Signature · 10 LILA tracts (58.8% of tracts)
Carter County, TN
Carter County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 10 LILA tracts (58.8% of the book) alongside 47.0% low-access.
- 47.0%
- low-access pop.
- 10
- food-desert tracts
- 14.3%
- on SNAP
- 57K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Carter County, TN
LA-SEVERE · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-SEVERE 47.0% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +24.9 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 10 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 59% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Montgomery County (+ 0.0 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Carter County sits in the upper national band (47.0%, #243 of 3,079) with 10 LILA tracts.
- #243
- national by low-access %
- #1
- in TN
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 10 LILA tracts (58.8% of tracts) .
How Carter County compares nationally
Carter County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 47.0% low-access share outpaces 92% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #245 most-affected nationwide.
Carter County's elevated USDA tier split
17 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 10 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Carter County has 11 urban and 6 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Carter County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Tennessee, not a full county-board reprint
- Montgomery
Montgomery 47%
47 % low-access
- Carter
Carter 47%
47 % low-access
- Hamilton
Hamilton 43.9%
43.9 % low-access
- Williamson
Williamson 43.9%
43.9 % low-access
- Hamblen
Hamblen 42.7%
42.7 % low-access
- Grainger 0
Grainger 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 57,424 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 10 |
| Low-Access Population | 27,006 |
| Low-Access Share | 47.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 13,237 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 56,712 |
| Median Household Income | $50,135 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.1%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,483 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.6% |
Thick SNAP store book in Carter County
Carter County has 55 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 27 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 27
- captain jack's ole country store, butler
- chris foodmart, elizabethtown
- cloudland food market, roan mountain
- corner market, hampton
- fas mart 459, roan mountain
- fletcher's station, elizabethton
- food city express 3631, elizabethton
- hampton new, hampton
- hyders sunshine market 2, elizabethton
- ians market 65, elizabethton
- ians market 66, elizabethton
- j&w market 5, elizabethton
- jimmy's market #21, elizabethton
- kenjo 46, johnson city
- murphy usa 7113, elizabethton
- quick stop market 20, elizabethton
- quick stop market 28, hampton
- redi food mart 2, elizabethton
- redi mart 1 1, hampton
- redi mart 11, elizabethton
- redi mart 16, elizabethton
- roadrunner market 6022, hampton
- roadrunner market 6041, elizabethton
- scotchman 3424, roan mountain
- stateline market, elizabethton
- stateline market 2, elizabethton
- weigels 1106, elizabethton
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- cvs pharmacy 7655, elizabethton
- dollar general 10625, roan mountain
- dollar general 11187, johnson city
- dollar general 1439, hampton
- dollar general 18582, watauga
- dollar general 3776, elizabethton
- dollar general 6804, elizabethton
- dollartree 10617, elizabethton
- dollar general 14970, elizabethton
- dollar general 18062, hampton
- dollar general 20203, butler
- dollar general 21074, johnson city
- dollar general store 446, elizabethton
- dollar tree 2303, elizabethton
- family dollar 13582, roan mountain
- family dollar 242, elizabethton
- walgreens 09429, elizabethton
Large Grocery Store · 2
- grocery outlet 34, elizabethton
- redi mart supermarket 21, hampton
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- h h market, elizabethton
- redi mart supermarket 14, roan mountain
Supermarket · 2
- food city 631, elizabethton
- ingles markets 397, elizabethton
Farmers' Market · 1
- elizabethton farmers market, elizabethton
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- latham farms produce, elizabethton
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- bryant beef, watauga
Small Grocery Store · 1
- lamberts produce, elizabethton
Super Store · 1
- walmart 690, elizabethton
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Tennessee
One of 94 counties in Tennessee, 6 are shown here.
Compare Carter County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Counties near Carter County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Carter County, both outside Tennessee so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside TN (47.0% here).
- Arkansas County, AR · 47.0% low-access
- Arkansas County, AR · 47.0% low-access
- Chesterfield County, VA · 47.2% low-access
- Petersburg city, VA · 46.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside TN (14.3% here).
- San Patricio County, TX · 14.3% SNAP
- San Patricio County, TX · 14.3% SNAP
- Somerset County, PA · 14.3% SNAP
- Somerset County, PA · 14.3% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Carter County inside a higher low-access state context
Carter County sits inside Tennessee (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Carter County, TN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 47019. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.