County food-access profile · Georgia
Carroll County, GA
Carroll 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.
- 53.0%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 14.5%
- on SNAP
- 125K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
53.0% of Carroll County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 22K
- food-desert residents
- 3.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.4%
- 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).
Carroll County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 53.0% is well above the national share. 11 of the county's 17 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 58,614 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 21,519 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 Carroll County compares nationally
Carroll County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 53.0% low-access share outpaces 94% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #174 most-affected nationwide.
Carroll County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 17 census tracts in Carroll County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Carroll County vs. other Georgia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia
- Carroll
Carroll County, GA
53 % low-access
- Appling
Appling County, GA
47.8 % low-access
- Atkinson 23.5
Atkinson County, GA
23.5 % low-access
- Bacon 3.3
Bacon County, GA
3.3 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, GA
61.3 % low-access
- Baldwin
Baldwin County, GA
24.6 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 110,527 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 58,614 |
| Low-Access Share | 53.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 21,519 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 124,569 |
| Median Household Income | $73,714 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.4%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,397 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.5%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.6% |
About 14.5% of Carroll County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 53.0% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 14.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,397 households here.
- 3.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Carroll County
well above the national share
5 of Carroll County's 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 29.4% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 58,614 residents, roughly 53.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 21,519 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (35.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Carroll County
Carroll County has 122 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 57 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 57
- b & d foodmart, carrollton
- bankhead 494 llc, carrollton
- bankhead shoppette, carrollton
- bowden juction quick stop, carrollton
- bowdon kwick shop, bowdon
- bowdon minit mart, bowdon
- braves beverage warehouse (bbw), carrollton
- buck town grocery, bowdon
- buckhorn shoppette, temple
- carroll food mart, villa rica
- chevron food mart, villa rica
- circle k 2723650, carrollton
- circle k 2723676, carrollton
- circle k 2723687, bremen
- columbia food mart, carrollton
- dip & dev enterprise llc, temple
- easy quick stop, villa rica
- fairfield food mart, carrollton
- five point food mart, villa rica
- flowers bakery outlet 149, carrollton
- four lane bp, carrollton
- get n go, whitesburg
- hot shot 0, carrollton
- hot spot, carrollton
- hunter grocery, villa rica
- johnny's 2, carrollton
- junior food store, villa rica
- luv's country corner, bowdon
- maple kwik stop, carrollton
- murphy usa 7283, carrollton
- neighbors market, carrollton
- newnan road kwik stop, carrollton
- newnan road shoppette, carrollton
- open pantry, villa rica
- park place grocery, carrollton
- pilot travel center 417, temple
- pilot travel center 4559, villa rica
- pilot travel center 634, temple
- pjm food store, carrollton
- pokhara sahara, temple
- quiktrip 810, villa rica
- quiktrip 834, carrollton
- quick mart, villa rica
- quiktrip 1760, temple
- race trac 495, villa rica
- radhey shyam inc, carrollton
- red top food mart na, temple
- sandhill bp, carrollton
- smallwood's, carrollton
- southside bp, carrollton
- speedy spot, carrollton
- stop n shop, carrollton
- temple super thrift, temple
- toofan llc, carrollton
- traingle treat, carrollton
- university chevron, carrollton
- villa rica food mart 1, villa rica
Combination Grocery/Other · 37
- cvs pharmacy 4532, carrollton
- cvs pharmacy 4568, carrollton
- cvs pharmacy 5637, villa rica
- cvs pharmacy 5765, bowdon
- dollar general 1272, carrollton
- dollar general 1279, carrollton
- dollar general 13965, carrollton
- dollar general 1749, villa rica
- dollar general 4800, bowdon
- dollar general 6546, carrollton
- dollar general 6547, carrollton
- dollar general 8301, carrollton
- dollar general 9100, whitesburg
- dollartree 8886, carrollton
- dollar general 10272, villa rica
- dollar general 12430, roopville
- dollar general 13048, villa rica
- dollar general 14502, carrollton
- dollar general 15113, carrollton
- dollar general 15769, carrollton
- dollar general 21654, carrollton
- dollar general 22323, villa rica
- dollar general 23389, villa rica
- dollar general 24710, carrollton
- dollar general 31160, carrollton
- dollar general 9053, temple
- dollar general store 16201, carrollton
- dollar tree 1473, villa rica
- dollar tree 6029, carrollton
- dollar tree 6494, bremen
- dollar tree 791, carrollton
- family dollar 1161, bowdon
- family dollar 4899, carrollton
- family dollar 8957, carrolton
- family dollar store 229, carrollton
- walgreens 07820, carrollton
- walgreens 11491, villa rica
Supermarket · 9
- aldi 23, carrollton
- food depot 36, carrollton
- food depot 53, carrollton
- food depot 59, villa rica
- ingles markets 405, temple
- ingles markets 423, villa rica
- ingles markets 480, carrollton
- publix 608, carrollton
- publix super markets, inc. 2011, villa rica
Medium Grocery Store · 6
- carniceria y tienda centroamerica, inc, carrollton
- preetrkp inc dba la unica, carrollton
- super food, temple
- supermercado acapulco llc, carrollton
- supermercado y carniceria la confianza 6, carrollton
- tienda veracruz, carrollton
Super Store · 5
- kroger 367, carrollton
- piggly wiggly 66, bowdon
- target store 1073, carrollton
- walmart supercenter 722, carrollton
- walmart supercenter 2732, villa rica
Farmers' Market · 3
- cotton mill farmers market, carrollton
- the community market of villa rica, villa rica
- thurman's produce market 2, roopville
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 2
- farm fresh pickins, carrollton
- thurman's produce market 1, bowdon
Small Grocery Store · 2
- la chiquita carniceria verduras y abarrotes llc, villa rica
- tienda hernandez food store, carrollton
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- findley's butcher shop 5, villa rica
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Georgia
Compare Carroll County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Food access nationally, Georgia in context
Carroll County sits inside Georgia (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 Carroll County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Carroll County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Carroll County? ▼
Is Carroll County a food desert? ▼
What share of Carroll 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.