County food-access profile · South Carolina
Chesterfield County, SC
Chesterfield 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.
- 11.1%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 18.0%
- on SNAP
- 44K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
11.1% of Chesterfield County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 9.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 20.3%
- 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).
Chesterfield County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 11.1% per the USDA Atlas. 3 of the county's 10 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 5,184 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,070 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 Chesterfield County compares nationally
Chesterfield County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 11.1% low-access share that beats 23% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,404).
Chesterfield County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Chesterfield County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Chesterfield County vs. other South Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Carolina
- Chesterfield 11.1
Chesterfield County, SC
11.1 % 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 | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 46,734 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 5,184 |
| Low-Access Share | 11.1%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,070 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 43,784 |
| Median Household Income | $49,235 |
| Poverty Rate | 20.3%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,158 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 18.0%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.0%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.9% |
About 18.0% of Chesterfield County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 11.1% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 18.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,158 households here.
- 9.0% 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 Chesterfield County
near the national share
2 of Chesterfield County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 20.0% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.
An estimated 5,184 residents, roughly 11.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,070 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 7 tracts (70.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Chesterfield County
Chesterfield County has 64 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 33 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 33
- blue sky mart, pageland
- carolina convenience store, pageland
- cheraw food mart no, cheraw
- cheraw g8, cheraw
- corner cupboard 5, cheraw
- curtis mini mart 17303, chesterfield
- e z quick, jefferson
- fast point food & gas, cheraw
- flash market 17302, pageland
- flash market 17304, chesterfield
- high point one stop, pageland
- in & out mini-mart, pageland
- in and out convenience store, cheraw
- jefferson food, jefferson
- jefferson food market, jefferson
- love's travel stop 847, pageland
- markette, patrick
- mccrays country cupboard, pageland
- money saver, cheraw
- murphy usa 7459, cheraw
- refuel 1021, cheraw
- refuel 1026, mcbee
- refuel 1027, mcbee
- refuel 1040, pageland
- refuel 1041, pageland
- refuel 1042, chesterfield
- refuel 1141, cheraw
- refuel 1147, chesterfield
- sav way, cheraw
- stop & shop food mart, cheraw
- t & t country stop, mcbee
- teals mill mini mart, cheraw
- town & country grocery, pageland
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- cvs pharmacy 3565, cheraw
- cvs pharmacy 5541, pageland
- dollar general 1165, chesterfield
- dollar general 1960, cheraw
- dollar general 4772, pageland
- dollartree plus 8991, chesterfield
- dollar general 12100, mcbee
- dollar general 13015, jefferson
- dollar general 13427, patrick
- dollar general 20444, mt croghan
- dollar general 21442, cheraw
- dollar general 24823, pageland
- dollar general 30204, chesterfield
- dollar general 30772, pageland
- dollar tree 3650, cheraw
- dollar tree 8355, pageland
- family dollar 12932, mcbee
- family dollar 13198, mcbee
- family dollar 7458, jefferson
- family dollar store 4655, chesterfield
- family dollar store 522, pageland
- rose's express 664, cheraw
Supermarket · 3
- food lion 1267, pageland
- kj's market-pageland 602, pageland
- piggly wiggly 39, chesterfield
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 2
- nicholson farms at pageland farmers market, pageland
- sellers farm produce, chesterfield
Super Store · 2
- cheraw iga 657, cheraw
- walmart 642, cheraw
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- foodshare chesterfield county, chesterfield
Small Grocery Store · 1
- mom & pop's grocery, cheraw
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in South Carolina
Compare Chesterfield County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, South Carolina in context
Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Chesterfield County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Chesterfield County? ▼
Is Chesterfield County a food desert? ▼
What share of Chesterfield 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.