County food-access profile · Mississippi

Carroll County, MS

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.

Compiled by Plainfoodaccess, Food Access Editorial Process · June 23, 2026

56.1%
low-access pop.: 0
food-desert tracts: 16.9%
on SNAP: 10K
residents (ACS 2024)

USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MS

The food-access picture

56.1% of Carroll County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.

2
low-access tracts: 2K
food-desert residents: 4.5%
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).

Carroll County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 56.1% is well above the national share. 2 of the county's 2 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 5,949 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.

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 56.1% low-access share outpaces 95% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #143 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Carroll County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 2 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).

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Carroll

56.1
Adams

28.3
Alcorn

18.9
Amite

13.9
Attala

27.1
Benton

35.7

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Carroll County
Indicator	Value
Census Tracts	2
Atlas Population (2010 basis)	10,597
Low-Access Tracts	2
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)	0
Low-Access Population	5,949
Low-Access Share	56.1%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population	2,164

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Carroll County
Indicator	Value
Population	9,686
Median Household Income	$59,327
Poverty Rate	17.9%above the national average
SNAP Households	719
SNAP Participation Rate	16.9%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle	4.5%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population	4.5%

SNAP participation in Carroll County 16.9%

About 16.9% of Carroll County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

56.1% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
16.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 719 households here.
4.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
Median household income is $59,327 with a 17.9% poverty rate.

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

A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 2.

An estimated 5,949 residents, roughly 56.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 2,164 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

SNAP retailers in Carroll County

Carroll County has 6 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 2 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 4 locations (67% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 4

dollar general 9074, carrollton
dollar general 9075, vaiden
dollar general 19984, ciola
family dollar 12766, vaiden

Convenience Store · 2

shell go north carrollton, north carrollton
shellgo 503, vaiden

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

Bolivar County

50.9% low-access · 26.0% SNAP

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

Food access nationally, Mississippi in context

Carroll County sits inside Mississippi (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? ▼

56.1% of residents in Carroll 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 Carroll County? ▼

16.9% of households in Carroll County receive SNAP, covering 719 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).

What is the poverty rate in Carroll County? ▼

The poverty rate in Carroll County, MS is 17.9%, with a median household income of $59,327 (Census ACS 2024).

Is Carroll County a food desert? ▼

0 of Carroll County's 2 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). No tracts here meet both conditions in the 2019 Atlas.

What share of Carroll County households lack a vehicle? ▼

4.5% of households in Carroll 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 2026-06-23 (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.