PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Tennessee

Coffee County, TN

Coffee 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.

13.7%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
11.7%
on SNAP
60K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 TN

The food-access picture

13.7% of Coffee County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

5
low-access tracts
3K
food-desert residents
4.2%
households, no vehicle
17.4%
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).

Coffee County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 13.7% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 12 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 7,255 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,798 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 Coffee County compares nationally

Coffee County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.7% low-access share that beats 29% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,224).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Coffee County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 12 census tracts in Coffee County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Coffee County, TN USDA-defined food-access tiers: 7 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 12 tracts evaluated. 7 tracts adequate (58.3%) 3 tracts limited (25.0%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (16.7%) Adequate 58% Limited 25% Severe 17% Food-access tier distribution: Coffee County, TN
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Coffee County vs. other Tennessee counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee

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

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Coffee County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts12
Atlas Population (2010 basis)52,796
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population7,255
Low-Access Share13.7%below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population2,798

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Coffee County
IndicatorValue
Population59,710
Median Household Income$61,505
Poverty Rate17.4%above the national average
SNAP Households2,706
SNAP Participation Rate11.7%near the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.2%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.1%
SNAP participation in Coffee County 11.7%

About 11.7% of Coffee County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 13.7% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 11.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,706 households here.
  • 4.2% 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 Coffee County

near the national share

2 of Coffee County's 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 16.7% of all its tracts.

A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.

An estimated 7,255 residents, roughly 13.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 2,798 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 7 tracts (58.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Coffee County

Coffee County has 76 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 44 locations (58% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 44

  • 2 go market, manchester
  • 7-eleven 42022h, tullahoma
  • bens lakewood market, beechgrove
  • brothers local market, tullahoma
  • busy corner truck stop 9, manchester
  • circle k 4703711, manchester
  • circle k 4703713, manchester
  • circle k 4703715, manchester
  • circle k 4703717, manchester
  • gas & go, manchester
  • hilltop market, manchester
  • i-24 truck plaza 13, manchester
  • j & k travel center, manchester
  • lank and nick's market, hillsboro
  • lighthouse grocery 2, tullahoma
  • love's travel stop 764, hillsboro
  • mapco 3671, tullahoma
  • manchester market and deli, manchester
  • manchester tobaco outlet 1, manchester
  • mapco 872, tullahoma
  • marathon market deli, manchester
  • murphy express 8664, tullahoma
  • murphy usa 6671, manchester
  • neil's food mart, tullahoma
  • oak market 16, manchester
  • one stop food, tullahoma
  • one stop shop market, manchester
  • par 4 market, manchester
  • quik mart 12, manchester
  • quik mart 3, tullahoma
  • quik stop, tullahoma
  • raceway 930, manchester
  • reliance, tullahoma
  • short stop market, manchester
  • short stop market, tullahoma
  • south jackson discount tobacco minimart, tullahoma
  • speedway 1699, manchester
  • speedway 7104, manchester
  • speedway 7171, tullahoma
  • stop n go, tullahoma
  • top stop market, manchester
  • united food and gas of tullahoma, tullahoma
  • vados market, manchester
  • west lincoln market, tullahoma

Combination Grocery/Other · 18

  • cvs pharmacy 4466, tullahoma
  • dollar general #2239 2236, tullahoma
  • dollar general 19857, manchester
  • dollar general 4129, tullahoma
  • dollartree 09724, tullahoma
  • dollar general 11923, manchester
  • dollar general 12406, hillsboro
  • dollar general 127, manchester
  • dollar general 13798, manchester
  • dollar general 16467, manchester
  • dollar general 21794, beech grove
  • dollar general 21955, tullahoma
  • dollar general 22118, manchester
  • dollar general 3522, manchester
  • dollar tree 4236, manchester
  • dollar tree 501, tullahoma
  • walgreens 06340, tullahoma
  • walgreens 9208, manchester

Supermarket · 6

  • aldi 70054 70054, tullahoma
  • food lion 0722, manchester
  • food lion 1067, tullahoma
  • houchens save-a-lot 665, manchester
  • publix 1613, tullahoma
  • spring street market, manchester

Super Store · 3

  • kroger co #00561-e 561, tullahoma
  • walmart 667, tullahoma
  • walmart supercenter 308, manchester

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • green market 1, manchester
  • hillsboro food company, hillsboro

Small Grocery Store · 2

  • fuente de vida mini super, manchester
  • mercados patty, manchester

Military Commissary · 1

  • arnold afb commissary 202, arnold afb

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Tennessee

Anderson County
10.9% low-access · 11.9% SNAP
Bedford County
23.0% low-access · 10.2% SNAP
Benton County
12.6% low-access · 15.8% SNAP
Bledsoe County
4.7% low-access · 18.1% SNAP
Blount County
30.1% low-access · 5.9% SNAP
Bradley County
32.9% low-access · 11.7% SNAP

Compare Coffee County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →

Food access nationally, Tennessee in context

Coffee County sits inside Tennessee (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Coffee County has low food access? ▼
13.7% of residents in Coffee County, TN live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Coffee County? ▼
11.7% of households in Coffee County receive SNAP, covering 2,706 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Coffee County? ▼
The poverty rate in Coffee County, TN is 17.4%, with a median household income of $61,505 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Coffee County a food desert? ▼
2 of Coffee County's 12 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Coffee County households lack a vehicle? ▼
4.2% of households in Coffee County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.