PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Mississippi

Bolivar County, MS

Bolivar 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.

50.9%
low-access pop.
4
food-desert tracts
26.0%
on SNAP
30K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MS

The food-access picture

50.9% of Bolivar County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

5
low-access tracts
9K
food-desert residents
10.1%
households, no vehicle
32.6%
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).

Bolivar County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 50.9% is well above the national share. 5 of the county's 8 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 17,387 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,499 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 Bolivar County compares nationally

Bolivar County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 50.9% low-access share outpaces 94% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #195 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Bolivar County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 8 census tracts in Bolivar 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 Bolivar County, MS USDA-defined food-access tiers: 3 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 4 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 8 tracts evaluated. 3 tracts adequate (37.5%) 1 tracts limited (12.5%) 4 tracts severe / food desert (50.0%) Adequate 38% Limited 13% Severe 50% Food-access tier distribution: Bolivar County, MS
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Bolivar County vs. other Mississippi counties

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

% 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 Bolivar County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts8
Atlas Population (2010 basis)34,145
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)4
Low-Access Population17,387
Low-Access Share50.9%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population9,499

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Bolivar County
IndicatorValue
Population29,534
Median Household Income$39,585
Poverty Rate32.6%well above the national average
SNAP Households3,094
SNAP Participation Rate26.0%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle10.1%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population5.3%
SNAP participation in Bolivar County 26.0%

About 26.0% of Bolivar County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 50.9% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 26.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,094 households here.
  • 10.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 4 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 Bolivar County

well above the national share

4 of Bolivar County's 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 50.0% of all its tracts.

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.

An estimated 17,387 residents, roughly 50.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 9,499 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 3 tracts (37.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Bolivar County

Bolivar County has 46 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 26 locations (57% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 26

  • bassie's service station, gunnison
  • brother's corner store llc, cleveland
  • ching's supermarket, rosedale
  • delta discount grocery and tobacco corp, cleveland
  • delta market, cleveland
  • dodge store 6804, cleveland
  • double quick 71, shelby
  • double quick 75, rosedale
  • double quick 87, cleveland
  • double quick 92, cleveland
  • dudley's d.s., pace
  • jb express, rosedale
  • k & r quickstop llc, beulah
  • mk quick mart, benoit
  • murphy usa 7388, cleveland
  • nita's food market 23885, rosedale
  • quick stop 1 llc, shaw
  • rick's express 11, shaw
  • renova one stop, cleveland
  • rick's express #12 12, cleveland
  • shelby express, shelby
  • sujs llc, mound bayou
  • super saver 18, cleveland
  • tayeh's quick stop, cleveland
  • tgs community quick shop, mound bayou
  • the filling station 25, cleveland

Combination Grocery/Other · 13

  • dollar general 6869, cleveland
  • dollar general 9375, boyle
  • dollartree 10098, cleveland
  • dollar general 10680, cleveland
  • dollar general 11588, shaw
  • dollar general 11960, merigold
  • dollar general 12038, rosedale
  • dollar general 12232, shelby
  • dollar tree 1308, cleveland
  • family dollar 12999, shaw
  • family dollar 3508, cleveland
  • lampards wholesale meats, cleveland
  • walgreen 09896, cleveland

Super Store · 3

  • kroger 370, cleveland
  • vowell's marketplace 15, cleveland
  • walmart store 1530, cleveland

Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1

  • angies produce market, cleveland

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • vance's meat and grocery, cleveland

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • james quality market, shelby

Supermarket · 1

  • piggly wiggly, rosedale

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Mississippi

Adams County
28.3% low-access · 16.5% SNAP
Alcorn County
18.9% low-access · 16.1% SNAP
Amite County
13.9% low-access · 15.2% SNAP
Attala County
27.1% low-access · 15.6% SNAP
Benton County
35.7% low-access · 17.2% SNAP
Calhoun County
3.1% low-access · 13.1% SNAP

Compare Bolivar County vs Adams County → · All Mississippi counties →

Food access nationally, Mississippi in context

Bolivar County sits inside Mississippi (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 Bolivar County has low food access? ▼
50.9% of residents in Bolivar County, MS 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 Bolivar County? ▼
26.0% of households in Bolivar County receive SNAP, covering 3,094 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Bolivar County? ▼
The poverty rate in Bolivar County, MS is 32.6%, with a median household income of $39,585 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Bolivar County a food desert? ▼
4 of Bolivar County's 8 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 Bolivar County households lack a vehicle? ▼
10.1% of households in Bolivar 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.