County food-access profile · Texas
Smith County, TX
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Smith 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).
- 20.2%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 9.1%
- on SNAP
- 242K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
20.2% of Smith County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 15
- low-access tracts
- 17K
- food-desert residents
- 4.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.6%
- 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 Smith County's low-access share at 20.2%, above the national share. 15 of the county's 41 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 42,436 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 17,066 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 Smith County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Smith County's 20.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 47% of them and ranked #1,675 most-affected nationwide.
Smith County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 41 census tracts in Smith County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Smith County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Smith
Smith County, TX
20.2 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, TX
43.8 % low-access
- Andrews
Andrews County, TX
26.8 % low-access
- Angelina
Angelina County, TX
26 % low-access
- Aransas
Aransas County, TX
31.7 % low-access
- Archer
Archer County, TX
18.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 41 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 209,714 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 15 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 42,436 |
| Low-Access Share | 20.2%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 17,066 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 241,740 |
| Median Household Income | $74,192 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,560 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.1%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.7% |
About 9.1% of Smith County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 20.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,560 households here.
- 4.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Smith County
above the national share
6 of Smith County's 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.6% of all its tracts.
A further 9 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 15.
An estimated 42,436 residents, roughly 20.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 17,066 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 26 tracts (63.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Smith County
Smith County has 189 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 88 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 88
- 24 seven mart # 18, tyler
- 24 seven mart # 20, tyler
- 24 seven mart # tx 11, tyler
- 24 seven mart # tx 10, tyler
- 24 seven mart # tx 12, tyler
- 24 seven mart # tx 13, tyler
- 24 seven mart # tx 17, whitehouse
- 24 seven mart # tx 7, lindale
- 24 seven mart # tx 9, tyler
- 7-eleven 38953, tyler
- 7-eleven 41850, tyler
- 7-eleven convenience store 42161b, bullard
- az & ar business, llc, tyler
- ab country store, lindale
- asian 1 market, tyler
- bunnys, overton
- cefco 102, tyler
- cefco 1055, tyler
- cefco 1057, tyler
- cefco 1058, tyler
- cefco 1070, tyler
- cefco 1103, tyler
- cefco 1112, tyler
- cefco 78, tyler
- cefco 94, tyler
- chilly mart 51, tyler
- corner market, tyler
- corner market, tyler
- d & n grocery, tyler
- dk 11901, tyler
- diamond sales, flint
- diamond sales 3, flint
- diamond sales 4, tyler
- ez way, bullard
- eagle exxon tyler, tyler
- express hwy64 food mart, tyler
- express stop, tyler
- family mart, tyler
- flowers bakery outlet 50000335, tyler
- fuel n bite, tyler
- fuel n food, tyler
- fuel runner, tyler
- fuel runner #4, tyler
- grab a snack, tyler
- hometown market, llc, troup
- howdy food mart, tyler
- kabayan asian food mart llc, tyler
- kwickers food mart, tyler
- kwickers food mart #2, tyler
- love's travel stop 815, winona
- metro food mart, tyler
- mahi food mart, tyler
- midway food mart, tyler
- murphy express 8956, tyler
- murphy usa 7255, lindale
- murphy usa 7597, tyler
- murphy usa 7841, tyler
- nepali eagles inc, flint
- passport #13, lindale
- passport #14, tyler
- passport #15, tyler
- passport #16, tyler
- petro max #1, tyler
- petro pioneer llc, tyler
- pilot travel center 486, tyler
- quiktrip 7901, lindale
- r oasis, lindale
- race runner 6, tyler
- raceway 6760, lindale
- ricky's tyler 10, tyler
- ritestop 11, tyler
- ritestop 9, tyler
- runner food mart, tyler
- shapla mart, tyler
- shiloh food store, tyler
- speedy express, tyler
- speedy pantry, whitehouse
- ssa super food mart 6824048069, tyler
- sunshine mart, tyler
- super food mart #2, tyler
- super sak 4, tyler
- texas best smokehouse 3, tyler
- triple j's, tyler
- truck express, tyler
- w houston food mart, tyler
- wally's grocery & deli, tyler
- zee stop 05, tyler
- zippy j's 19, tyler
Combination Grocery/Other · 60
- braum's 214, tyler
- braum's 259, tyler
- braum's 266, tyler
- cvs pharmacy inc 6904, tyler
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 7446, tyler
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 7708, whitehouse
- cvs/ pharmacy inc 988, tyler
- cvs/pharmacy 10339, lindale
- dollar general 1843, whitehouse
- dollar general 2816, tyler
- dollar general 3453, tyler
- dollar general 3693, tyler
- dollar general 4211, lindale
- dollar general 7078, tyler
- dollar general 7414, tyler
- dollar general 8883, bullard
- dollartree 10055, tyler
- dollartree 11072, tyler
- dollartree 9551, flint
- dollar general 10095, tyler
- dollar general 11793, tyler
- dollar general 15008, flint
- dollar general 15216, tyler
- dollar general 15319, tyler
- dollar general 17376, bullard
- dollar general 20270, flint
- dollar general 23040, tyler
- dollar general 24534, tyler
- dollar general 25433, tyler
- dollar general 31265, tyler
- dollar general 6907, troup
- dollar general 6993, tyler
- dollar general store 17298, arp
- dollar tree 1456, tyler
- dollar tree 2719, tyler
- dollar tree 2819, tyler
- dollar tree 6528, tyler
- dollar tree 6838, tyler
- dollar tree 7173, lindale
- dollar tree 8383, whitehouse
- family dollar 1091, tyler
- family dollar 11672, tyler
- family dollar 11731, winona
- family dollar 11988, tyler
- family dollar 13168, bullard
- family dollar 13425, bullard
- family dollar 13753, tyler
- family dollar 5842, tyler
- family dollar 5997, tyler
- family dollar 6428, flint
- family dollar 8686, tyler
- family dollar 8765, tyler
- import emporium, tyler
- kim's 47, flint
- kim's 52, flint
- valon african & caribbean market, tyler
- walgreens 12358, tyler
- walgreens 12522, tyler
- walgreens 06358, tyler
- walgreens 09408, tyler
Supermarket · 18
- aldi 75027 75027, tyler
- aldi 75096, tyler
- brookshire 39, flint
- brookshire 51, tyler
- brookshire 61, whitehouse
- brookshire 71, troup
- brookshire 9, tyler
- brookshire 28, tyler
- brookshire food store 3, lindale
- brookshire food store 70, bullard
- fresh by brookshire 801, tyler
- la michoacana meat market 14, tyler
- super 1 foods 605, tyler
- sprouts farmers market 157, tyler
- super 1 foods 610, tyler
- super 1 foods 625, tyler
- super 1 foods 642, tyler
- vitamin cottage natural food markets inc u096, tyler
Super Store · 12
- sam's club 8284, tyler
- super mercado monterrey, tyler
- supermercado del pueblo 1, tyler
- target store 775, tyler
- walmart 1022, tyler
- walmart 2688, tyler
- walmart 6467, tyler
- walmart neighborhood market 4193, tyler
- walmart neighborhood market 4605, tyler
- walmart neighborhood market 5700, tyler
- walmart supercenter 1044, tyler
- walmart supercenter 3764, lindale
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- el primo meat market & taqueria llc, tyler
- lynch's food store, tyler
- m&b wholesale llc, tyler
Farmers' Market · 2
- rose city farmers market, tyler
- whitehouse farmers market, whitehouse
Large Grocery Store · 2
- grocery services north 13, tyler
- grocery services north 15, tyler
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- country meat market, tyler
- east texas beef processors, tyler
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's tx001, tyler
Small Grocery Store · 1
- parah african-caribbean foods llc 3208034262, tyler
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Smith County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Smith County sits inside Texas (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 Smith County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Smith County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Smith County? ▼
Is Smith County a food desert? ▼
What share of Smith 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.