Signature · 17.3% SNAP (85th pct in AR)
Sharp County, AR
Sharp County stands out on SNAP (17.3%, +5.2 pts vs U.S.) with 34.7% low-access from USDA FARA 2019.
- 34.7%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 17.3%
- on SNAP
- 18K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Sharp County, AR
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 34.7% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +12.6 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 17.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 25% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Ouachita County (+ 0.0 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Sharp County sits in the upper national band (34.7%, #611 of 3,079) with 1 LILA tracts.
- #611
- national by low-access %
- #12
- in AR
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- 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: 17.3% SNAP (85th pct in AR) (+5.2 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Sharp County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Sharp County's 34.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 80% of them and ranked #611 most-affected nationwide.
Sharp County's elevated USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Sharp County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (3 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Sharp County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Arkansas, not a full county-board reprint
- Calhoun
Calhoun 65.5%
65.5 % low-access
- Howard
Howard 34.8%
34.8 % low-access
- Sharp
Sharp 34.7%
34.7 % low-access
- Ouachita
Ouachita 34.7%
34.7 % low-access
- Crawford
Crawford 34.4%
34.4 % low-access
- Scott
Scott 34.4%
34.4 % low-access
- Izard 0.9
Izard 0.9%
0.9 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 17,264 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 5,995 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,107 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 17,773 |
| Median Household Income | $44,637 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.5%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,189 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
SNAP retailers in Sharp County
Sharp County has 23 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 10 locations (43% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Where the store book sits, by town
7 towns share the 23 authorized stores; Cave City holds 26% of them. 3 of the 7 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Cherokee Village, Evening Shade, Williford.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Cave City | 6 | 1 |
| Ash Flat | 5 | 2 |
| Hardy | 5 | 1 |
| Highland | 3 | 1 |
| Cherokee Village | 2 | none |
| Evening Shade | 1 | none |
| Williford | 1 | none |
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- dollar general 18596, hardy
- dollar general 4309, cave city
- dollar general 15159, evening shade
- dollar general 22050, cherokee village
- dollar general 25262, williford
- dollar general 3846, ash flat
- dollar general 9255, highland
- dollar tree 7228, ash flat
- family dollar 12964, cave city
- taylor's custom butcher shop, cave city
Convenience Store · 8
- casey's 3839, cherokee village
- casey's 4601, hardy
- casey's 3879, cave city
- doublebee's 130, cave city
- highland food mart, highland
- kwik serv 3, hardy
- kwikserv 1, hardy
- murphy usa 7860, ash flat
Super Store · 2
- harps food store 376, highland
- walmart supercenter 160, ash flat
Supermarket · 2
- bill's cash saver 411, hardy
- hometown markets, cave city
Large Grocery Store · 1
- daily deals llc, ash flat
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Arkansas
One of 74 counties in Arkansas, 6 are shown here.
Compare Sharp County vs Arkansas County → · All Arkansas counties →
Counties near Sharp County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Sharp County (17.3%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Arkansas.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside AR (34.7% here).
- Clay County, FL · 34.7% low-access
- Bannock County, ID · 34.7% low-access
- Wayne County, MO · 34.7% low-access
- Portage County, OH · 34.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside AR (17.3% here).
- Mobile County, AL · 17.3% SNAP
- Marion County, AL · 17.3% SNAP
- Butler County, AL · 17.3% SNAP
- Bradford County, FL · 17.3% 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.
Arkansas among West South Central states
Arkansas ranks 4th of 4 West South Central states by population-weighted low-access (24.9%). Sharp County, at 34.7%, runs 9.8 pts above the Arkansas rate.
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 Sharp County, AR are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 05135. 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.