County food-access profile · Florida
Clay County, FL
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Clay 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).
- 34.7%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 8.6%
- on SNAP
- 228K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
34.7% of Clay County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 30 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 20
- low-access tracts
- 16K
- food-desert residents
- 3.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.2%
- 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 Clay County's low-access share at 34.7%, above the national share. 20 of the county's 30 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 66,319 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 16,385 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 Clay County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Clay County's 34.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 80% of them and ranked #612 most-affected nationwide.
Clay County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 30 census tracts in Clay County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Clay County vs. other Florida counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Florida
- Clay
Clay County, FL
34.7 % low-access
- Alachua 19.2
Alachua County, FL
19.2 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, FL
55.6 % low-access
- Bay
Bay County, FL
31.5 % low-access
- Bradford 1.1
Bradford County, FL
1.1 % low-access
- Brevard
Brevard County, FL
41.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 30 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 190,865 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 20 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 66,319 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 16,385 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 227,584 |
| Median Household Income | $87,820 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,240 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 8.6% of Clay County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 34.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,240 households here.
- 3.6% 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 Clay County
above the national share
3 of Clay County's 30 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.0% of all its tracts.
A further 17 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 20.
An estimated 66,319 residents, roughly 34.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 16,385 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 10 tracts (33.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Clay County
Clay County has 131 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 61 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 61
- 7-eleven 35652b, middleburg
- amoco express food mart, orange park
- circle k 2721285, green cove springs
- circle k 2721297, middleburg
- circle k 2726065, middleburg
- circle k 2726100, orange park
- circle k 2726211, keystone heights
- circle k 2726234, middleburg
- circle k 2726267, orange park
- circle k 2726286, middleburg
- circle k 2726290, middleburg
- circle k 2726295, orange park
- circle k 2726501, fleming island
- circle k 2726502, green cove springs
- circle k 2726508, keystone heights
- circle k 2726519, orange park
- cougar express, green cove springs
- easy stop food store, green cove springs
- flash foods llc 2745091, middleburg
- g8 stop, orange park
- gate petroleum 1145, orange park
- gate service station 1160, fleming island
- gate service station 1198, orange park
- grassroots natural market ii, inc., fleming island
- green cove food store, green cove springs
- green cove mobil, green cove springs
- green cove sunoco, green cove springs
- h & h discount beverage, green cove springs
- healthy living 4 u, keystone heights
- highway 17 beverages, green cove springs
- jaladeep inc dba sunoco, starke
- kay peter caribbean store, green cove springs
- keystone tobacco express, keystone heights
- la sabrosa grocery, orange park
- lake asbury food mart, green cove springs
- middleburg bp, middleburg
- middleburg bp, middleburg
- murphy usa 6686, orange park
- murphy usa 7406, middleburg
- murphy usa 7564, orange park
- one stop, keystone heights
- prime stop food 1006, orange park
- prime time food store 9, orange park
- race trac 141, middleburg
- race trac 196, orange park
- race trac 585, green cove springs
- racetrac 2684, middleburg
- rebel 827, orange park
- safeway, fleming island
- speedway 6514, orange park
- speedway 6542, midway
- speedway 6856, green cove springs
- speedway 6869, green cove springs
- speedway 6890, middleburg
- sunshine food express, fleming island
- sunshine food mart, green cove springs
- u mart, orange park
- wawa 5263, orange park
- wawa 5289, middleburg
- wawa 5328, orange park
- wells road exxon, orange park
Combination Grocery/Other · 42
- asian grocers 1, orange park
- cvs pharmacy 4627, keystone heights
- cvs pharmacy 3254, orange park
- cvs pharmacy 3486, orange park
- cvs pharmacy 4344, middleburg
- cvs pharmacy 5189, orange park
- corbitt's produce grocery & more, keystone heights
- dollar general 1401, keystone heights
- dollar general 2465, green cove springs
- dollar general 2478, orange park
- dollar general 3473, middleburg
- dollartree 10697, middleburg
- dollar general 13014, middleburg
- dollar general 15013, green cove springs
- dollar general 15197, middleburg
- dollar general 20616, orange park
- dollar general 21025, middleburg
- dollar general 21780, keystone heights
- dollar general 24115, green cove springs
- dollar general 24116, green cove springs
- dollar general 24925, middleburg
- dollar general 25298, jacksonville
- dollar general 712, orange park
- dollar general 7847, orange park
- dollar tree 3563, fleming island
- dollar tree 3890, middleburg
- dollar tree 5697, orange park
- dollar tree 6711, green cove springs
- dollar tree 7414, middleburg
- dollar tree 967, orange park
- dusty's seafood, green cove springs
- eury's market, orange park
- family dollar store 1706, keystone hgts
- family dollar store 4704, middleburg
- walgreen 09421, keystone heights
- walgreens 06744, middleburg
- walgreens 06928, orange park
- walgreens 10469, green cove springs
- walgreens 4081, orange park
- walgreens 4440, orange park
- walgreens 5297, orange park
- walgreens 6385, fleming island
Supermarket · 15
- aldi 74203, fleming island
- aldi 68, middleburg
- aldi 74098, orange park
- publix 0502, fleming island
- publix 0736, middleburg
- publix 1115, orange park
- publix 1169, orange park
- publix 668, orange park
- publix 1210, fleming island
- the fresh market 235, fleming island
- winn dixie 0008, orange park
- winn dixie 0040, orange park
- winn dixie 0093, middleburg
- winn dixie 138, green cv spgs
- winn-dixie 0135, green cv spgs
Super Store · 7
- bj's wholesale club 125, orange park
- rowes supermarket 6355, orange park
- target store t-1497, orange park
- walmart neighborhood market 5820, middleburg
- walmart s/c 2920, orange park
- walmart supercenter 1225, orange park
- walmart supercenter 3308, middleburg
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- el supremo grocery & meat market, green cove springs
- el supremo grocery & meat market blanding, orange park
- granary whole foods, orange park
Seafood Specialty · 2
- fisherman's dock, orange park
- seafood market, orange park
Farmers' Market · 1
- orange park farmer's & arts market, orange park
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Florida
Compare Clay County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →
Food access nationally, Florida in context
Clay County sits inside Florida (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 Clay County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Clay County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Clay County? ▼
Is Clay County a food desert? ▼
What share of Clay 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.