PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Georgia

Appling County, GA

Appling 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.

47.8%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
19.6%
on SNAP
18K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 GA

The food-access picture

47.8% of Appling County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

4
low-access tracts
4K
food-desert residents
6.3%
households, no vehicle
22.5%
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).

Appling County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 47.8% is well above the national share. 4 of the county's 5 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 8,709 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,232 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 Appling County compares nationally

Appling County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 47.8% low-access share outpaces 93% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #230 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Appling County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 5 census tracts in Appling County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Appling County, GA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 1 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 5 tracts evaluated. 1 tracts adequate (20.0%) 1 tracts limited (20.0%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (60.0%) Adequate 20% Limited 20% Severe 60% Food-access tier distribution: Appling County, GA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Appling County vs. other Georgia counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Appling County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts5
Atlas Population (2010 basis)18,236
Low-Access Tracts4
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population8,709
Low-Access Share47.8%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population4,232

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Appling County
IndicatorValue
Population18,493
Median Household Income$46,651
Poverty Rate22.5%well above the national average
SNAP Households1,406
SNAP Participation Rate19.6%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.3%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.7%
SNAP participation in Appling County 19.6%

About 19.6% of Appling County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 47.8% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 19.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,406 households here.
  • 6.3% 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 Appling County

well above the national share

3 of Appling 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.

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.

An estimated 8,709 residents, roughly 47.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 4,232 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 1 tract (20.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Appling County

Appling County has 32 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 17

  • 3-way corner store, baxley
  • baxley food mart, baxley
  • bell smith food mart, baxley
  • country convenience/petro express, baxley
  • discount corner, baxley
  • express stop, baxley
  • fastrac, baxley
  • flash foods llc 274105, baxley
  • graham county boy mini mart, baxley
  • hungry lion, baxley
  • jet food store 99, baxley
  • joe's qwik stop, baxley
  • mj's stop, baxley
  • murphy usa 7850, baxley
  • parker's surrency 208, surrency
  • po-jo's country store 6, baxley
  • tienda mexicana la guanajuato, baxley

Combination Grocery/Other · 9

  • cvs pharmacy 7294, baxley
  • dollar general 10944, baxley
  • dollar general 14564, baxley
  • dollar general 17761, baxley
  • dollar general 20188, surrency
  • dollar general 22525, baxley
  • dollar tree 4741, baxley
  • family dollar store 351, baxley
  • seguras taqueria & tienda, baxley

Small Grocery Store · 2

  • eason convenience store, baxley
  • tienda mexicana girasoles, llc, baxley

Super Store · 2

  • harveys supermarket 1655, baxley
  • walmart supercenter 5392, baxley

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • baxley meats, baxley

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • circle f meats inc., baxley

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Georgia

Atkinson County
23.5% low-access · 26.2% SNAP
Bacon County
3.3% low-access · 20.9% SNAP
Baker County
61.3% low-access · 15.2% SNAP
Baldwin County
24.6% low-access · 16.2% SNAP
Banks County
1.8% low-access · 9.0% SNAP
Barrow County
38.4% low-access · 8.7% SNAP

Compare Appling County vs Atkinson County → · All Georgia counties →

Food access nationally, Georgia in context

Appling County sits inside Georgia (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

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

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Appling County has low food access? ▼
47.8% of residents in Appling County, GA live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Appling County? ▼
19.6% of households in Appling County receive SNAP, covering 1,406 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Appling County? ▼
The poverty rate in Appling County, GA is 22.5%, with a median household income of $46,651 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Appling County a food desert? ▼
3 of Appling County's 5 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Appling County households lack a vehicle? ▼
6.3% of households in Appling County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.