County food-access profile · Mississippi
Adams County, MS
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Adams County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 28.3%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 16.5%
- on SNAP
- 29K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
28.3% of Adams County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 6.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 27.0%
- 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).
USDA data puts Adams County's low-access share at 28.3%, above the national share. 6 of the county's 9 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 9,127 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,975 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 Adams County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Adams County's 28.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,063 most-affected nationwide.
Adams County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 9 census tracts in Adams County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Adams County vs. other Mississippi counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Mississippi
- Adams
Adams County, MS
28.3 % low-access
- Alcorn 18.9
Alcorn County, MS
18.9 % low-access
- Amite 13.9
Amite County, MS
13.9 % low-access
- Attala
Attala County, MS
27.1 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, MS
35.7 % low-access
- Bolivar
Bolivar County, MS
50.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 32,297 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,127 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.3%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,975 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 28,803 |
| Median Household Income | $43,644 |
| Poverty Rate | 27.0%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,893 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.5%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.2% |
About 16.5% of Adams County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 28.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,893 households here.
- 6.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Adams County
above the national share
5 of Adams County's 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 55.6% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 9,127 residents, roughly 28.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,975 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 3 tracts (33.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Adams County
Adams County has 34 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 14 locations (41% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 14
- 61 express, natchez
- b-kwik 3, natchez
- b-kwik 10, natchez
- bluesky 507, natchez
- bluesky 510, natchez
- bluesky 511, natchez
- corner mart, natchez
- daisy street grocery, natchez
- ez quick stop llc store, natchez
- ez quik stop llc store 3, natchez
- hobo fork grocery, natchez
- mpg llc, natchez
- murphy usa 7746, natchez
- sprint mart 65, natchez
Combination Grocery/Other · 13
- cvs pharmacy 5870, natchez
- dollar general 684, washington
- dollartree 8852, natchez
- dollar general 13215, natchez
- dollar general 13784, natchez
- dollar general 21515, natchez
- dollar general 8715, natchez
- dollar general store 16455, natchez
- dollar tree 407, natchez
- family dollar 11577, natchez
- family dollar store 6603, natchez
- walgreen 09142, natchez
- walgreens 10131, natchez
Super Store · 6
- cash saver 32, natchez
- je hicks distributing co inc, natchez
- natchez market #2, natchez
- natchez market 1, natchez
- southside market, natchez
- walmart 874, natchez
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- passbach meats, natchez
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Mississippi
Compare Adams County vs Alcorn County → · All Mississippi counties →
Food access nationally, Mississippi in context
Adams County sits inside Mississippi (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 Adams County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Adams County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Adams County? ▼
Is Adams County a food desert? ▼
What share of Adams 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.