County food-access profile · Georgia
Columbia County, GA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Columbia 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).
- 35.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 6.7%
- on SNAP
- 162K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
35.9% of Columbia County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 12
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
- 3.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.5%
- 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 Columbia County's low-access share at 35.9%, above the national share. 12 of the county's 20 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 44,521 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Columbia County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Columbia County's 35.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 82% of them and ranked #558 most-affected nationwide.
Columbia County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Columbia County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Columbia County vs. other Georgia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia
- Columbia
Columbia County, GA
35.9 % low-access
- Appling
Appling County, GA
47.8 % low-access
- Atkinson 23.5
Atkinson County, GA
23.5 % low-access
- Bacon 3.3
Bacon County, GA
3.3 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, GA
61.3 % low-access
- Baldwin
Baldwin County, GA
24.6 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 124,053 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 12 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 44,521 |
| Low-Access Share | 35.9%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,338 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 162,434 |
| Median Household Income | $95,592 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.5%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,669 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.7%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.6% |
About 6.7% of Columbia County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 35.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,669 households here.
- 3.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $95,592 with a 7.5% poverty rate.
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 Columbia County
above the national share
A further 12 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 12.
An estimated 44,521 residents, roughly 35.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,338 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (40.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Columbia County
Columbia County has 100 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 40 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 40
- am pm convenience stores, inc 2, grovetown
- circle k store 2725, evans
- circle k 2701875, grovetown
- circle k 4464, grovetown
- circle k 5375, augusta
- circle k 5382, martinez
- circle k 5586, appling
- circle k store 0889, augusta
- circle k store 3167, augusta
- circle k store 3177, evans
- circle k store 3182, evans
- circle k store 3185, augusta
- circle k store 5342, augusta
- circle k store 5343, augusta
- circle k store 5374, grovetown
- circle k store 5381, evans
- circle k store 5587, evans
- express gas, augusta
- gas pro 3 3, grovetown
- gas pro columbia road, grovetown
- harlem express, harlem
- harlem mini mart, harlem
- jet food store 87, appling
- jet food store 9, harlem
- k & m mart, grovetown
- murphy express 8566, augusta
- murphy express 8578, grovetown
- nouria 221 bobby jones expressway 833, augusta
- parker's 104, evans
- parker's 107, grovetown
- parker's 89, grovetown
- pilot travel center 144, augusta
- pilot travel center 65, augusta
- pumpkin center, harlem
- sprint 900720, augusta
- sprint 900721, augusta
- sprint 900733, harlem
- sprint 900749, grovetown
- the pumping station #18 18, evans
- z's oriental market, augusta
Combination Grocery/Other · 31
- cvs pharmacy 2359, augusta
- cvs pharmacy 2407, evans
- cvs pharmacy 8960, evans
- cvs pharmacy 945, evans
- cvs pharmacy 4589, grovetown
- dollar general 1094, martinez
- dollar general 1257, evans
- dollar general 4954, grovetown
- dollar general 6115, augusta
- dollartree 10239, grovetown
- dollar general 10577, harlem
- dollar general 11587, grovetown
- dollar general 15094, appling
- dollar general 17190, appling
- dollar general 20562, harlem
- dollar general 22787, augusta
- dollar general 24880, harlem
- dollar general 24907, grovetown
- dollar general 30398, grovetown
- dollar general 30665, evans
- dollar tree 1134, evans
- dollar tree 4224, augusta
- dollar tree 7384, grovetown
- dollar tree 8477, grovetown
- dollar tree 9781, augusta
- family dollar 11864, grovetown
- family dollar store 4156, harlem
- walgreen 06395, martinez
- walgreens 10602, evans
- walgreens 15592, grovetown
- walgreens 7772, martinez
Super Store · 13
- kj's market-grovetown 697, grovetown
- kroger 294, martinez
- kroger 414, evans
- kj's market- harlem 654, harlem
- kroger 644, grovetown
- sam's club 8115, augusta
- target store t-2027, evans
- walmart 7339, grovetown
- walmart neighborhood market 4206, augusta
- walmart neighborhood market 5813, martinez
- walmart s/c 3570, evans
- walmart supercenter 1227, augusta
- walmart superstore 5735, grovetown
Supermarket · 9
- aldi 76019, grovetown
- aldi 76021, augusta
- cho ba mien asian market, augusta
- food lion 1596, augusta
- food lion 2143, grovetown
- publix 1286, evans
- publix 526, evans
- publix 534, martinez
- sprouts farmers market 528, augusta
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- augusta deshi grocery, augusta
- col-mex covenience store, grovetown
- kashmir bazaar inc 1, augusta
- la guadalajara #2, grovetown
Small Grocery Store · 2
- beauty smile, augusta
- tienda latina la chiapaneca, augusta
Farmers' Market · 1
- jarriel farms, augusta
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Georgia
Compare Columbia County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Food access nationally, Georgia in context
Columbia County sits inside Georgia (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 Columbia County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Columbia County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Columbia County? ▼
Is Columbia County a food desert? ▼
What share of Columbia 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.