County food-access profile · Oklahoma
Pittsburg County, OK
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Pittsburg 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).
- 36.0%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 18.2%
- on SNAP
- 44K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
36.0% of Pittsburg County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 7.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.7%
- 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 Pittsburg County's low-access share at 36.0%, above the national share. 8 of the county's 13 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 16,509 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,497 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 Pittsburg County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Pittsburg County's 36.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 82% of them and ranked #554 most-affected nationwide.
Pittsburg County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 13 census tracts in Pittsburg County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Pittsburg County vs. other Oklahoma counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Oklahoma
- Pittsburg
Pittsburg County, OK
36 % 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 | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 45,837 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 16,509 |
| Low-Access Share | 36.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,497 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 43,561 |
| Median Household Income | $55,310 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.7%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,243 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 18.2%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.1% |
About 18.2% of Pittsburg County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 36.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 18.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,243 households here.
- 7.1% 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 Pittsburg County
above the national share
3 of Pittsburg County's 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 23.1% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 16,509 residents, roughly 36.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 6,497 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 5 tracts (38.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Pittsburg County
Pittsburg County has 61 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 34 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 34
- allsup's 102477, kiowa
- allsup's 102488, krebs
- casey's 3771, hartshorne
- casey's 3811, mcalester
- casey's general store 4097, mcalester
- casey's general store 4098, krebs
- choctaw travel plaza - mcalester, mcalester
- company store, pittsburg
- country handy mart, mcalester
- e z mart 4435, mcalester
- e z mart 4436, mcalester
- e-z mart 4346, mcalester
- e-z mart 4349, mcalester
- e-z mart 4353, mcalester
- e-z mart 4357, mcalester
- e-z mart 4359, mcalester
- e-z mart 4427, quinton
- e-z mart 4434, canadian
- easy stop #10, mcalester
- eazy stop bait and tackle, mcalester
- flash n dash, hartshorne
- flowers bakery outlet 353, mcalester
- kazi zara llc, savanna
- kwik chek 38, kiowa
- love's country store 171, mcalester
- m & m properties, krebs
- mat food mart, mcalester
- murphy usa 6568, mcalester
- patriot frozen foods, quinton
- quiktrip 7019, mcalester
- ta express savanna, savanna
- tha store, mcalester
- the filling station, mcalester
- tiger mart #71 1, mcalester
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- braum's 262, mcalester
- braum's 54, mcalester
- cvs pharmacy 10275, mcalester
- dollar general 0119, mcalester
- dollar general 3934, hartshorne
- dollar general 4097, mcalester
- dollar general 8123, mcalester
- dollar tree 1738, mcalester
- dollar general 10848, mcalester
- dollar general 13266, savanna
- dollar general 15204, quinton
- dollar general 23920, haileyville
- dollar general 30262, kiowa
- dollar general 30561, mcalester
- dollar general 30606, mcalester
- family dollar 13309, quinton
- family dollar store 11062, kiowa
- family dollar store 2569, mcalester
- family dollar store 7298, hartshorne
- walgreens 09693, mcalester
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- daylight til dark, kiowa
- kays custom co, mcalester
Super Store · 2
- pruett's food - mcalester, mcalester
- walmart super center #151 0151, mcalester
Large Grocery Store · 1
- johnny's a street market, mcalester
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- lovera's gro. inc., krebs
Supermarket · 1
- lindleys grocery inc, hartshorne
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Oklahoma
Compare Pittsburg County vs Adair County → · All Oklahoma counties →
Food access nationally, Oklahoma in context
Pittsburg 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 Pittsburg County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Pittsburg County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Pittsburg County? ▼
Is Pittsburg County a food desert? ▼
What share of Pittsburg 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.