PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Texas

Palo Pinto County, TX

Palo Pinto 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.

68.1%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
14.9%
on SNAP
29K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 TX

The food-access picture

68.1% of Palo Pinto County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

9
low-access tracts
7K
food-desert residents
4.1%
households, no vehicle
16.7%
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).

Palo Pinto County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 68.1% is well above the national share. 9 of the county's 9 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 19,137 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,835 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 Palo Pinto County compares nationally

Palo Pinto County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 68.1% low-access share outpaces 97% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #105 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Palo Pinto County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 9 census tracts in Palo Pinto 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 Palo Pinto County, TX USDA-defined food-access tiers: 0 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 6 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 9 tracts evaluated. 6 tracts limited (66.7%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (33.3%) Adequate 0% Limited 67% Severe 33% Food-access tier distribution: Palo Pinto County, TX
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Palo Pinto 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 Palo Pinto County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts9
Atlas Population (2010 basis)28,111
Low-Access Tracts9
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population19,137
Low-Access Share68.1%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population6,835

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Palo Pinto County
IndicatorValue
Population29,295
Median Household Income$67,674
Poverty Rate16.7%above the national average
SNAP Households1,679
SNAP Participation Rate14.9%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.1%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.0%
SNAP participation in Palo Pinto County 14.9%

About 14.9% of Palo Pinto County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 68.1% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 14.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,679 households here.
  • 4.1% 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 Palo Pinto County

well above the national share

3 of Palo Pinto County's 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 33.3% of all its tracts.

A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.

An estimated 19,137 residents, roughly 68.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 6,835 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

SNAP retailers in Palo Pinto County

Palo Pinto County has 44 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 27 locations (61% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 27

  • 7-eleven, inc. 42522, santo
  • allsup's 102438, mineral wells
  • allsups 102382, mineral wells
  • allsups 102403, mineral wells
  • b & b food mart, lipan
  • bar-b, gordon
  • crossroads 2011, mineral wells
  • ej's 1, mineral wells
  • ej's 2, mineral wells
  • ej's 3, mineral wells
  • express stop, mineral wells
  • g's gas and grocery, mineral wells
  • gordan exxon lillyfood2, gordan
  • graford mart, graford
  • jakes convenience store 3, mineral wells
  • kent kwik 462, mineral wells
  • kent kwik 467, mineral wells
  • kent kwik 468, graford
  • lone star mini mart, mineral wells
  • murphy usa 7239, mineral wells
  • reds, palo pinto
  • srijal llc, graford
  • the handy stop, mineral wells
  • tommy's 03, santo
  • tommy's 12, mineral wells
  • tommy's 14, mineral wells
  • tommy's 15, mineral wells

Combination Grocery/Other · 9

  • braum's 161, mineral wells
  • cvs/pharmacy 7488, mineral wells
  • dollar general 19825, mineral wells
  • dollar general 3250, mineral wells
  • dollar general 8318, mineral wells
  • dollar general 15885, graford
  • dollar general 23188, mineral wells
  • dollar tree 3657, mineral wells
  • walgreens 10258, mineral wells

Large Grocery Store · 2

  • super recuerdos, mineral wells
  • the trading post, graford

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2

  • american butchery, santo
  • kennedy's sausage hometown market, santo

Farmers' Market · 1

  • let's grow crazy, mineral wells

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • mimi and pops market, graford

Super Store · 1

  • walmart supercenter 804, mineral wells

Supermarket · 1

  • brookshire food store 118, mineral wells

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

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 Palo Pinto County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →

Food access nationally, Texas in context

Palo Pinto 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 Palo Pinto County has low food access? ▼
68.1% of residents in Palo Pinto 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 Palo Pinto County? ▼
14.9% of households in Palo Pinto County receive SNAP, covering 1,679 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Palo Pinto County? ▼
The poverty rate in Palo Pinto County, TX is 16.7%, with a median household income of $67,674 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Palo Pinto County a food desert? ▼
3 of Palo Pinto County's 9 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Palo Pinto County households lack a vehicle? ▼
4.1% of households in Palo Pinto 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.