County food-access profile · South Carolina
Cherokee County, SC
Cherokee 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.
- 11.5%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 14.1%
- on SNAP
- 57K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
11.5% of Cherokee County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 5.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 18.4%
- 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's low-access share sits near the national share, at 11.5% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 13 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 6,381 residents who live far from a supermarket. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,850 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 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).
Cherokee County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 13 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 South Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Carolina
- Cherokee 11.5
Cherokee County, SC
11.5 % low-access
- Abbeville
Abbeville County, SC
20.4 % low-access
- Aiken
Aiken County, SC
29.1 % low-access
- Allendale 2.3
Allendale County, SC
2.3 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, SC
36.1 % low-access
- Bamberg
Bamberg County, SC
27.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 55,342 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,381 |
| Low-Access Share | 11.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,850 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 56,647 |
| Median Household Income | $50,288 |
| Poverty Rate | 18.4%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,105 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.1%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
About 14.1% of Cherokee County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 11.5% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 14.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,105 households here.
- 5.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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
near the national share
4 of Cherokee County's 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 30.8% of all its tracts.
An estimated 6,381 residents, roughly 11.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,850 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (69.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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 retailers.
Other Counties in South Carolina
Compare Cherokee County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, South Carolina in context
Cherokee County sits inside South Carolina (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.