County food-access profile · Alabama
Calhoun County, AL
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Calhoun 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).
- 35.9%
- low-access pop.
- 12
- food-desert tracts
- 17.9%
- on SNAP
- 116K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
35.9% of Calhoun County residents live in a low-access area, and 12 of its 30 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 19
- low-access tracts
- 18K
- food-desert residents
- 6.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.9%
- 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 Calhoun County's low-access share at 35.9%, above the national share. 19 of the county's 30 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 42,575 people. 12 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 18,258 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 Calhoun County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Calhoun County's 35.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 82% of them and ranked #558 most-affected nationwide.
Calhoun County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 30 census tracts in Calhoun County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Calhoun County vs. other Alabama counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Alabama
- Calhoun
Calhoun County, AL
35.9 % low-access
- Autauga
Autauga County, AL
33.9 % low-access
- Baldwin
Baldwin County, AL
25.1 % low-access
- Barbour
Barbour County, AL
20.5 % low-access
- Bibb 1.6
Bibb County, AL
1.6 % low-access
- Blount 6.8
Blount County, AL
6.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 30 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 118,572 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 19 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 12 |
| Low-Access Population | 42,575 |
| Low-Access Share | 35.9%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 18,258 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 116,090 |
| Median Household Income | $55,029 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.9%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 8,057 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.7% |
About 17.9% of Calhoun County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 35.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 17.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 8,057 households here.
- 6.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 12 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 Calhoun County
above the national share
12 of Calhoun County's 30 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 40.0% of all its tracts.
A further 7 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 19.
An estimated 42,575 residents, roughly 35.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 18,258 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (36.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Calhoun County
Calhoun County has 148 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 69 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 69
- amoco foodmart inc. 1, anniston
- aoc food marts 17, anniston
- auction team salvage #2, piedmont
- barry st. foodmart /chevron 1, oxford
- bearcat food mart, weaver
- besho llc, oxford
- choccolocco food mart, anniston
- circle k 2723665, anniston
- circle k 2723667, oxford
- circle k store 2709309, anniston
- circle k store 2709314, alexandria
- circle k store 2709322, ohatchee
- circle k store 2709324, anniston
- coldwater chevron, anniston
- country corner, piedmont
- duaa saeed llc., anniston
- eagles investments anniston inc dba chevron, anniston
- express mart 1, jacksonville
- express mart 10, oxford
- express mart 16, anniston
- express mart 21, piedmont
- express mart 26, anniston
- express mart 40, anniston
- express mart 41 41, anniston
- flowers bakery outlet 140, anniston
- food mart 17, wellington
- friendship bp, oxford
- grubmart 4, jacksonville
- grubmart 9, alexandria
- j & m midway gro # 4, weaver
- jamal,llc dba express mart 4, anniston
- k & s quickstop, jacksonville
- kapp mart, anniston
- mapco express, inc. 5101, jacksonville
- mapco express, inc. 5102, jacksonville
- mapco express, inc. 5108, jacksonville
- mapco express, inc. 5112, piedmont
- mapco express, inc. 5113, eastaboga
- mapco express, inc. 5118, piedmont
- mapco express, inc. 5123, anniston
- marathon quick stop, anniston
- mini market #3, anniston
- mini market plus #4, anniston
- mini market plus #5, jacksonville
- mini market plus 2, anniston
- murphy usa 5624, anniston
- murphy usa 7170, jacksonville
- murphy usa 7697, oxford
- northern express, piedmont
- om verai mata inc, ohatchee
- one stop mart, jacksonville
- parkwin convenience, anniston
- quick mart # 3, jacksonville
- quick mart #1, oxford
- quick mart #4, anniston
- quick mart #5, alexandria
- quick mart no, anniston
- quick stop express, eastaboga
- quickfill 1, eastaboga
- quickmart 2, oxford
- quiktrip 7184, oxford
- racetrac2589 2589, oxford
- raceway 985, piedmont
- samco 18, anniston
- seven's food mart, anniston
- sparkle mart (anniston), anniston
- steward's market #102, anniston
- tang mart oxford 02, oxford
- tang mart piedmont 01, piedmont
Combination Grocery/Other · 45
- cvs pharmacy 4907, jacksonville
- cvs pharmacy 4956, piedmont
- cvs pharmacy 10207, oxford
- cvs pharmacy 4870, anniston
- dollar general 10726, ohatchee
- dollar general 1111, anniston
- dollar general 11205, anniston
- dollar general 1314, oxford
- dollar general 3681, jacksonville
- dollar general 3756, oxford
- dollar general 4449, alexandria
- dollar general 6506, oxford
- dollar general 11910, anniston
- dollar general 12923, anniston
- dollar general 13041, oxford
- dollar general 14847, ohatchee
- dollar general 15930, anniston
- dollar general 20316, jacksonville
- dollar general 21965, piedmont
- dollar general 21973, piedmont
- dollar general 30036, weaver
- dollar general 30439, jacksonville
- dollar general 30462, anniston
- dollar general 30718, alexandria
- dollar general 31472, anniston
- dollar general 4265, anniston
- dollar general 4280, anniston
- dollar general 9885, weaver
- dollar tree 2009, anniston
- dollar tree 4378, jacksonville
- dollar tree 6743, anniston
- dollar tree 8519, piedmont
- dollar tree 941, oxford
- family dollar 13195, jacksonville
- family dollar 13421, ohatchee
- family dollar 13570, alexandria
- family dollar store 403, piedmont
- family dollar store 552, anniston
- immanuel oriental market, anniston
- roses 565, anniston
- walgreens 11819, anniston
- walgreens 12098, jacksonville
- walgreens 7085, oxford
- walgreens 7087, anniston
- walgreens 7951, anniston
Supermarket · 12
- aldi 70030, oxford
- aldi 70101, anniston
- alexandria foodland, alexandria
- circle w marketplace, ohatchee
- eagle foods inc - pic n save 289, anniston
- food outlet 450, anniston
- foodland 440, anniston
- fresh value oxford 97, oxford
- piggly wiggly 148, piedmont
- publix 1420, oxford
- winn-dixie 447, anniston
- wm grocery wmpiedmont, piedmont
Super Store · 10
- dollar general market 13312, piedmont
- johnson's giant foods, inc. #5, jacksonville
- johnson's giant foods, inc. #6, oxford
- pic n sav 248, oxford
- pic n sav 298, anniston
- sam's club 4836, oxford
- target store t-2153, oxford
- walmart s/c 809, oxford
- walmart store 300, jacksonville
- walmart supercenter 329, anniston
Small Grocery Store · 5
- buckhorn 53, weaver
- el puentecito llc., oxford
- mathews meat market, anniston
- noypi asian market, anniston
- tienda los hermanos, oxford
Large Grocery Store · 3
- christian corner meats, anniston
- christian corner meats, anniston
- food outlet jr 465, alexandria
Farmers' Market · 2
- pickette's feed and pet supply inc, anniston
- the downtown market, anniston
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- edwards grocery/valley meats, jacksonville
- la flor de mexico, oxford
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Alabama
Compare Calhoun County vs Autauga County → · All Alabama counties →
Food access nationally, Alabama in context
Calhoun County sits inside Alabama (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 Calhoun County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Calhoun County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Calhoun County? ▼
Is Calhoun County a food desert? ▼
What share of Calhoun 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.