Where does Arkansas rank for food access among U.S. states?

According to USDA FARA (2019), Arkansas ranks #24 of 50 by population-weighted low-access share.

What share of Arkansas has low food access?

24.9% of Arkansas residents live in low-access areas (population-weighted) (+2.8 pts vs U.S.), per USDA FARA 2019.

How many food deserts are in Arkansas?

171 census tracts in Arkansas are USDA food deserts (~292K low-income low-access residents); ~2.28 tracts per county.

What is the SNAP participation rate in Arkansas?

Across Arkansas, 10.2% of households receive SNAP (ACS 2024) (-1.9 pts vs U.S.) - mid tercile among states.

Which county in Arkansas has the worst food access?

Calhoun County has the highest low-access share at 65.5% (~0.5% of statewide low-access residents), with 8.0% SNAP.

Signature · 10.2% SNAP (33rd pct among states)

Food access in Arkansas

How far Arkansas residents live from a supermarket (24.9% low-access), where LILA tracts sit, and SNAP/vehicle context from USDA FARA 2019 + Census ACS 2024.

Compiled by Plainfoodaccess, Food Access Editorial Process · December 31, 2024

24.9%
low-access pop.: 171
food-desert tracts: 10.2%
on SNAP: 75
counties

USDA FARA state access plate

State AR · Arkansas

LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · BOOK-MID

LA-ELEVATED 24.9% low-access
ABOVE-NATIONAL +2.8 pts vs US
LILA-CLUSTER 171 food-desert tracts
SNAP-LIGHT 10.2% SNAP
VEH-OK 5.8% no vehicle
BOOK-MID 75 counties

Nearest low-access peer: Missouri (+ 0.0 pts)

Where Arkansas sits by county inventory

Arkansas covers 75 counties among 51 states and DC (atlas inventory, not a food-access quality ranking). Orthogonal to the low-access / SNAP charts below.

Arkansas vs all states by county count

Where this state's county inventory sits among every tracked jurisdiction

75 18th of 51 higher than 33 of 51 states

Jurisdictions, banded by county inventory

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source USDA Food Access Research Atlas / Census county inventory · 2026-06-23

Mid-band statewide picture

About 726K Arkansas residents (24.9%) live low-access - #24 of 50, with 171 USDA food-desert tracts.

#24
among states by low-access: 726K
low-access residents: 292K
food-desert residents: 5.8%
households, no vehicle

Population-weighted tract shares. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural from a supermarket.

Where Arkansas sits on low-access

Arkansas ringed at #24 of 50 by population-weighted low-access. Click any state to compare.

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

Signature read: 10.2% SNAP (33rd pct among states) (-1.9 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .

Arkansas is in the middle third nationally on low-access (24.9% , #24 of 50). SNAP averages 10.2% of households and 5.8% have no vehicle , with 171 LILA tracts. County pressure peaks in Calhoun County at 65.5%.

Nationwide peers for Arkansas's low-access or SNAP share

SNAP-led peer set first for Arkansas (10.2%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it.

Similar low-access share

Nearest population-weighted low-access rates (24.9% here).

Missouri · 24.9% low-access
Texas · 25.0% low-access
Florida · 25.1% low-access
Ohio · 25.1% low-access

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates (10.2% here), deduped against the low-access panel.

Arizona · 10.4% SNAP
South Carolina · 10.5% SNAP
Vermont · 10.6% SNAP
Alaska · 10.7% SNAP

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Floor county_count ≥ 5.

NM

31.7
FL

25.1
OH

25.1
TX

25
AR

24.9
MO

24.9
DC

4.6

Calhoun

65.5
Nevada

54.2
Dallas

52
St. Francis

47.2
Arkansas

47
Lee

44.6
Lawrence

38
Phillips

36.1

All counties in Arkansas

County	Population	Low-access	SNAP	No vehicle	Poverty
Calhoun County	5K	65.5%	8.0%	1.7%	10.2%
Nevada County	8K	54.2%	10.1%	2.3%	20.3%
Dallas County	6K	52.0%	14.9%	7.6%	13.9%
St. Francis County	22K	47.2%	24.3%	13.3%	28.5%
Arkansas County	17K	47.0%	14.9%	8.7%	19.0%
Lee County	8K	44.6%	27.8%	16.7%	39.4%
Lawrence County	16K	38.0%	16.0%	5.2%	20.1%
Phillips County	15K	36.1%	32.1%	17.0%	29.3%
Grant County	18K	35.5%	7.2%	2.6%	13.1%
Howard County	13K	34.8%	9.8%	5.2%	22.5%
Ouachita County	22K	34.7%	14.8%	9.8%	18.9%
Sharp County	18K	34.7%	17.3%	5.0%	16.5%
Crawford County	61K	34.4%	10.2%	4.2%	14.7%
Scott County	10K	34.4%	12.6%	7.3%	18.7%
Lincoln County	13K	33.2%	12.8%	6.7%	15.4%
Pulaski County	400K	33.0%	10.0%	7.2%	16.7%
Searcy County	8K	32.9%	12.6%	5.9%	23.0%
Faulkner County	128K	32.8%	7.1%	4.3%	14.5%
Chicot County	10K	32.6%	16.7%	10.1%	22.6%
Desha County	11K	32.4%	23.3%	14.6%	28.3%
Polk County	19K	32.3%	12.5%	6.4%	15.9%
Hempstead County	20K	31.6%	10.3%	9.4%	20.2%
Saline County	127K	29.8%	3.9%	3.2%	8.8%
Sevier County	16K	29.3%	21.5%	4.4%	17.3%
Cross County	17K	29.2%	10.3%	10.0%	19.7%
Garland County	100K	29.2%	9.0%	5.6%	15.8%
Newton County	7K	28.9%	11.1%	3.0%	15.9%
Monroe County	7K	28.3%	16.1%	14.5%	20.6%
Union County	38K	28.2%	9.4%	6.6%	19.5%
Jackson County	17K	27.4%	19.3%	8.8%	21.7%
Johnson County	26K	27.3%	12.0%	5.4%	19.8%
Miller County	42K	27.1%	15.7%	8.5%	24.6%
Clark County	21K	26.5%	11.7%	6.1%	21.6%
Madison County	17K	26.1%	11.6%	3.9%	14.1%
Jefferson County	65K	26.0%	14.7%	7.5%	18.6%
Stone County	13K	25.0%	17.8%	8.9%	19.3%
Benton County	304K	24.9%	3.9%	2.8%	7.6%
Hot Spring County	33K	24.9%	10.8%	5.3%	15.1%
Drew County	17K	24.1%	16.4%	7.2%	22.4%
Bradley County	10K	23.8%	17.5%	9.3%	19.9%
White County	78K	23.6%	11.5%	5.5%	17.5%
Pope County	64K	23.3%	9.9%	4.5%	16.9%
Montgomery County	9K	23.1%	10.0%	5.3%	22.4%
Pike County	10K	23.1%	12.4%	3.1%	20.7%
Crittenden County	47K	22.5%	16.1%	10.7%	21.0%
Cleveland County	7K	22.1%	13.1%	6.8%	15.8%
Conway County	21K	22.1%	13.6%	7.8%	19.7%
Ashley County	18K	21.8%	13.2%	8.8%	22.1%
Craighead County	113K	21.3%	11.8%	6.4%	20.1%
Lafayette County	6K	21.1%	14.9%	6.2%	22.3%
Boone County	38K	20.9%	8.4%	6.8%	11.7%
Columbia County	22K	19.5%	11.8%	3.4%	21.1%
Poinsett County	23K	19.3%	19.2%	11.5%	20.1%
Greene County	46K	18.0%	14.6%	5.2%	17.4%
Cleburne County	25K	17.4%	8.6%	5.3%	13.9%
Mississippi County	39K	16.9%	19.1%	11.2%	21.1%
Baxter County	42K	16.4%	8.5%	4.6%	15.5%
Carroll County	29K	16.4%	5.2%	5.1%	17.2%
Lonoke County	75K	16.4%	7.1%	4.1%	10.4%
Yell County	20K	16.4%	10.2%	6.5%	15.6%
Logan County	21K	16.2%	9.9%	4.4%	13.9%
Randolph County	19K	16.2%	15.7%	5.4%	22.4%
Clay County	14K	16.1%	10.1%	6.1%	17.2%
Perry County	10K	14.3%	8.7%	4.5%	14.2%
Washington County	257K	14.0%	5.6%	4.1%	14.6%
Fulton County	12K	13.9%	12.8%	4.6%	18.0%
Sebastian County	129K	13.2%	11.6%	6.0%	16.0%
Independence County	38K	12.1%	13.7%	6.5%	20.4%
Van Buren County	16K	10.4%	10.7%	6.4%	19.1%
Marion County	17K	10.0%	11.1%	2.8%	18.0%
Woodruff County	6K	6.7%	19.9%	14.7%	24.1%
Franklin County	17K	4.7%	11.2%	7.2%	18.0%
Prairie County	8K	4.5%	13.5%	6.3%	11.8%
Little River County	12K	3.1%	11.1%	5.2%	15.5%
Izard County	14K	0.9%	14.4%	5.6%	22.3%

Source: USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2024 5-year). Sorted by low-access share, highest first.

Figures from USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and Census ACS 2024 5-year. Compiled 2026-06-23. Methodology · All states.

PlainFoodAccess renders this state summary directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Statewide figures for Arkansas are population-weighted aggregates of county Atlas and ACS records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.