- cefco 109, woodway
- cefco 11, bellmead
- cefco 33, mcgregor
- cefco 37, robinson
- cefco 39, woodway
- cefco 4, waco
- cefco 40, waco
- cefco 41, waco
- cefco 62, riesel
- cefco 69, mart
- cefco 82, waco
- cefco 83, waco
- cefco 84, west
- cefco 85, waco
- cefco 9, woodway
- cefco 96, waco
- cfm south, waco
- casey's 4833, waco
- casey's 4859, waco
- chesalon 1, waco
- circle k 2741323, waco
- circle k 2741328, hewitt
- circle k 2741334, waco
- circle k 2741335, robinson
- circle k 2741376, waco
- circle k 2741378, waco
- circle k 2741379, waco
- circle k 2741395, waco
- circle k 2741549, waco
- city food mart, waco
- corner store 2741564, waco
- corner store 2741566, waco
- cowboy truck stop, elm mott
- d&m food mart, waco
- diamond shamrock corner store 2741377, waco
- dollar store & cafe 01, waco
- ez mart, waco
- ez mart #3, waco
- ez mart 2, waco
- ez shop convenience store, waco
- gholson country store, waco
- grab n go, waco
- grab n go corner store, waco
- h&m kwik stop, waco
- hallsburg short stop, riesel
- howard's grocery, robinson
- huggy bear food mart, waco
- huggy bear food mart #4 4, waco
- huggy bear food mart #5 5, waco
- israel's stop & go, waco
- jv's foodmart, waco
- jaspreet llc, waco
- jean's place dew drop inn, waco
- jm food mart, waco
- kent kwik 601, waco
- kent kwik 610, mcgregor
- kent kwik 615, waco
- kent kwik 616, waco
- king food mart 1, waco
- kwik food mart, waco
- kwik mart, waco
- kwik stop1 1, waco
- lakeview food mart, waco
- lama 114 00002, woodway
- lama 62 01, waco
- minit stop, lorena
- moody quick stop, moody
- murphy usa 7625, waco
- murphy usa 7745, waco
- murphy usa 7895, bellmead
- n & s grocery, waco
- new mart food store, mart
- new ruby food mart #4, mart
- pb food mart, waco
- pilot travel center 432, robinson
- pilot travel center 739, waco
- pit stop 2, robinson
- quick & carry llc, waco
- quick & carry llc 20, lorena
- quick & carry llc 21, waco
- quick & carry llc, waco
- quick track 56, waco
- quick track 57, waco
- quick track 58 00005, waco
- quick track 60 60, waco
- quick track 63, waco
- quick track 64 64, waco
- quiktrip 7903, waco
- quiktrip 7915, bellmead
- rzs food market rzs fm, waco
- rise n run, woodway
- rise n run 25, waco
- road ranger 276, waco
- robin food mart, robinson
- robinson food mart, waco
- s and s food mart, waco
- stripes 40552, waco
- stripes 40553h, waco
- stripes 40554h, hewitt
- stripes 40555, waco
- stripes 40556h, waco
- sam's groceries, waco
- shop n save #2 1, waco
- smart stop 5, waco
- snacks food mart, waco
- sp food mart, woodway
- stop & start travel center #9, china spring
- t and z food store, waco
- texas quick mart, waco
- uncle mikes mini mart, waco
Combination Grocery/Other · 63
- cvs 10818, waco
- cvs pharmacy inc 6962, woodway
- dollar general 0697, robinson
- dollar general 0757, bellmead
- dollar general 1017, lorena
- dollar general 10175, waco
- dollar general 10690, waco
- dollar general 10997, waco
- dollar general 13849, lacy lakeview
- dollar general 14078, moody
- dollar general 1496, west
- dollar general 1613, waco
- dollar general 1853, mc gregor
- dollar general 3286, waco
- dollar general 9596, waco
- dollartree 8056, robinson
- dollartree 8821, waco
- dollartree 9370, waco
- dollar general 11556, waco
- dollar general 11855, elm mott
- dollar general 13372, waco
- dollar general 14806, woodway
- dollar general 15081, waco
- dollar general 15724, china spring
- dollar general 16858, lorena
- dollar general 17045, riesel
- dollar general 1994, hewitt
- dollar general 20062, waco
- dollar general 20471, crawford
- dollar general 21399, china spring
- dollar general 22175, mcgregor
- dollar general 23330, waco
- dollar general 23812, hewitt
- dollar general 24566, waco
- dollar general 25595, bosqueville
- dollar general 30092, axtell
- dollar general 31053, waco
- dollar general 31308, china spring
- dollar general 7757, mart
- dollar tree 2078, waco
- dollar tree 5088, hewitt
- dollar tree 5653, bellmead
- dollar tree 5999, waco
- dollar tree 7428, waco
- family dollar 12913, mcgregor
- family dollar 2034, bellmead
- family dollar 2368, waco
- family dollar 3378, waco
- family dollar 4046, waco
- family dollar 4754, waco
- family dollar 4916, lacy lakeview
- family dollar 4976, waco
- family dollar 5887, waco
- family dollar 7064, eddy
- family dollar 7576, west
- family dollar store 8008, hewitt
- hewitt united super, hewitt
- la mexicana meat market 3, waco
- torres meat house, waco
- walgreens 09648, woodway
- waco custom market place, waco
- walgreens 4606, waco
- walgreens 4607, beverly hills
Supermarket · 10
- aldi 75075, waco
- brookshire food store 90, robinson
- heb 064, waco
- heb 423, waco
- heb 557, waco
- heb 583, woodway
- heb 672, waco
- natural grocers u176, waco
- poco loco supermercado 9, waco
- read's food store, mart
Super Store · 9
- brookshire brothers 63, lorena
- brookshire brothers 68, mcgregor
- brookshire brothers 97, moody
- sam's club 8286, waco
- target store 1531, waco
- walmart 1254, bellmead
- walmart 7156, hewitt
- walmart 939, waco
- walmart supercenter 5389, waco
Large Grocery Store · 3
- la michoacana meat market waco #1, waco
- supermercado teloloapan 18, waco
- west food mart, west
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- fortson's meat market, robinson
- h & b packing co, waco
- old fashion meat market, mcgregor
Farmers' Market · 2
- bridge street farmers market, waco
- waco downtown farmers market, waco
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- grocery services north 11, waco
- w community grocery, west
Small Grocery Store · 2
- fat boy grocery and grill, waco
- mill-king market, mcgregor
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare McLennan County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
McLennan 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 McLennan County has low food access? ▼
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Is McLennan County a food desert? ▼
What share of McLennan 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.