Signature · 4 LILA tracts (30.8% of tracts)

Cherokee County, SC

Cherokee County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 4 LILA tracts (30.8% of the book) alongside 11.5% low-access.

11.5%
low-access pop.
4
food-desert tracts
14.1%
on SNAP
57K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 SC

USDA FARA access plate

County Cherokee County, SC

LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE

  • LA-MODERATE 11.5% low-access
  • BELOW-NATIONAL -10.6 pts vs US
  • LILA-POCKET 4 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-HEAVY 14.1% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 5.4% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-DENSE 31% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Chesterfield County ( -0.4 pts)

Lower-band low-access

Cherokee County lands in the lower national band (11.5%, #2,367 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.

#2,367
national by low-access %
#34
in SC
4
low-access tracts
3K
food-desert residents

Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.

Signature read: 4 LILA tracts (30.8% of tracts) .

How Cherokee County compares nationally

Cherokee County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 11.5% low-access share that beats 24% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,377).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Cherokee County's lower-band USDA tier split

13 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 4 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Cherokee County, SC USDA-defined food-access tiers: 9 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 0 limited, 4 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 13 tracts evaluated. 9 tracts adequate (69.2%) 4 tracts severe / food desert (30.8%) Adequate 69% Limited 0% Severe 31% Food-access tier distribution: Cherokee County, SC
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Cherokee County has 4 urban and 9 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.

Cherokee County vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in South Carolina, not a full county-board reprint

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

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Cherokee County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts13
Atlas Population (2010 basis)55,342
Low-Access Tracts4
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)4
Low-Access Population6,381
Low-Access Share11.5%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population2,850

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Cherokee County
IndicatorValue
Population56,647
Median Household Income$50,288
Poverty Rate18.4%above the national average
SNAP Households3,105
SNAP Participation Rate14.1%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.4%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.0%

Thick SNAP store book in Cherokee County

Cherokee County has 68 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 41 locations (60% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 41

  • 150 food mart, gaffney
  • 7-eleven 41808h, blacksburg
  • 7-eleven 42686h, gaffney
  • a & d food mart, gaffney
  • auto stop 105, gaffney
  • corner stop #2, gaffney
  • carolina lines, gaffney
  • circle k 2723438, gaffney
  • circle k 2723959, gaffney
  • circle k 2723961, gaffney
  • corner stop # 6 -, gaffney
  • corner stop 1, gaffney
  • corner stop 9, blacksburg
  • corner store 1, gaffney
  • five point of sc llc, gaffney
  • fuel max gasoline 3, gaffney
  • gaffney mini mart 307, gaffney
  • gaffney stop and shop, gaffney
  • guanajuatos super market & taqueria, gaffney
  • hickory point, blacksburg
  • hwy 29 #2 foodmart, gaffney
  • jk's food mart, blacksburg
  • love's travel stops & country stores, inc 397, blacksburg
  • moms statelines, gaffney
  • murphy usa 6761, gaffney
  • p c mart 1017, gaffney
  • petro pointe 5, gaffney
  • pilot travel center 453, gaffney
  • pilot travel center 4566, blacksburg
  • pilot travel center 711, blacksburg
  • pops corner, gaffney
  • prishika llc, gaffney
  • prk 1 llc, gaffney
  • quick mart, blacksburg
  • quiktrip 1047, blacksburg
  • quiktrip 1120, gaffney
  • saveway 18, gaffney
  • spamgroupllc, gaffney
  • state line grocery, gaffney
  • sunny one stop, gaffney
  • h&k food mart 1, gaffney

Combination Grocery/Other · 17

  • cvs pharmacy 2555, gaffney
  • dollar general 11298, gaffney
  • dollar general 17685, gaffney
  • dollar general 18610, gaffney
  • dollar general 19527, gaffney
  • dollar general 1977, gaffney
  • dollar general 7260, gaffney
  • dollar general 7651, blacksburg
  • dollar general 11368, gaffney
  • dollar general 15960, gaffney
  • dollar general 20841, blacksburg
  • dollar general 25733, blacksburg
  • dollar general 30620, gaffney
  • dollar tree 1537, gaffney
  • family dollar store 46, gaffney
  • family dollar 11900, blacksburg
  • walgreens 9996, gaffney

Supermarket · 5

  • aldi 66010, gaffney
  • food lion 2105, blacksburg
  • food lion 63, gaffney
  • ingles markets 15, gaffney
  • ingles markets 203, gaffney

Super Store · 2

  • dollar general market 13349, gaffney
  • walmart supercenter 638, gaffney

Food Buying Co-op · 1

  • foodshare cherokee, gaffney

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • brown retail outlet, gaffney

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • sunnydale meats, gaffney

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).

Other Counties in South Carolina

One of 45 counties in South Carolina, 6 are shown here.

Compare Cherokee County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →

Counties near Cherokee County's lower low-access or SNAP band

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Cherokee County, both outside South Carolina so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside SC (11.5% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside SC (14.1% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Cherokee County inside a lower low-access state context

Cherokee County sits inside South Carolina (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 Cherokee County, SC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 45021. 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.