County food-access profile · Mississippi
Alcorn County, MS
Alcorn 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.
- 18.9%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 16.1%
- on SNAP
- 34K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
18.9% of Alcorn County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 7 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 9.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.8%
- 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).
Alcorn County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 18.9% per the USDA Atlas. 3 of the county's 7 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 6,992 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,893 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 Alcorn County compares nationally
Alcorn County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 18.9% low-access share that beats 43% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,783).
Alcorn County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 7 census tracts in Alcorn County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Alcorn County vs. other Mississippi counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Mississippi
- Alcorn 18.9
Alcorn County, MS
18.9 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, MS
28.3 % 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 | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 37,057 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,992 |
| Low-Access Share | 18.9%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,893 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 34,289 |
| Median Household Income | $51,260 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,323 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.1%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.5%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
About 16.1% of Alcorn County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 18.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,323 households here.
- 9.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Alcorn County
near the national share
1 of Alcorn County's 7 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.3% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.
An estimated 6,992 residents, roughly 18.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,893 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 4 tracts (57.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Alcorn County
Alcorn County has 31 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 14 locations (45% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 14
- dollar general 1293, corinth
- dollar general 13989, rienzi
- dollar general 1950, corinth
- dollar general 4001, corinth
- dollar general 9296, corinth
- dollar general 9678, corinth
- dollar general 12148, kossuth
- dollar general 18241, corinth
- dollar general 24053, rienzi
- dollar general store 17186, glen
- dollar tree 3114, corinth
- family dollar 13374, corinth
- highway 72 discount grocery, corinth
- walgreens 01913, corinth
Convenience Store · 9
- b market, corinth
- bluesky 706, corinth
- circle k 2721537, corinth
- corinth fuel express llc, corinth
- mapco 3009, corinth
- murphy usa 7090, corinth
- sprint mart 27, corinth
- video gallery and discount groceries 1, corinth
- west corinth grocery, corinth
Super Store · 3
- gardner's supermarket, corinth
- kroger 454, corinth
- walmart supercenter 105, corinth
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 70059, corinth
- hometown market, inc. 4, corinth
- roger's supermarket llc, corinth
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- rickman's meat market, corinth
Small Grocery Store · 1
- el quetzal 1, corinth
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Mississippi
Compare Alcorn County vs Adams County → · All Mississippi counties →
Food access nationally, Mississippi in context
Alcorn 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 Alcorn County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Alcorn County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Alcorn County? ▼
Is Alcorn County a food desert? ▼
What share of Alcorn 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.