Signature · 55 SNAP-authorized stores
Bedford County, TN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Bedford 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).
- 23.0%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 10.2%
- on SNAP
- 52K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Bedford County, TN
LA-ELEVATED · PHOTO-FINISH · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 23.0% low-access
- PHOTO-FINISH +0.9 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 10.2% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 22% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Henry County (+ 0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Bedford County ranks #1,445 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #29 of 93 counties in TN (23.0% low-access; 2 food-desert tracts).
- #1,445
- national by low-access %
- #29
- in TN
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 55 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Bedford County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Bedford County's 23.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 54% of them and ranked #1,451 most-affected nationwide.
Bedford County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Bedford County has 3 urban and 6 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Bedford County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Tennessee, not a full county-board reprint
- Montgomery
Montgomery 47%
47 % low-access
- Henry
Henry 23.1%
23.1 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford 23%
23 % low-access
- Marshall
Marshall 22.6%
22.6 % low-access
- Rutherford
Rutherford 22.4%
22.4 % low-access
- Humphreys
Humphreys 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Grainger 0
Grainger 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 45,058 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 10,365 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.0%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,022 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 52,237 |
| Median Household Income | $67,225 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,997 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.2%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Bedford County
Bedford County has 55 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 25 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 25
- a&a inc of bc, shelbyville
- beechgrove market, beechgrove
- circle k 4703708, shelbyville
- circle k 4703719, shelbyville
- discount food mart, shelbyville
- depot street market, shelbyville
- express food and fuel, shelbyville
- express mart, shelbyville
- flat creek market, shelbyville
- murphy usa 7803, shelbyville
- quik mart 9, shelbyville
- racetrac 2590, shelbyville
- serv-n-go 17, shelbyville
- serv-n-go 20, shelbyville
- serv-n-go 21, unionville
- serv-n-go 3, shelbyville
- serv-n-go 5, shelbyville
- soniya discount food mart, shelbyville
- speedway 7131, shelbyville
- speedy market, shelbyville
- t & m market, shelbyville
- tortilleria gonzalez, shelbyville
- wartrace country store, wartrace
- wedge market 18, shelbyville
- whiteside market, shelbyville
Combination Grocery/Other · 15
- cvs pharmacy 6400, shelbyville
- dollar general 0890, shelbyville
- dollar general 18966, wartrace
- dollar general 3051, shelbyville
- dollartree 9647, shelbyville
- dollar general 11823, shelbyville
- dollar general 11991, unionville
- dollar general 19699, shelbyville
- dollar general 20136, shelbyville
- dollar general 22652, shelbyville
- dollar general 24889, shelbyville
- dollar general 25669, shelbyville
- dollar tree 2087, shelbyville
- roses 484, shelbyville
- walgreen 09945, shelbyville
Large Grocery Store · 3
- palmer foodservice, shelbyville
- shelbyville super mercado, shelbyville
- united grocery outlet 17, shelbyville
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- aguascalientes market 1, shelbyville
- los amigos supermercado, shelbyville
- shelbyville supermercado, shelbyville
Small Grocery Store · 3
- el eden, shelbyville
- tienda chapin llc, shelbyville
- tienda guatemala demetrio, shelbyville
Super Store · 3
- dollar general market 12005, shelbyville
- kroger 559, shelbyville
- walmart supercenter 656, shelbyville
Supermarket · 2
- food lion 0886, shelbyville
- shelbyville piggly wiggly 575, shelbyville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- potts' meats, wartrace
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Tennessee
One of 94 counties in Tennessee, 6 are shown here.
Compare Bedford County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Nationwide peers for Bedford County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Bedford County, both outside Tennessee so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside TN (23.0% here).
- Lamb County, TX · 23.0% low-access
- Lamb County, TX · 23.0% low-access
- Deschutes County, OR · 23.0% low-access
- Deschutes County, OR · 23.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside TN (10.2% here).
- Emery County, UT · 10.2% SNAP
- Emery County, UT · 10.2% SNAP
- Preble County, OH · 10.2% SNAP
- Preble County, OH · 10.2% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Bedford County sits inside Tennessee (ringed). Each state is colored 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
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile 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. Figures for Bedford County, TN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 47003. 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.
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.