Signature · 5 LILA tracts (38.5% of tracts)
Riley County, KS
Riley County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 5 LILA tracts (38.5% of the book) alongside 53.5% low-access.
- 53.5%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 6.7%
- on SNAP
- 72K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Riley County, KS
LA-SEVERE · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-SEVERE 53.5% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +31.4 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 5 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 6.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 38% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Meade County ( -2.5 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Riley County sits in the upper national band (53.5%, #168 of 3,079) with 5 LILA tracts.
- #168
- national by low-access %
- #7
- in KS
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 18K
- 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: 5 LILA tracts (38.5% of tracts) .
How Riley County compares nationally
Riley County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 53.5% low-access share outpaces 95% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #169 most-affected nationwide.
Riley County's elevated USDA tier split
13 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 5 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Riley County has 11 urban and 2 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.
Riley County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Kansas, not a full county-board reprint
- Clark
Clark 100%
100 % low-access
- Coffey
Coffey 59.1%
59.1 % low-access
- Riley
Riley 53.5%
53.5 % low-access
- Meade
Meade 51%
51 % low-access
- Washington
Washington 50.7%
50.7 % low-access
- Greenwood
Greenwood 48.5%
48.5 % low-access
- Jefferson 1.1
Jefferson 1.1%
1.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 71,115 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 38,078 |
| Low-Access Share | 53.5%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 17,703 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 71,946 |
| Median Household Income | $61,098 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.9%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,843 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.7%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 14.7% |
Thick SNAP store book in Riley County
Riley County has 31 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 13 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 13
- casey's 3949, manhattan
- casey's general store 2006, ogden
- dara's 10 10, manhattan
- dara's llc 4, manhattan
- dara's llc 8, manhattan
- hy-vee gas 1398, manhattan
- kwik shop 350733, manhattan
- los manantiales y carniceria, llc, manhattan
- short stop 12, manhattan
- short stop 21, riley
- short stop 26, manhattan
- u-stop #42 142, manhattan
- u-stop #46 146, ogden
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- asian market mhk llc, manhattan
- dollar general 14542, manhattan
- dollar general 18855, riley
- dollartree 8811, manhattan
- dollar general 15548, ogden
- dollar general 7056, manhattan
- dollar tree 2923, manhattan
- walgreens 07060, manhattan
- walgreens 12814, manhattan
Super Store · 5
- dillon store 015, manhattan
- dillons stores 94, manhattan
- hy-vee food & drugstore 1398, manhattan
- target stores t- 1821, manhattan
- walmart sc 0035, manhattan
Bakery Specialty · 1
- manhattan papa murphys ks012, manhattan
Farmers' Market · 1
- downtown farmers market of manhattan, inc, manhattan
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- yis oriental market, manhattan
Supermarket · 1
- aldi 46096, manhattan
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 Riley County vs Allen County → · All Kansas counties →
Counties near Riley County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Riley County, both outside Kansas so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside KS (53.5% here).
- Hill County, MT · 53.5% low-access
- Hill County, MT · 53.5% low-access
- Sussex County, VA · 53.5% low-access
- Sussex County, VA · 53.5% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KS (6.7% here).
- Clayton County, IA · 6.7% SNAP
- Clayton County, IA · 6.7% SNAP
- Tipton County, IN · 6.7% SNAP
- Tipton County, IN · 6.7% 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.
Riley County inside a higher low-access state context
Riley County sits inside Kansas (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 Riley County, KS are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 20161. 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.