Signature · 3 LILA tracts (50% of tracts)
Polk County, AR
Polk County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 3 LILA tracts (50% of the book) alongside 32.3% low-access.
- 32.3%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 12.5%
- on SNAP
- 19K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Polk County, AR
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 32.3% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +10.2 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 12.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 50% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Desha County (+ 0.1 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Polk County sits in the upper national band (32.3%, #790 of 3,079) with 3 LILA tracts.
- #790
- national by low-access %
- #21
- in AR
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 3 LILA tracts (50% of tracts) .
How Polk County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Polk County's 32.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 75% of them and ranked #795 most-affected nationwide.
Polk County's elevated USDA tier split
6 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Polk County has 0 urban and 6 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Polk County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Arkansas, not a full county-board reprint
- Calhoun
Calhoun 65.5%
65.5 % low-access
- Searcy
Searcy 32.9%
32.9 % low-access
- Faulkner
Faulkner 32.8%
32.8 % low-access
- Chicot
Chicot 32.6%
32.6 % low-access
- Desha
Desha 32.4%
32.4 % low-access
- Polk
Polk 32.3%
32.3 % low-access
- Izard 0.9
Izard 0.9%
0.9 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 20,662 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,680 |
| Low-Access Share | 32.3%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,501 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 19,361 |
| Median Household Income | $49,191 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.9%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 991 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.5%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.8% |
SNAP retailers in Polk County
Polk County has 12 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 6 locations (50% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 6
- dollar general 11586, cove
- dollar general 13306, mena
- dollar general 16209, wickes
- dollar general 23932, hatfield
- dollar tree 5932, mena
- walgreens 15793, mena
Convenience Store · 4
- e-z mart 4202, mena
- e-z mart 4465, wickes
- mena short stop, mena
- murphy usa 6503, mena
Super Store · 2
- harps food store 253, mena
- walmart 67, mena
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Arkansas
One of 74 counties in Arkansas, 6 are shown here.
Compare Polk County vs Arkansas County → · All Arkansas counties →
Counties near Polk County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Polk County, both outside Arkansas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside AR (32.3% here).
- Leon County, FL · 32.3% low-access
- Leon County, FL · 32.3% low-access
- Volusia County, FL · 32.3% low-access
- Volusia County, FL · 32.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside AR (12.5% here).
- Riverside County, CA · 12.5% SNAP
- Riverside County, CA · 12.5% SNAP
- Marion County, IN · 12.5% SNAP
- Marion County, IN · 12.5% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Polk County inside a higher low-access state context
Polk County sits inside Arkansas (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Polk County, AR are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 05113. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.