PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Texas

Walker County, TX

Walker County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

13.1%
low-access pop.
4
food-desert tracts
10.5%
on SNAP
80K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 TX

The food-access picture

13.1% of Walker County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

6
low-access tracts
4K
food-desert residents
8.1%
households, no vehicle
18.4%
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).

Walker County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 13.1% per the USDA Atlas. 6 of the county's 10 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 8,910 residents who live far from a supermarket. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,260 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 Walker County compares nationally

Walker County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.1% low-access share that beats 28% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,265).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Walker County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 10 census tracts in Walker County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Walker County, TX USDA-defined food-access tiers: 4 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 4 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 10 tracts evaluated. 4 tracts adequate (40.0%) 2 tracts limited (20.0%) 4 tracts severe / food desert (40.0%) Adequate 40% Limited 20% Severe 40% Food-access tier distribution: Walker County, TX
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Walker County vs. other Texas counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Walker County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts10
Atlas Population (2010 basis)67,861
Low-Access Tracts6
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)4
Low-Access Population8,910
Low-Access Share13.1%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population4,260

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Walker County
IndicatorValue
Population80,209
Median Household Income$52,324
Poverty Rate18.4%above the national average
SNAP Households2,736
SNAP Participation Rate10.5%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle8.1%near the national average
Group-Quarters Population21.6%
SNAP participation in Walker County 10.5%

About 10.5% of Walker County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 13.1% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 10.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,736 households here.
  • 8.1% 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 Walker County

near the national share

4 of Walker 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 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.

An estimated 8,910 residents, roughly 13.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 4,260 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 Walker County

Walker County has 64 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 32 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 32

  • bar t travel center, huntsville
  • barney's country store, huntsville
  • bubba's, huntsville
  • circle k 2740348, huntsville
  • circle k 2740595, riverside
  • circle k 2740599, huntsville
  • circle k 2742319, new waverly
  • falco c store, huntsville
  • hardy drive in grocery, huntsville
  • highway food store, huntsville
  • huntsville food mart, huntsville
  • huntsville food mart #2, huntsville
  • hwy 190 food mart, huntsville
  • la mexicana supermarket & taqueria, huntsville
  • mel's market, huntsville
  • mr z's mart no, huntsville
  • murphy usa 5628, huntsville
  • nelly's, huntsville
  • papa keith's truck stop, riverside
  • pilot travel center 234, huntsville
  • s & s express, huntsville
  • smiley's express # 4, huntsville
  • smiley's express #12, huntsville
  • smiley's express 2, huntsville
  • smiley's express 3, huntsville
  • smiley's express 6, huntsville
  • star express, huntsville
  • star stop 95, new waverly
  • stripes 40944, huntsville
  • supermercado las flores inc, huntsville
  • time maxx 12, new waverly
  • zipp's food mart, huntsville

Combination Grocery/Other · 21

  • cvs 10265, huntsville
  • cvs/ pharmacy inc 6655, huntsville
  • dollar general 11036, huntsville
  • dollar general 774, huntsville
  • dollar general 12762, riverside
  • dollar general 16665, huntsville
  • dollar general 19658, new waverly
  • dollar general 20269, huntsville
  • dollar general 21319, huntsville
  • dollar general 25181, huntsville
  • dollar general 30737, huntsville
  • dollar general 6944, new waverly
  • dollar general store 16011, huntsville
  • dollar general store 17410, huntsville
  • dollar general store 17469, huntsville
  • dollar tree 4443, huntsville
  • family dollar 12933, huntsville
  • family dollar 13339, huntsville
  • family dollar 2498, huntsville
  • family dollar store 11734, huntsville
  • walgreens 04999, huntsville

Super Store · 4

  • brookshire brothers 33, huntsville
  • kroger 145, huntsville
  • target store 2533, huntsville
  • walmart supercenter 285, huntsville

Supermarket · 4

  • aldi 78031, huntsville
  • heb 728, huntsville
  • la michoacana meat market huntsville #1, huntsville
  • tallent sausage & groc, riverside

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • omega translogistics llc, huntsville

Seafood Specialty · 1

  • best catch fish & seafood market, huntsville

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • wonderways african food, huntsville

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Texas

Anderson County
43.8% low-access · 18.0% SNAP
Andrews County
26.8% low-access · 13.0% SNAP
Angelina County
26.0% low-access · 16.7% SNAP
Aransas County
31.7% low-access · 8.6% SNAP
Archer County
18.3% low-access · 6.5% SNAP
Armstrong County
99.7% low-access · 3.4% SNAP

Compare Walker County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →

Food access nationally, Texas in context

Walker County sits inside Texas (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Walker County has low food access? ▼
13.1% of residents in Walker County, TX live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Walker County? ▼
10.5% of households in Walker County receive SNAP, covering 2,736 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Walker County? ▼
The poverty rate in Walker County, TX is 18.4%, with a median household income of $52,324 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Walker County a food desert? ▼
4 of Walker County's 10 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Walker County households lack a vehicle? ▼
8.1% of households in Walker County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.