County food-access profile · Missouri
Taney County, MO
Taney 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.
- 41.4%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 11.4%
- on SNAP
- 57K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
41.4% of Taney County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 4.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.6%
- 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).
Taney County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 41.4% is well above the national share. 6 of the county's 10 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 21,376 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,021 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 Taney County compares nationally
Taney County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 41.4% low-access share outpaces 89% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #356 most-affected nationwide.
Taney County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Taney County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Taney County vs. other Missouri counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Missouri
- Taney
Taney County, MO
41.4 % low-access
- Adair
Adair County, MO
27.3 % low-access
- Andrew 15.8
Andrew County, MO
15.8 % low-access
- Atchison 5.1
Atchison County, MO
5.1 % low-access
- Audrain
Audrain County, MO
22.6 % low-access
- Barry
Barry County, MO
19.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 51,675 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 21,376 |
| Low-Access Share | 41.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,021 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 56,529 |
| Median Household Income | $56,497 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.6%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,593 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.0% |
About 11.4% of Taney County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 41.4% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,593 households here.
- 4.4% 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 Taney County
well above the national share
5 of Taney County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 50.0% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 21,376 residents, roughly 41.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,021 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 4 tracts (40.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Taney County
Taney County has 63 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 31
- 76 express, branson
- beaver creek campground, ava
- bull creek food mart, branson
- casey's 3381, branson
- casey's 1640, hollister
- casey's 2632, forsyth
- casey's 3417, branson
- daltons, branson
- e z center, branson
- gateway to branson express stop, walnut shade
- hilltop gas & grocery, kirbyville
- hollister food mart n/a, hollister
- kelly's world famous, kirbyville
- khushi usa inc, branson
- maverik 5176, hollister
- mm food mart, kirbyville
- mo # 5 mo#5, hollister
- mo 201, branson
- mo 204, branson
- quick mart, branson
- rapid robert's 108, branson
- rapid roberts 104, ridgedale
- rapid roberts 121, ridgedale
- rapid roberts 131, branson
- the pioneer store, protem
- white oak moark 10, branson
- white oak moark 20, branson
- white oak moark 21, ridgedale
- white oak station #223, rockaway beach
- white oak station 224, kissee mills
- wild bills travel center, ridgedale
Combination Grocery/Other · 18
- cvs 10003, branson
- dollar general 18770, kirbyville
- dollar general 11212, branson
- dollar general 15106, rockaway beach
- dollar general 16542, ridgedale
- dollar general 16826, forsyth
- dollar general 18700, branson
- dollar general 22411, taneyville
- dollar general 22762, hollister
- dollar general 4532, hollister
- dollar general 541, branson
- dollar general 9756, forsyth
- dollar tree 4170, branson
- dollar tree 7209, hollister
- family dollar 1148, forsyth
- nature's wonders 2, branson
- walgreens 12268, hollister
- walgreens 3594, branson
Super Store · 5
- harter house 2244, hollister
- rhodes family price chopper 2837, branson
- target stores t- 2098, branson
- walmart 32, branson
- walmart sc 4381, branson
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 46003, branson
- country mart 70, hollister
- country mart 71, branson
- country mart 73, forsyth
- sunfest market 2722, branson
Small Grocery Store · 3
- mercado latino belen, branson
- taney county freight & grocery outlet, hollister
- the pantry, branson
Large Grocery Store · 1
- save a lot 22821, forsyth
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Missouri
Compare Taney County vs Adair County → · All Missouri counties →
Food access nationally, Missouri in context
Taney County sits inside Missouri (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 Taney County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Taney County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Taney County? ▼
Is Taney County a food desert? ▼
What share of Taney 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.