County food-access profile · Kansas
Shawnee County, KS
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Shawnee 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).
- 23.8%
- low-access pop.
- 11
- food-desert tracts
- 9.0%
- on SNAP
- 178K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
23.8% of Shawnee County residents live in a low-access area, and 11 of its 43 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 19
- low-access tracts
- 19K
- food-desert residents
- 7.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.7%
- 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 Shawnee County's low-access share at 23.8%, above the national share. 19 of the county's 43 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 42,434 people. 11 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 19,180 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 Shawnee County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Shawnee County's 23.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 56% of them and ranked #1,381 most-affected nationwide.
Shawnee County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 43 census tracts in Shawnee County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Shawnee County vs. other Kansas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kansas
- Shawnee
Shawnee County, KS
23.8 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, KS
15.4 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, KS
18.5 % low-access
- Atchison
Atchison County, KS
28.7 % low-access
- Barber 11.5
Barber County, KS
11.5 % low-access
- Barton
Barton County, KS
34.4 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 43 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 177,934 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 19 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 11 |
| Low-Access Population | 42,434 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.8%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 19,180 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 178,025 |
| Median Household Income | $67,104 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,756 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.4%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.9% |
About 9.0% of Shawnee County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 23.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,756 households here.
- 7.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 11 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 Shawnee County
above the national share
11 of Shawnee County's 43 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 25.6% of all its tracts.
A further 8 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 19.
An estimated 42,434 residents, roughly 23.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 19,180 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 24 tracts (55.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Shawnee County
Shawnee County has 119 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 51 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 51
- 1 stop, topeka
- 29th quick stop, topeka
- 29th st gas & shop llc, topeka
- 804 convenience llc, topeka
- abraham sn llc, topeka
- at your service 4174, topeka
- buy and ride 7, topeka
- casey's 3971, topeka
- casey's 4378, topeka
- casey's 4477, topeka
- casey's general store 3580, topeka
- capital city smokes & grocery nida llc 1, topeka
- casey's general store 2261, topeka
- casey's general store 2312, topeka
- casey's general store 3047, rossville
- caseys general store 1196, silver lake
- east quick stop, topeka
- flowers bakery outlet 1395, topeka
- gas n shop, topeka
- haag's express, topeka
- holliday square 66 36, topeka
- huntoon max's 71, topeka
- hy-vee gas 5658, topeka
- k fast track, topeka
- kick's 66, topeka
- kwik shop 350705, topeka
- kwik shop 350713, topeka
- kwik shop 350720, topeka
- kwik shop 350757, topeka
- kwik shop 350780, topeka
- kwik shop 350781, topeka
- kwik shop 350789, topeka
- kwik shop 350791, topeka
- kwik shop 350796, topeka
- lakeview 40, topeka
- love's country store 175, tecumseh
- love's travel stop 769, topeka
- low cost 1, topeka
- max's of auburn 66, auburn
- mister thriftys llc, topeka
- mjaz operation llc, topeka
- murphy express 8599, topeka
- quick stop 5, topeka
- rm&k enterprise inc, topeka
- tj's express 54, topeka
- top city beverages, topeka
- u-market, topeka
- valero 1 stop, topeka
- valero 4, topeka
- white lakes 66 61, topeka
- xpress mart, topeka
Combination Grocery/Other · 30
- cvs 10244, topeka
- dollartree 8070, topeka
- dollar general 1171, topeka
- dollar general 11834, auburn
- dollar general 12745, topeka
- dollar general 13381, topeka
- dollar general 15245, topeka
- dollar general 15354, topeka
- dollar general 21526, topeka
- dollar general 21591, topeka
- dollar general 2703, topeka
- dollar general 3085, topeka
- dollar general 30927, silver lake
- dollar general 3618, topeka
- dollar general 4046, topeka
- dollar tree 1293, topeka
- dollar tree 1377, topeka
- dollar tree 3374, topeka
- dollar tree 6627, topeka
- dollar tree 6660, topeka
- family dollar 11855, topeka
- family dollar 3621, topeka
- walgreens 15601, topeka
- walgreens 03069, topeka
- walgreens 03772, topeka
- walgreens 04557, topeka
- walgreens 04782, topeka
- walgreens 04981, topeka
- walgreens 07778, topeka
- walgreens 16314, topeka
Super Store · 15
- dillon store 037, topeka
- dillon store 047, topeka
- dillon store 054, topeka
- dillon store 067, topeka
- dillon store 088, topeka
- dillon store 87, topeka
- hy-vee, topeka
- sam's club 8176, topeka
- supermercado nuestra familia 3740, topeka
- target stores t- 0355, topeka
- walmart neighborhood market 6585, topeka
- walmart sc 1802, topeka
- walmart sc 2131, topeka
- walmart sc 5441, topeka
- walmart supercenter 6392, topeka
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 46054, topeka
- aldi 46083, topeka
- aldi 46009, topeka
- rossville market llc, rossville
- seabrook apple market, topeka
- vitamin cottage natural foods market u073, topeka
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- meat market camecuaro llc, topeka
- second chance foods, topeka
- tiltons oakland market, topeka
- tiltons westside inc, topeka
Bakery Specialty · 3
- papa murphy's ks055, topeka
- papa murphy's take n bake pizza ks007, topeka
- papa murphys ks041, topeka
Farmers' Market · 3
- breadbasket farmers market nafmnp, topeka
- downtown topeka farmers market, topeka
- hi-crest market nafmnp, topeka
Small Grocery Store · 3
- asia market topeka corp, topeka
- hermans beef & sausage house, topeka
- mi pueblito meat market no, topeka
Large Grocery Store · 2
- la unica supermarket, topeka
- supermart el torito inc #2, topeka
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- herman's meat and smokehouse 1, topeka
- leonard meat, topeka
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kansas
Compare Shawnee County vs Allen County → · All Kansas counties →
Food access nationally, Kansas in context
Shawnee County sits inside Kansas (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 Shawnee County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Shawnee County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Shawnee County? ▼
Is Shawnee County a food desert? ▼
What share of Shawnee 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.