PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Oklahoma

Pontotoc County, OK

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Pontotoc 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).

28.6%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
15.4%
on SNAP
38K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 OK

The food-access picture

28.6% of Pontotoc County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.

5
low-access tracts
3K
food-desert residents
6.4%
households, no vehicle
12.6%
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 Pontotoc County's low-access share at 28.6%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 10 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 10,722 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.

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 Pontotoc County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Pontotoc County's 28.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 67% of them and ranked #1,034 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Pontotoc County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 10 census tracts in Pontotoc 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 Pontotoc County, OK USDA-defined food-access tiers: 5 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 5 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 10 tracts evaluated. 5 tracts adequate (50.0%) 5 tracts limited (50.0%) Adequate 50% Limited 50% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Pontotoc County, OK
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Pontotoc County vs. other Oklahoma counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Oklahoma

% 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 Pontotoc County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts10
Atlas Population (2010 basis)37,492
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population10,722
Low-Access Share28.6%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,465

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Pontotoc County
IndicatorValue
Population38,235
Median Household Income$63,017
Poverty Rate12.6%below the national average
SNAP Households2,330
SNAP Participation Rate15.4%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.4%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population3.0%
SNAP participation in Pontotoc County 15.4%

About 15.4% of Pontotoc County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 28.6% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 15.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,330 households here.
  • 6.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • Median household income is $63,017 with a 12.6% poverty rate.

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 Pontotoc County

above the national share

A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.

An estimated 10,722 residents, roughly 28.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 3,465 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 5 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Pontotoc County

Pontotoc County has 43 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 19 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 19

  • ada quick mart, ada
  • allen quick pic, allen
  • allsup's 102496, ada
  • casey's 4525, ada
  • campus corner minit mart, ada
  • d w quick stop, ada
  • longhorn deli, stonewall
  • love's travel stops & country stores inc 52, ada
  • love's travel stops & country stores inc 80, ada
  • mcneals fast pac llc 01, ada
  • murphy usa 6578, ada
  • pickett's country store, ada
  • quick karry out korner, ada
  • roaster's market #200, ada
  • roff snack stop, roff
  • roffs qu8ck stop, roff
  • sooner mart 1, ada
  • sooner stop 1, ada
  • sunset market, ada

Combination Grocery/Other · 14

  • braum's 196, ada
  • braum's 46, ada
  • dollar general 0001, ada
  • dollar general 13953, allen
  • dollar general 4667, ada
  • dollar tree 2045, ada
  • dollar general 15823, byng
  • dollar general 16468, roff
  • dollar general 16593, stonewall
  • dollar general 22708, ada
  • dollar general 30741, ada
  • dollar general 31217, ada
  • family dollar store 1258, ada
  • walgreens 11295, ada

Super Store · 3

  • 10 box cost-plus 192, ada
  • pruett's food - ada, ada
  • walmart supercenter #231 0231, ada

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • allen food center, allen
  • abbott's grocery 2, stonewall

Farmers' Market · 1

  • roff main street farmers market, roff

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • abbott's grocery of ada inc., ada

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • d & d meat processing, inc., allen

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • prime time nutrition 417, ada

Supermarket · 1

  • aldi 19, ada

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Oklahoma

Adair County
9.7% low-access · 25.3% SNAP
Alfalfa County
58.5% low-access · 9.4% SNAP
Atoka County
34.7% low-access · 14.9% SNAP
Beaver County
38.2% low-access · 4.2% SNAP
Beckham County
26.5% low-access · 18.6% SNAP
Blaine County
61.4% low-access · 14.3% SNAP

Compare Pontotoc County vs Adair County → · All Oklahoma counties →

Food access nationally, Oklahoma in context

Pontotoc County sits inside Oklahoma (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 Pontotoc County has low food access? ▼
28.6% of residents in Pontotoc County, OK 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 Pontotoc County? ▼
15.4% of households in Pontotoc County receive SNAP, covering 2,330 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Pontotoc County? ▼
The poverty rate in Pontotoc County, OK is 12.6%, with a median household income of $63,017 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Pontotoc County a food desert? ▼
0 of Pontotoc County's 10 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). No tracts here meet both conditions in the 2019 Atlas.
What share of Pontotoc County households lack a vehicle? ▼
6.4% of households in Pontotoc 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.