County food-access profile · Texas
Potter County, TX
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Potter 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).
- 24.5%
- low-access pop.
- 8
- food-desert tracts
- 14.6%
- on SNAP
- 116K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
24.5% of Potter County residents live in a low-access area, and 8 of its 33 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 13
- low-access tracts
- 14K
- food-desert residents
- 7.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 20.8%
- 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 Potter County's low-access share at 24.5%, above the national share. 13 of the county's 33 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 29,695 people. 8 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 14,222 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 Potter County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Potter County's 24.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 57% of them and ranked #1,332 most-affected nationwide.
Potter County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 33 census tracts in Potter County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Potter County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Potter
Potter County, TX
24.5 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, TX
43.8 % low-access
- Andrews
Andrews County, TX
26.8 % low-access
- Angelina
Angelina County, TX
26 % low-access
- Aransas
Aransas County, TX
31.7 % low-access
- Archer
Archer County, TX
18.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 33 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 121,073 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 13 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 8 |
| Low-Access Population | 29,695 |
| Low-Access Share | 24.5%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 14,222 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 115,975 |
| Median Household Income | $53,249 |
| Poverty Rate | 20.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,211 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.6%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.7%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.0% |
About 14.6% of Potter County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 24.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 14.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,211 households here.
- 7.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 8 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 Potter County
above the national share
8 of Potter County's 33 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 24.2% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 13.
An estimated 29,695 residents, roughly 24.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 14,222 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 20 tracts (60.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Potter County
Potter County has 133 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 66 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 66
- amarillo gas station inc, amarillo
- cefco 2005, amarillo
- cefco 2040, amarillo
- grand discount, amarillo
- garrison food mart 12 10, amarillo
- kwik stop, amarillo
- love's travel stops & country stores inc 200, amarillo
- loves travel stops & country store 250, amarillo
- mundo latino market 2, amarillo
- murphy express 8685, amarillo
- murphy usa 6984, amarillo
- murphy usa 7905, amarillo
- noah's quick stop 1, amarillo
- pak-a-sak 16, amarillo
- pak-a-sak 25, amarillo
- pic n save, amarillo
- pilot travel center 436, amarillo
- pilot travel center 723, amarillo
- quiktrip 7908, amarillo
- ray's food 00001, amarillo
- ta amarillo 055, amarillo
- toot'n totum 75, amarillo
- toot'n totum 1, amarillo
- toot'n totum 128, amarillo
- toot'n totum 14, amarillo
- toot'n totum 16, amarillo
- toot'n totum 18, amarillo
- toot'n totum 2, amarillo
- toot'n totum 21, amarillo
- toot'n totum 26, amarillo
- toot'n totum 27, amarillo
- toot'n totum 3, amarillo
- toot'n totum 32, amarillo
- toot'n totum 33, amarillo
- toot'n totum 34, amarillo
- toot'n totum 38, amarillo
- toot'n totum 4, amarillo
- toot'n totum 40, amarillo
- toot'n totum 43, amarillo
- toot'n totum 44, amarillo
- toot'n totum 45, amarillo
- toot'n totum 5, amarillo
- toot'n totum 52, amarillo
- toot'n totum 54, amarillo
- toot'n totum 57, amarillo
- toot'n totum 58, amarillo
- toot'n totum 6, amarillo
- toot'n totum 60, amarillo
- toot'n totum 62, amarillo
- toot'n totum 64, amarillo
- toot'n totum 65, amarillo
- toot'n totum 7, amarillo
- toot'n totum 71, amarillo
- toot'n totum 76, amarillo
- toot'n totum 77, amarillo
- toot'n totum 79, amarillo
- toot'n totum 8, amarillo
- toot'n totum 81, amarillo
- toot'n totum 83, amarillo
- toot'n totum 86, amarillo
- toot'n totum 92, amarillo
- toot'n totum 97, amarillo
- toot'n totum 98, amarillo
- toot'n totum 99, amarillo
- yesway 1160, amarillo
- zino's zino's, amarillo
Combination Grocery/Other · 33
- aline africa market store, amarillo
- braum's 180, amarillo
- braum's 182, amarillo
- braum's 60, amarillo
- dollar general 14106, amarillo
- dollar general 14181, amarillo
- dollar general 23629, amarillo
- dollar general 3272, amarillo
- dollar general 7285, amarillo
- dollar general 8372, amarillo
- dollartree 8524, amarillo
- dollar general 11485, amarillo
- dollar general 12249, amarillo
- dollar general 12590, amarillo
- dollar general 22571, amarillo
- dollar general 22799, amarillo
- dollar general 22880, amarillo
- dollar tree 2905, amarillo
- dollar tree 2920, amarillo
- dollar tree 5085, amarillo
- dollar tree 6641, amarillo
- family dollar 2344, amarillo
- family dollar 2383, amarillo
- family dollar 2387, amarillo
- family dollar 3478, amarillo
- family dollar 4337, amarillo
- family dollar 4401, amarillo
- family dollar 4622, amarillo
- family dollar 5045, amarillo
- walgreens 6501, amarillo
- walgreens 13010, amarillo
- walgreens 1304, amarillo
- walgreens 5611, amarillo
Medium Grocery Store · 13
- amarillo international food, amarillo
- aye san bu, amarillo
- aye san bu 2, amarillo
- blue sky asian market, amarillo
- garden fresh fruteria la hacienda, amarillo
- golden lotus market, amarillo
- grocery services north 16, amarillo
- happy market, amarillo
- jubba grocery, amarillo
- la mercado latino, amarillo
- latin market cuban food, llc, amarillo
- supermercado los olivos 1, amarillo
- twins market, amarillo
Supermarket · 8
- amigos 524, amarillo
- dong phuong market, amarillo
- fiesta foods 33, amarillo
- la super meat market #8, amarillo
- market street 526, amarillo
- united supermarket 523, amarillo
- united supermarket 527, amarillo
- united supermarkets 533, amarillo
Super Store · 6
- la super economica 2, amarillo
- sam's club 7676, amarillo
- sam's club 8279, amarillo
- target store t 221, amarillo
- walmart 822, amarillo
- walmart supercenter 5216, amarillo
Small Grocery Store · 5
- amarillo international store, amarillo
- bushra restaurant & grocery store llc, amarillo
- eastridge grocery, amarillo
- marhaba international food market, amarillo
- umoja food market, amarillo
Farmers' Market · 1
- ready market, amarillo
Large Grocery Store · 1
- carniceria la popular #2, amarillo
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Potter County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Potter County sits inside Texas (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 Potter County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Potter County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Potter County? ▼
Is Potter County a food desert? ▼
What share of Potter 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.