County food-access profile · Texas
Val Verde County, TX
Val Verde 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.
- 50.9%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 21.8%
- on SNAP
- 48K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
50.9% of Val Verde County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 11K
- food-desert residents
- 5.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.6%
- 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).
Val Verde County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 50.9% is well above the national share. 8 of the county's 10 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 24,866 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 10,555 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 Val Verde County compares nationally
Val Verde County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 50.9% low-access share outpaces 94% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #195 most-affected nationwide.
Val Verde County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Val Verde County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Val Verde County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Val Verde
Val Verde County, TX
50.9 % 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 18.3
Archer County, TX
18.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 48,879 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 24,866 |
| Low-Access Share | 50.9%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 10,555 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 47,741 |
| Median Household Income | $66,100 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.6%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,666 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 21.8%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.8% |
About 21.8% of Val Verde County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 50.9% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 21.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,666 households here.
- 5.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Val Verde County
well above the national share
4 of Val Verde County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 40.0% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 24,866 residents, roughly 50.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 10,555 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 2 tracts (20.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Val Verde County
Val Verde County has 37 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 14 locations (38% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 14
- cvs 10356, del rio
- dollar general 10851, del rio
- dollar general 3356, del rio
- dollar general 8500, del rio
- dollar general 9210, del rio
- dollartree plus 9141, del rio
- dollar general 20061, del rio
- dollar general 20783, del rio
- dollar tree 2878, del rio
- family dollar 11219, del rio
- family dollar 13527, del rio
- family dollar 2754, del rio
- family dollar 7894, del rio
- valdes grocery, del rio
Convenience Store · 14
- country mart 00001, del rio
- e-z shop, del rio
- easy mart & gas, del rio
- la hacienda meat market, del rio
- max e mart 03, del rio
- minits 101, del rio
- minits 115, del rio
- murphy usa 7793, del rio
- stripes 40528h, del rio
- stripes 40529h, del rio
- stripes 40534h, del rio
- stripes 40538h, del rio
- stripes 40539h, del rio
- stripes 41051h, del rio
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- cattlemen's beef company 2, del rio
- chuckie's beef jerky, del rio
- del rio food meat market 2, del rio
Supermarket · 2
- heb 088, del rio
- heb 418, del rio
Large Grocery Store · 1
- apache supermarket, del rio
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- super 7 supermarket of del rio llc 2, del rio
Military Commissary · 1
- laughlin afb commissary 623, laughlin afb
Super Store · 1
- walmart 447, del rio
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Val Verde County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Val Verde 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 Val Verde County has low food access? ▼
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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.