PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Georgia

Chattooga County, GA

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Chattooga 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).

37.5%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
18.8%
on SNAP
25K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 GA

The food-access picture

37.5% of Chattooga County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

3
low-access tracts
5K
food-desert residents
7.6%
households, no vehicle
21.2%
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 Chattooga County's low-access share at 37.5%, above the national share. 3 of the county's 6 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 9,753 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,477 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 Chattooga County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Chattooga County's 37.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 84% of them and ranked #504 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Chattooga County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 6 census tracts in Chattooga County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Chattooga County, GA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 3 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 0 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 6 tracts evaluated. 3 tracts adequate (50.0%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (50.0%) Adequate 50% Limited 0% Severe 50% Food-access tier distribution: Chattooga County, GA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Chattooga County vs. other Georgia counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Chattooga County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts6
Atlas Population (2010 basis)26,015
Low-Access Tracts3
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population9,753
Low-Access Share37.5%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population5,477

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Chattooga County
IndicatorValue
Population25,036
Median Household Income$50,285
Poverty Rate21.2%above the national average
SNAP Households1,724
SNAP Participation Rate18.8%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle7.6%near the national average
Group-Quarters Population6.0%
SNAP participation in Chattooga County 18.8%

About 18.8% of Chattooga County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 37.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 18.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,724 households here.
  • 7.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 3 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 Chattooga County

above the national share

3 of Chattooga County's 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 50.0% of all its tracts.

An estimated 9,753 residents, roughly 37.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 5,477 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 3 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Chattooga County

Chattooga County has 34 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 17

  • b&b market, trion
  • benny's 2, trion
  • bj's food mart #4 1, lyerly
  • borderline quick stop, lyerly
  • bulldog food mart, trion
  • circle k 2723521, summerville
  • circle k 2723658, summerville
  • corner store, summerville
  • gb & t food mart, trion
  • general food mart, summerville
  • gore food mart, summerville
  • la marquensita, trion
  • lyerly food mart, lyerly
  • mountain view grocery, trion
  • murphy usa 7816, trion
  • subligna food mart, summerville
  • wildlife quick stop, summerville

Combination Grocery/Other · 11

  • cvs pharmacy 4582, summerville
  • dollar general 10130, summerville
  • dollar general 2001, summerville
  • dollar general 2521, trion
  • dollar general 13562, lyerly
  • dollar general 18333, summerville
  • dollar general 31451, menlo
  • dollar general 9740, menlo
  • dollar general store 17119, trion
  • dollar tree 4562, summerville
  • family dollar store 178, summerville

Supermarket · 2

  • grocery outlet 40, summerville
  • ingles markets 416, summerville

Farmers' Market · 1

  • esther manor farmers' market nafmnp, summerville

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • lucky's supermarket, menlo

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • wright's meat processing, inc., summerville

Super Store · 1

  • walmart s/c 756, trion

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Georgia

Appling County
47.8% low-access · 19.6% SNAP
Atkinson County
23.5% low-access · 26.2% SNAP
Bacon County
3.3% low-access · 20.9% SNAP
Baker County
61.3% low-access · 15.2% SNAP
Baldwin County
24.6% low-access · 16.2% SNAP
Banks County
1.8% low-access · 9.0% SNAP

Compare Chattooga County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →

Food access nationally, Georgia in context

Chattooga County sits inside Georgia (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Chattooga County has low food access? ▼
37.5% of residents in Chattooga County, GA 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 Chattooga County? ▼
18.8% of households in Chattooga County receive SNAP, covering 1,724 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Chattooga County? ▼
The poverty rate in Chattooga County, GA is 21.2%, with a median household income of $50,285 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Chattooga County a food desert? ▼
3 of Chattooga County's 6 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Chattooga County households lack a vehicle? ▼
7.6% of households in Chattooga 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 (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.