County food-access profile · Texas
Willacy County, TX
Willacy 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.
- 43.2%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 31.9%
- on SNAP
- 20K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
43.2% of Willacy County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 5.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 24.0%
- 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).
Willacy County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 43.2% is well above the national share. 3 of the county's 5 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 9,558 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,675 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 Willacy County compares nationally
Willacy County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 43.2% low-access share outpaces 90% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #312 most-affected nationwide.
Willacy County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 5 census tracts in Willacy County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Willacy County vs. other Texas counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Texas
- Willacy
Willacy County, TX
43.2 % 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 | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 22,134 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,558 |
| Low-Access Share | 43.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,675 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 20,139 |
| Median Household Income | $54,180 |
| Poverty Rate | 24.0%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,813 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 31.9%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.7%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 8.1% |
About 31.9% of Willacy County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 43.2% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 31.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,813 households here.
- 5.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Willacy County
well above the national share
3 of Willacy County's 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 60.0% of all its tracts.
An estimated 9,558 residents, roughly 43.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,675 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 2 tracts (40.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Willacy County
Willacy County has 21 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 11 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 11
- baba's big bucks, raymondville
- bubba's lucky store, raymondville
- ed's #2, raymondville
- ed's #3, raymondville
- lyford superette, llc, lyford
- murphy usa 7261, raymondville
- my country store, llc, sebastian
- r2 country store, san perlita
- raymondville superette, llc, raymondville
- stripes 40706, raymondville
- stripes 40707h, raymondville
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- cvs pharmacy 10667, raymondville
- dollar general 6523, raymondville
- dollar general 12043, lyford
- dollar tree 6403, raymondville
- family dollar 12095, sebastian
- family dollar 2503, raymondville
- jesses produce market, sebastian
- the sun bakery, raymondville
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- tortilleria progreso, raymondville
Supermarket · 1
- heb 429, raymondville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Texas
Compare Willacy County vs Anderson County → · All Texas counties →
Food access nationally, Texas in context
Willacy 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 Willacy County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Willacy County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Willacy County? ▼
Is Willacy County a food desert? ▼
What share of Willacy 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.