Signature · 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts)
Rice County, KS
Rice County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of the book) alongside 25.5% low-access.
- 25.5%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 7.2%
- on SNAP
- 9K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Rice County, KS
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 25.5% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +3.4 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.2% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 33% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Republic County ( -0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Rice County ranks #1,253 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #60 of 105 counties in KS (25.5% low-access; 1 food-desert tracts).
- #1,253
- national by low-access %
- #60
- in KS
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 913
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 1 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts) .
How Rice County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Rice County's 25.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 60% of them and ranked #1,253 most-affected nationwide.
Rice County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
3 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Rice County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (2 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Rice County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Kansas, not a full county-board reprint
- Clark
Clark 100%
100 % low-access
- Miami 25.7
Miami 25.7%
25.7 % low-access
- Ottawa 25.7
Ottawa 25.7%
25.7 % low-access
- Rice 25.5
Rice 25.5%
25.5 % low-access
- Republic 25.4
Republic 25.4%
25.4 % low-access
- Stafford 25.4
Stafford 25.4%
25.4 % low-access
- Jefferson 1.1
Jefferson 1.1%
1.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 3 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 10,083 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,575 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.5%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 913 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 9,350 |
| Median Household Income | $63,925 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.7%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 269 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.2%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.3% |
SNAP retailers in Rice County
Rice County has 9 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 4 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 9 authorized stores; Lyons holds 56% of them. Every one of these towns has at least one grocery-grade outlet (3 across the county).
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Lyons | 5 | 1 |
| Sterling | 3 | 1 |
| Little River | 1 | 1 |
Convenience Store · 4
- casey's general store 3623, sterling
- caseys general store 1890, lyons
- lyons quick stop inc, lyons
- yesway 1115, lyons
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollar general 11441, sterling
- dollar general 3443, lyons
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- garden of eden, little river
Super Store · 1
- dillon store 007, sterling
Supermarket · 1
- white's foodliner 0957, lyons
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Kansas
One of 104 counties in Kansas, 6 are shown here.
Compare Rice County vs Allen County → · All Kansas counties →
Kansas among West North Central states
Kansas ranks 4th of 7 West North Central states by population-weighted low-access (26.4%). Rice County, at 25.5%, runs 0.9 pts below the Kansas rate.
- South Dakota 29.1%
- North Dakota 28.9%
- Minnesota 27.4%
- Kansas 26.4%
- Missouri 24.9%
- Nebraska 21.9%
- Iowa 20.0%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Rice County, KS are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 20159. 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.