PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Mississippi

Copiah County, MS

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Copiah 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).

28.5%
low-access pop.
5
food-desert tracts
18.0%
on SNAP
28K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MS

The food-access picture

28.5% of Copiah County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

6
low-access tracts
4K
food-desert residents
8.1%
households, no vehicle
23.0%
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 Copiah County's low-access share at 28.5%, above the national share. 6 of the county's 6 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 8,394 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,012 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 Copiah County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Copiah County's 28.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,050 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Copiah County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 6 census tracts in Copiah 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 Copiah County, MS USDA-defined food-access tiers: 0 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 5 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 6 tracts evaluated. 1 tracts limited (16.7%) 5 tracts severe / food desert (83.3%) Adequate 0% Limited 17% Severe 83% Food-access tier distribution: Copiah County, MS
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Copiah County vs. other Mississippi counties

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

% 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 Copiah County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts6
Atlas Population (2010 basis)29,449
Low-Access Tracts6
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)5
Low-Access Population8,394
Low-Access Share28.5%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population4,012

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Copiah County
IndicatorValue
Population27,855
Median Household Income$49,089
Poverty Rate23.0%well above the national average
SNAP Households1,811
SNAP Participation Rate18.0%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle8.1%near the national average
Group-Quarters Population3.8%
SNAP participation in Copiah County 18.0%

About 18.0% of Copiah County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 28.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 18.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,811 households here.
  • 8.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 5 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 Copiah County

above the national share

5 of Copiah County's 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 83.3% of all its tracts.

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.

An estimated 8,394 residents, roughly 28.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 4,012 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

SNAP retailers in Copiah County

Copiah County has 36 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 18 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 18

  • 2755 fuel plaza llc, crystal springs
  • 55 travel plaza llc, hazlehurst
  • a & j food store, hazlehurst
  • a food mart, hazlehurst
  • bendicion llc, hazlehurst
  • bluesky 493, hazlehurst
  • crystal food llc, crystal springs
  • ekam 10, crystal springs
  • fleetway 161, crystal springs
  • g citgo mart, hazlehurst
  • hazlehurst shell, hazlehurst
  • me gas & food, crystal springs
  • ms gas and food, crystal springs
  • murphy express 8548, hazlehurst
  • rb one stop 1, hazlehurst
  • sak n pak, crystal springs
  • the c store 400, crystal springs
  • walkers quick stop, hermanville

Combination Grocery/Other · 10

  • dollar general 0629, hazlehurst
  • dollar general 10068, wesson
  • dollar general 11966, georgetown
  • dollar general 25086, wesson
  • dollar general 25642, hazlehurst
  • dollar tree 4255, hazlehurst
  • family dollar 11941, wesson
  • family dollar 4302, hazlehurst
  • family dollar store 2941, crystal springs
  • walgreens 12154, hazlehurst

Super Store · 2

  • dollar general market 14081, crystal springs
  • walmart supercenter 954, hazlehurst

Supermarket · 2

  • ramey's 17, crystal springs
  • wilson meat house, inc., crystal springs

Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1

  • red barn produce, crystal springs

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • hart's grocery, hazlehurst

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • carniceria y taqueria 2 hermanos inc, hazlehurst

Seafood Specialty · 1

  • the seafood shack of mississippi, hazlehurst

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Mississippi

Adams County
28.3% low-access · 16.5% SNAP
Alcorn County
18.9% low-access · 16.1% SNAP
Amite County
13.9% low-access · 15.2% SNAP
Attala County
27.1% low-access · 15.6% SNAP
Benton County
35.7% low-access · 17.2% SNAP
Bolivar County
50.9% low-access · 26.0% SNAP

Compare Copiah County vs Adams County → · All Mississippi counties →

Food access nationally, Mississippi in context

Copiah County sits inside Mississippi (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 Copiah County has low food access? ▼
28.5% of residents in Copiah County, MS 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 Copiah County? ▼
18.0% of households in Copiah County receive SNAP, covering 1,811 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Copiah County? ▼
The poverty rate in Copiah County, MS is 23.0%, with a median household income of $49,089 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Copiah County a food desert? ▼
5 of Copiah County's 6 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 Copiah County households lack a vehicle? ▼
8.1% of households in Copiah 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.