County food-access profile · Tennessee
Carroll County, TN
Carroll County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 9.4%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 12.5%
- on SNAP
- 29K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
9.4% of Carroll County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 977
- food-desert residents
- 5.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.0%
- 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's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.4% per the USDA Atlas. 1 of the county's 7 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 2,682 residents who live far from a supermarket. 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 lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.4% low-access share that beats 19% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,532).
Carroll County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 7 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 Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Carroll 9.4
Carroll County, TN
9.4 % low-access
- Anderson 10.9
Anderson County, TN
10.9 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, TN
23 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, TN
12.6 % low-access
- Bledsoe 4.7
Bledsoe County, TN
4.7 % low-access
- Blount
Blount County, TN
30.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 28,522 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,682 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.4%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 977 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 28,641 |
| Median Household Income | $51,787 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.0%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,438 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.5%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.1% |
About 12.5% of Carroll County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 9.4% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,438 households here.
- 5.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $51,787 with a 17.0% 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
near the national share
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 1.
An estimated 2,682 residents, roughly 9.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 977 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (85.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Carroll County
Carroll County has 37 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 17
- 101 travel center llc, cedar grove
- alpha mart inc, atwood
- atwood oasis, atwood
- bram's place, mckenzie
- country side grocery, huntingdon
- casey's 3386, bruceton
- casey's 3394, mckenzie
- country store, cedar grove
- hollow rock convenience store, hollow rock
- hometown grocery & deli, mc lemoresville
- huck's 385, huntingdon
- maverick 15, mckenzie
- maverick 42, mckenzie
- mckenzie eagle food mart, mckenzie
- murphy usa 6769, huntingdon
- pockets 107, huntingdon
- pockets 108, mckenzie
Combination Grocery/Other · 15
- dollar general 10761, yuma
- dollar general 2622, huntingdon
- dollar general 7777, atwood
- dollar general 10124, mc kenzie
- dollar general 12289, trezevant
- dollar general 24446, hollow rock
- dollar general 24863, mckenzie
- dollar general 30821, cedar grove
- dollar general 6137, bruceton
- dollar tree 5988, huntingdon
- dollar tree 7408, mckenzie
- family dollar 13796, bruceton
- marathon 3259, bruceton
- marathon 3260, huntingdon
- unbranded 3216, trezevant
Super Store · 2
- e w james and sons 6, mckenzie
- walmart s/c 161, huntingdon
Supermarket · 2
- cash saver 09, huntingdon
- save-a-lot 23859, mckenzie
Large Grocery Store · 1
- clarksburg supermarket, clarksburg
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Carroll County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Carroll County sits inside Tennessee (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.