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Linda Green Coleman of Oak Cliff shops the cucumber selection during the grand opening of Joe V’s Smart Shop on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in southern Dallas and near neighborhoods in Duncanville and DeSoto. This is Joe V’s Smart Shop first North Texas location. Coleman, who normally travels to the H-E-B in Waxahachie, said she is so thankful for the store opening.<\/p>\n
Juan Figueroa\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
In Dallas, when it comes to getting groceries, you\u2019ll have more options shopping above Interstate 30.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s an imbalance advocates have been working to address for years. Southern Dallas is home to roughly 45% of residents<\/a>, a majority of them Black and Hispanic, but less than a third of grocery stores sit below I-30, according to 2024 data from the city<\/a>.<\/p>\n Grocery stores, including supermarkets, are concentrated north of the highway. In southern areas, the bulk of shops selling food\u00a0\u00a0\u2014 over 85% \u2014 are gas stations, pharmacies or dollar stores.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Access to food options has long been a point of dissatisfaction for residents who complain of traveling outside their neighborhoods, or the city itself, to go shopping.<\/p>\n The grocery landscape has changed since 2024, when Dallas took stock of its options, but here\u2019s what the data shows:<\/p>\n Dallas counted more than 850 stores selling groceries across the city An overall look at Dallas grocers<\/p>\n The city\u2019s data does not only include big grocery stores, which are categorized as retailers offering a variety of fresh food products. It also lists convenience stores, dollar stores and other options like pharmacies.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In the 2024 database, there are 858 stores listed across Dallas. Of these, nearly 60% are convenience stores that accept SNAP, and 21% are general stores stocking some grocery or food items.\u00a0<\/p>\n Citywide, grocery stores make up just 19% of the total.<\/p>\n A closer look at that category, which includes stores such as Aldi, Kroger and Walmart, reveals a greater disparity in food access for Dallas residents.<\/p>\n Only 30% of grocery stores were located south of I-30, in council districts 1, 3,\u00a0 4, 5, 7 and 8. About 70% remain concentrated in the north.<\/p>\n When it comes to wholesale clubs such as\u00a0Costco and Sam\u2019s Club, seven of nine were in the north.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Mill City resident Linda Belt prepares food for another costumer while Robert Walker eats French fries at the Fair Park Grocery on Lagow Street near Metropolitan Avenue on Nov. 14, 2025, in Dallas.<\/p>\n Angela Piazza\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Convenience stores<\/p>\n More than 85% of the shops logged south of I-30 were convenience stores like 7-Eleven or Quiktrip, along with pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens, and dollar stores.<\/p>\n These places stock limited food and grocery items in their inventory. Anga Sanders, the founder of FEED Oak Cliff who has advocated for more than a decade to bring grocery options to southern Dallas, said there\u2019s a big difference between these options and a large grocery store.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can go in there, and you can buy a bag of chips or some cookies or whatever, but that\u2019s not the purpose of it,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related: Southern Dallas grapples with health disparities in new Dallas County report with Parkland Certain areas in southern Dallas could qualify as \u201cfood swamps\u201d rather than \u201cfood deserts\u201d \u2014 places where there are few grocers, but easy access to less-nutritious options at corner stores or fast-food restaurants, according to the American Journal of Public Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sanders called the disparity in access \u201cfood apartheid,\u201d with zoning issues and corporate choices over the years leading to grocery stores not showing up in areas with hundreds of thousands of people. Areas in southern Dallas have some of the greatest health vulnerabilities in Dallas County, including high rates of diabetes.<\/p>\n Food access<\/p>\n Advocates are pushing for change. Sanders is part of a group of dozens of organizations and collaborators looking to shore up Dallas\u2019 vast food system through the Dallas-Dallas County Food Plan.<\/p>\n Whitney Strauss, who leads the food plan<\/a>, is exploring ways Dallas could make it easier for grocers and small stores to stay open in underserved areas. <\/p>\n The city\u2019s data, she said, could serve as a starting point. Solutions, however, must be tailored to communities, she added.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cA map can\u2019t tell you whether the food in that store is affordable,\u201d Strauss said, \u201cwhether there\u2019s produce that\u2019s fresh, whether a family has a car \u2026 or whether what\u2019s on the shelves is what a household actually eats.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: Considering visiting a food pantry for the first time? Here\u2019s how it works<\/a><\/p>\n
\nOf those, more than 480 were in northern areas, which includes downtown
\nAbout 370 stores were in southern areas
\nCitywide, convenience stores made up the majority of shops<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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