PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Kansas

Riley County, KS

Riley County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

53.5%
low-access pop.
5
food-desert tracts
6.7%
on SNAP
72K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 KS

The food-access picture

53.5% of Riley County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

9
low-access tracts
18K
food-desert residents
4.0%
households, no vehicle
19.9%
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).

Riley County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 53.5% is well above the national share. 9 of the county's 13 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 38,078 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 17,703 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 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.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Riley County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 13 census tracts in Riley 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 Riley County, KS USDA-defined food-access tiers: 4 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 4 limited, 5 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 13 tracts evaluated. 4 tracts adequate (30.8%) 4 tracts limited (30.8%) 5 tracts severe / food desert (38.5%) Adequate 31% Limited 31% Severe 38% Food-access tier distribution: Riley County, KS
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Riley County vs. other Kansas counties

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

% 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 Riley County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts13
Atlas Population (2010 basis)71,115
Low-Access Tracts9
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)5
Low-Access Population38,078
Low-Access Share53.5%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population17,703

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Riley County
IndicatorValue
Population71,946
Median Household Income$61,098
Poverty Rate19.9%above the national average
SNAP Households1,843
SNAP Participation Rate6.7%well below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.0%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population14.7%
SNAP participation in Riley County 6.7%

About 6.7% of Riley County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 53.5% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 6.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,843 households here.
  • 4.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 5 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 Riley County

well above the national share

5 of Riley County's 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 38.5% of all its tracts.

A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.

An estimated 38,078 residents, roughly 53.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 17,703 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 4 tracts (30.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers 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 retailers.

Other Counties in Kansas

Allen County
15.4% low-access · 9.3% SNAP
Anderson County
18.5% low-access · 5.2% SNAP
Atchison County
28.7% low-access · 10.9% SNAP
Barber County
11.5% low-access · 2.8% SNAP
Barton County
34.4% low-access · 7.0% SNAP
Bourbon County
27.5% low-access · 7.8% SNAP

Compare Riley County vs Allen County → · All Kansas counties →

Food access nationally, Kansas in context

Riley County sits inside Kansas (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 Riley County has low food access? ▼
53.5% of residents in Riley County, KS 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 Riley County? ▼
6.7% of households in Riley County receive SNAP, covering 1,843 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Riley County? ▼
The poverty rate in Riley County, KS is 19.9%, with a median household income of $61,098 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Riley County a food desert? ▼
5 of Riley County's 13 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Riley County households lack a vehicle? ▼
4.0% of households in Riley 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.