County food-access profile · Georgia
Cherokee County, GA
Cherokee 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.
- 41.2%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 3.5%
- on SNAP
- 281K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
41.2% of Cherokee County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 26 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 18
- low-access tracts
- 15K
- food-desert residents
- 2.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.0%
- 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).
Cherokee County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 41.2% is well above the national share. 18 of the county's 26 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 88,412 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 15,116 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 Cherokee County compares nationally
Cherokee County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 41.2% low-access share outpaces 88% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #364 most-affected nationwide.
Cherokee County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 26 census tracts in Cherokee County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Cherokee County vs. other Georgia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia
- Cherokee
Cherokee County, GA
41.2 % 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 | 26 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 214,346 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 18 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 88,412 |
| Low-Access Share | 41.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 15,116 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 281,032 |
| Median Household Income | $108,115 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.0%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,534 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 3.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 2.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.7% |
About 3.5% of Cherokee County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 41.2% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 3.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,534 households here.
- 2.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Cherokee County
well above the national share
2 of Cherokee County's 26 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 7.7% of all its tracts.
A further 16 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 18.
An estimated 88,412 residents, roughly 41.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 15,116 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (30.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Cherokee County
Cherokee County has 128 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 58 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 58
- 19th hole chevron, canton
- 6045 hwy 92 llc, acworth
- 9595 mainstreet llc, woodstock
- arnoldmill chevron, woodstock
- ball ground chevron, ball ground
- bells ferry chevron, canton
- bells ferry valero, woodstock
- chevron at canton, canton
- chevron extra mile 001, acworth
- chevron food mart, woodstock
- circle k #148, acworth
- circle m food shop 60, acworth
- collins corner, acworth
- eelam boys llc, canton
- flash foods llc 2745095, woodstock
- h&m food mart, woodstock
- holiday food mart inc, acworth
- knox bridge foods, canton
- kwik serv #18, canton
- laxami mai, acworth
- mapco express, inc. 3509, acworth
- macedonia food store inc, canton
- mainstreet chevron, woodstock
- murphy express 8801, canton
- pj's hop-in, canton
- quiktrip 779, woodstock
- quiktrip 781, holly springs
- quiktrip 793, acworth
- quiktrip 801, woodstock
- quiktrip 1714, canton
- race trac 147, woodstock
- race trac 538, acworth
- race trac 543, canton
- race trac 75, canton
- race trac 80, woodstock
- racetrac 2331, canton
- racetrac 2388, woodstock
- racetrac 2502, holly springs
- racetrac 2582 2582, canton
- ramirez mini market, woodstock
- s & j food mart, woodstock
- sera and sangita inc., woodstock
- shell food mart, canton
- shree 0409 llc, canton
- sunoco food mart, woodstock
- sunrise market 101, canton
- supermarket las pinitas llc, woodstock
- teddy's market ball ground, ball ground
- teddy's market canton, canton
- tienda la encantada, canton
- tienda tikal, canton
- townlake texaco, woodstock
- union hill valero, canton
- waleska super thrift, waleska
- welcome foodmart, woodstock
- welcome foods, canton
- western way station, canton
- woodstock chevron, woodstock
Combination Grocery/Other · 28
- cvs pharmacy 2236, woodstock
- cvs pharmacy 2105, acworth
- cvs pharmacy 2470, canton
- cvs pharmacy 7273, canton
- cvs pharmacy 7888, canton
- dollar general 1280, canton
- dollar general 6740, canton
- dollar general 8073, woodstock
- dollar tree 6727, canton
- dollar general 10225, waleska
- dollar general 22718, woodstock
- dollar general 23135, canton
- dollar general 23645, canton
- dollar general 6256, ball ground
- dollar general 6891, canton
- dollar tree 1309, woodstock
- dollar tree 4553, canton
- dollar tree 484, woodstock
- dollar tree 7390, woodstock
- dollar tree 763, canton
- dollar tree 7680, woodstock
- dollar tree 9751, woodstock
- family dollar store 4697, canton
- walgreen 07396, canton
- walgreen's 07340, canton
- walgreens 17077, woodstock
- walgreens 9749, woodstock
- walgreens 9981, canton
Supermarket · 18
- aldi 45, canton
- aldi 74069 74069, woodstock
- aldi 76042, woodstock
- costa de jalisco- canton, canton
- food depot 39, acworth
- ingles markets 96, canton
- publix 0042, canton
- publix 1064, canton
- publix 1248, canton
- publix 463, woodstock
- publix 624, canton
- publix 636, woodstock
- publix 0694, canton
- publix 711, canton
- publix 880, woodstock
- sprouts farmers market 523, woodstock
- supermercado la villa, acworth
- tienda y carniceria ramirez, canton
Super Store · 17
- bj's membership club 146, woodstock
- costco wholesale 1295, woodstock
- kroger 291, acworth
- kroger 402, canton
- kroger 408, canton
- kroger 419, woodstock
- kroger 463, woodstock
- kroger store 430, woodstock
- kroger 680, canton
- lidl 1415, woodstock
- sam's club 8158, woodstock
- target store t-1780, woodstock
- target store 2476, canton
- walmart 518, canton
- walmart s/c 575, woodstock
- walmart supercenter 5275, woodstock
- walmart supercenter 5814, holly springs
Large Grocery Store · 3
- la villa panaderia, acworth
- tienda y carniceria mi pueblo, canton
- wilkes meat market of ball ground, ball ground
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- la villita bonita llc, woodstock
- mi favorita, woodstock
- mt olive crossing llc, white
Small Grocery Store · 1
- san rafael, canton
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Georgia
Compare Cherokee County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Food access nationally, Georgia in context
Cherokee 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 Cherokee County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Cherokee County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Cherokee County? ▼
Is Cherokee County a food desert? ▼
What share of Cherokee 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.