Signature · 20.5% SNAP (88th pct in FL)
Columbia County, FL
Columbia County stands out on SNAP (20.5%, +8.4 pts vs U.S.) with 13.1% low-access from USDA FARA 2019.
- 13.1%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 20.5%
- on SNAP
- 72K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Columbia County, FL
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-MODERATE 13.1% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -9.0 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 20.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 8% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Putnam County (+ 0.3 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Columbia County lands in the lower national band (13.1%, #2,260 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,260
- national by low-access %
- #53
- in FL
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 20.5% SNAP (88th pct in FL) (+8.4 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Columbia County compares nationally
Columbia County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.1% low-access share that beats 28% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,265).
Columbia County's lower-band USDA tier split
12 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Columbia County has 3 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.
Columbia County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Florida, not a full county-board reprint
- Glades
Glades 56.2%
56.2 % low-access
- Hendry 13.9
Hendry 13.9%
13.9 % low-access
- Putnam 13.4
Putnam 13.4%
13.4 % low-access
- Columbia 13.1
Columbia 13.1%
13.1 % low-access
- Suwannee 12
Suwannee 12%
12 % low-access
- Wakulla 10.7
Wakulla 10.7%
10.7 % low-access
- Gilchrist 0.1
Gilchrist 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 12 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 67,531 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,818 |
| Low-Access Share | 13.1%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,005 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 71,789 |
| Median Household Income | $59,205 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.7%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,611 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 20.5%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.8% |
Thick SNAP store book in Columbia County
Columbia County has 94 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 56 locations (60% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 56
- chevron 011, lake city
- chevron 299, lake city
- circle k 6618, lake city
- circle k 9831, lake city
- discount food mart, fort white
- fast track #3, lake city
- fast track foods 240, lake city
- flowers bakery outlet 50000057, lake city
- johnson & johnson 34, lake city
- kevin food mart, lake city
- lake city tiger mart chevron, lake city
- lake food store, lake city
- love's travel stop 724, lake city
- m&m food mart, fort white
- murphy oil 7708, lake city
- om shree 101 inc, lake city
- one stop chevron, lake city
- one stop chevron # 3, lake city
- one stop chevron 2, lake city
- pit stop, lake city
- pit stop #36, lake city
- pit stop 33, lake city
- pit stop 37, fort white
- pit stop 39, fort white
- pit stop food store, lake city
- saveway supermarket, lake city
- shop smart #2, high springs
- spring food store, lake city
- step in food mart, lake city
- stop n go, lake city
- stop n go 09, lake city
- stop n go 2, lake city
- stop n go 3, lake city
- stop n go 4, lake city
- stop ngo food store 12, lake city
- sunstop 303, lake city
- sunstop 304, lake city
- sunstop 305, lake city
- sunstop 307, lake city
- sunstop 309, lake city
- sunstop 310, lake city
- sunstop 311, lake city
- sunstop 313, lake city
- sunstop 314, lake city
- sunstop 315, fort white
- sunstop 323, lake city
- sunstop 327, lake city
- sunstop 328, lake city
- sunstop 329, lake city
- sunstop 333, lake city
- sunstop 337, lake city
- sunstop 338, lake city
- sunstop 341, lake city
- sunstop 342, lake city
- sunstop 344, lake city
- sunstop 352, lake city
Combination Grocery/Other · 25
- cvs pharmacy 1817, lake city
- cvs pharmacy 4357, lake city
- dollar general 10661, lake city
- dollar general 10962, lake city
- dollar general 18371, lake city
- dollar general 7614, lake city
- dollar general 7897, fort white
- dollar tree 6592, lake city
- dollar general 11562, lake city
- dollar general 11716, lake city
- dollar general 12133, lake city
- dollar general 12523, lake city
- dollar general 12851, lake city
- dollar general 1404, lake city
- dollar general 14979, lake city
- dollar general 17873, lake city
- dollar general 19930, lake city
- dollar general 20685, lake city
- dollar general 23068, lake city
- dollar tree 4922, lake city
- family dollar 10021, fort white
- family dollar 8949, lake city
- family dollar store 1134, lake city
- family dollar store 7993, lake city
- walgreens 6263, lake city
Super Store · 3
- harveys supermarket 1671, lake city
- save-a-lot 24132, lake city
- walmart 767, lake city
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 74102, lake city
- publix 1192, lake city
- winn dixie 0081, lake city
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- kc's produce, lake city
- nettles sausage, lake city
Seafood Specialty · 2
- kurdi fresh seafood market, lake city
- zebo's crab shack, lake city
Delivery Route · 1
- shaggy s seafood and more llc, lake city
Farmers' Market · 1
- faith farms, lake city
Small Grocery Store · 1
- taru food mart, lake city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Florida
One of 66 counties in Florida, 6 are shown here.
Compare Columbia County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →
Counties near Columbia County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Columbia County (20.5%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Florida.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside FL (13.1% here).
- Gladwin County, MI · 13.1% low-access
- Gladwin County, MI · 13.1% low-access
- Madison County, NC · 13.1% low-access
- Madison County, NC · 13.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside FL (20.5% here).
- Laurens County, GA · 20.5% SNAP
- Laurens County, GA · 20.5% SNAP
- Lamar County, AL · 20.5% SNAP
- Lamar County, AL · 20.5% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Columbia County inside a lower low-access state context
Columbia County sits inside Florida (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 Columbia County, FL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 12023. 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.