County food-access profile · Oklahoma
Osage County, OK
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Osage 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).
- 37.6%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 13.9%
- on SNAP
- 46K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
37.6% of Osage County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 5.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.1%
- 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).
USDA data puts Osage County's low-access share at 37.6%, above the national share. 8 of the county's 11 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 17,828 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,600 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 Osage County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Osage County's 37.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 84% of them and ranked #500 most-affected nationwide.
Osage County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 11 census tracts in Osage County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Osage County vs. other Oklahoma counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Oklahoma
- Osage
Osage County, OK
37.6 % low-access
- Adair 9.7
Adair County, OK
9.7 % low-access
- Alfalfa
Alfalfa County, OK
58.5 % low-access
- Atoka
Atoka County, OK
34.7 % low-access
- Beaver
Beaver County, OK
38.2 % low-access
- Beckham
Beckham County, OK
26.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 47,472 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 17,828 |
| Low-Access Share | 37.6%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,600 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 45,997 |
| Median Household Income | $62,847 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.1%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,418 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.7%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.7% |
About 13.9% of Osage County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 37.6% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,418 households here.
- 5.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Osage County
above the national share
4 of Osage County's 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 36.4% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 17,828 residents, roughly 37.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,600 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 3 tracts (27.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Osage County
Osage County has 39 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 18 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 18
- big al's, sand springs
- casey's 3456, skiatook
- casey's general store 3691, pawhuska
- everyday food mart, tulsa
- fastrack, barnsdall
- handy grocery, pawhuska
- kum & go 864, skiatook
- mister bass, skiatook
- murphy usa 7229, skiatook
- pfg of pawhuska, pawhuska
- riegel's market, sperry
- stop n save 4, sand springs
- the dam place general store, pawhuska
- triple t #1 osage, ponca city
- wehunt country store, shidler
- wynona stop buy, wynona
- wynona stop buy 1, wynona
- z mart enterprises llc, hominy
Combination Grocery/Other · 15
- dollar general 6633, hominy
- dollar general 7821, fairfax
- dollar general 13421, barnsdall
- dollar general 13788, ponca city
- dollar general 20081, skiatook
- dollar general 20868, prue
- dollar general 4474, pawhuska
- dollar tree 5326, sand springs
- dollar tree 7353, skiatook
- family dollar 13869, fairfax
- family dollar store 6386, tulsa
- family dollar store 7400, pawhuska
- sausage brothers meat market and deli, skiatook
- walgreens 15772, tulsa
- walgreens 15809, sand springs
Farmers' Market · 3
- clark-asberry homestead ranch, tulsa
- farm hippie farmers market - pawhuska 9183163117, pawhuska
- harvest land farmers market nafmnp, pawhuska
Large Grocery Store · 1
- fairfax venture foods, fairfax
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- cattleman's fine meats, tulsa
Super Store · 1
- harps food store 507, pawhuska
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Oklahoma
Compare Osage County vs Adair County → · All Oklahoma counties →
Food access nationally, Oklahoma in context
Osage County sits inside Oklahoma (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 Osage County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Osage County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Osage County? ▼
Is Osage County a food desert? ▼
What share of Osage 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.