County food-access profile · Arkansas
Saline County, AR
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Saline 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).
- 29.8%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 3.9%
- on SNAP
- 127K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
29.8% of Saline County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 3.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.8%
- 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 Saline County's low-access share at 29.8%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 21 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 31,898 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 Saline County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Saline County's 29.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 70% of them and ranked #951 most-affected nationwide.
Saline County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 21 census tracts in Saline County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Saline County vs. other Arkansas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Arkansas
- Saline
Saline County, AR
29.8 % low-access
- Arkansas
Arkansas County, AR
47 % low-access
- Ashley
Ashley County, AR
21.8 % low-access
- Baxter 16.4
Baxter County, AR
16.4 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, AR
24.9 % low-access
- Boone
Boone County, AR
20.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 21 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 107,118 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 31,898 |
| Low-Access Share | 29.8%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,233 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 127,479 |
| Median Household Income | $79,046 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,974 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
About 3.9% of Saline County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 29.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 3.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,974 households here.
- 3.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $79,046 with a 8.8% 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 Saline County
above the national share
A further 11 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 31,898 residents, roughly 29.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,233 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 10 tracts (47.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Saline County
Saline County has 79 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 32 locations (41% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 32
- cvs 10432, bryant
- dollar general 14480, benton
- dollar general 14792, benton
- dollar general 19419, alexander
- dollar general 2020, bryant
- dollar general 293, alexander
- dollar general 7836, benton
- dollar general 9420, benton
- dollar general 11439, benton
- dollar general 12096, mabelvale
- dollar general 12196, benton
- dollar general 13097, mabelvale
- dollar general 13365, bryant
- dollar general 15120, benton
- dollar general 16655, benton
- dollar general 18146, alexander
- dollar general 20591, benton
- dollar general 20813, hensley
- dollar general 25113, haskell
- dollar general 30070, alexander
- dollar general 30203, mabelvale
- dollar general 30514, benton
- dollar general 30766, benton
- dollar general 30936, hot springs village
- dollar general 8028, alexander
- dollar general store 17343, bryant
- dollar tree 1948, bryant
- dollar tree 4171, benton
- family dollar 13375, mabelvale
- family dollar store 3762, little rock
- walgreens 10240, bryant
- walgreens 6959, benton
Convenience Store · 32
- 1-30 express, bryant
- 1005 south street express, benton
- avilla family market, alexander
- bp food mart, benton
- circle k 2709965, bryant
- circle k 309, benton
- circle k store, benton
- circle k store 2709963, bryant
- circle k store 2709964, benton
- circle k store 2709970, benton
- circle k store 2709977, benton
- circle k store 2709978, alexander
- circle k store 2709980, benton
- circle k store 2709982, bryant
- circle k store 2709985, benton
- circle k store 2709986, benton
- circle k store 2709991, bauxite
- circle k store 2709993, benton
- circle k store 2709994, alexander
- gas express llc d/b/a circle k 314, alexander
- hemani group of investment llc, mabelvale
- jimmy mart llc, benton
- long hills express, benton
- mapco mart 7515, bryant
- maverik 5263, benton
- murphy usa 6801, benton
- murphy usa 7928, bryant
- newcomb express, benton
- pilot travel center 118, benton
- rp extramiles, benton
- s & a gas and groceries, bryant
- salem congo gas & food, benton
Super Store · 8
- harps food store 112, haskell
- harps food store 138, benton
- kroger food & pharmacy 637, benton
- kroger 629, benton
- target store t 2204, bryant
- value foods 5808 5808, benton
- walmart 85, benton
- walmart supercenter 3230, bryant
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- la potosina meat market #3, mabelvale
- salas produce, llc, mabelvale
- supermercado la alianza, benton
Supermarket · 2
- edwards food giant 3542, little rock
- food giant 3444, bryant
Farmers' Market · 1
- the front porch market, benton
Large Grocery Store · 1
- family market, mabelvale
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Arkansas
Compare Saline County vs Arkansas County → · All Arkansas counties →
Food access nationally, Arkansas in context
Saline County sits inside Arkansas (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 Saline County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Saline County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Saline County? ▼
Is Saline County a food desert? ▼
What share of Saline 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.