Signature · 5 LILA tracts (31.3% of tracts)

Darlington County, SC

Darlington County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 5 LILA tracts (31.3% of the book) alongside 12.5% low-access.

12.5%
low-access pop.
5
food-desert tracts
19.5%
on SNAP
63K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 SC

USDA FARA access plate

County Darlington County, SC

LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-DENSE

  • LA-MODERATE 12.5% low-access
  • BELOW-NATIONAL -9.6 pts vs US
  • LILA-POCKET 5 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-HEAVY 19.5% SNAP
  • VEH-GAP 10.4% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-DENSE 31% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Hampton County (+ 0.2 pts)

Lower-band low-access

Darlington County lands in the lower national band (12.5%, #2,299 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.

#2,299
national by low-access %
#33
in SC
5
low-access tracts
5K
food-desert residents

Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.

Signature read: 5 LILA tracts (31.3% of tracts) .

How Darlington County compares nationally

Darlington County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 12.5% low-access share that beats 26% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,305).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Darlington County's lower-band USDA tier split

16 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 5 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Darlington County, SC USDA-defined food-access tiers: 11 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 0 limited, 5 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 16 tracts evaluated. 11 tracts adequate (68.8%) 5 tracts severe / food desert (31.3%) Adequate 69% Limited 0% Severe 31% Food-access tier distribution: Darlington County, SC
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Darlington County has 6 urban and 10 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.

Darlington County vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in South Carolina, not a full county-board reprint

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

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Darlington County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts16
Atlas Population (2010 basis)68,681
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)5
Low-Access Population8,576
Low-Access Share12.5%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population4,720

ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Darlington County
IndicatorValue
Population62,558
Median Household Income$48,581
Poverty Rate21.1%above the national average
SNAP Households4,986
SNAP Participation Rate19.5%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle10.4%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.9%

Thick SNAP store book in Darlington County

Darlington County has 90 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 47 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 47

  • 151 travel center, darlington
  • circle k 2707228, hartsville
  • circle k 2723149, darlington
  • city food, darlington
  • corner pantry 104, hartsville
  • crosstown fuel, darlington
  • cruizers # 4, florence
  • cruizers 5, darlington
  • cruizers ix, hartsville
  • daily stop, darlington
  • diya food mart, lamar
  • eagle express#15, hartsville
  • ez shop, darlington
  • first stop, hartsville
  • fox corner, hartsville
  • hartsville food mart, hartsville
  • high hill quick fill, darlington
  • kens corner #9, lamar
  • kk's mart, hartsville
  • lotto palace il, hartsville
  • lucky point convenience store, hartsville
  • meera food mart, timmonsville
  • murphy usa 7693, hartsville
  • oates community store, lamar
  • pramukh two, lamar
  • refuel 1019, hartsville
  • refuel 1020, hartsville
  • refuel 1022, hartsville
  • refuel 1023, hartsville
  • refuel 1028, society hill
  • refuel 1029, lamar
  • refuel 1033, hartsville
  • refuel 1036, darlington
  • refuel 1037, florence
  • refuel 1038, hartsville
  • refuel 1044, hartsville
  • refuel 1065, darlington
  • refuel 1067, darlington
  • super mart, timmonsville
  • savers 2, hartsville
  • savway 2, hartsville
  • short trip 18, hartsville
  • sky mart, darlington
  • spring mart devyani, darlington
  • stoplight, hartsville
  • sunpoint 1, hartsville
  • young's 3609, darlington

Combination Grocery/Other · 32

  • cvs pharmacy 3821, hartsville
  • cvs pharmacy 4657, darlington
  • dollar general 13967, florence
  • dollar general 14077, hartsville
  • dollar general 18406, hartsville
  • dollar general 18605, hartsville
  • dollar general 18633, darlington
  • dollar general 18731, hartsville
  • dollar general 19628, darlington
  • dollar general 3127, hartsville
  • dollar general 4649, hartsville
  • dollar general 7093, hartsville
  • dollar general 7561, darlington
  • dollar general 9425, lamar
  • dollar general 11794, darlington
  • dollar general 15293, darlington
  • dollar general 20068, darlington
  • dollar general 20340, hartsville
  • dollar general 20559, hartsville
  • dollar general 25459, society hill
  • dollar general 30386, hartsville
  • dollar tree 1802, hartsville
  • dollar tree 6571, darlington
  • dollartree 6876, hartsville
  • family dollar store 6697, darlington
  • family dollar 11970, hartsville
  • family dollar 127, hartsville
  • family dollar 3614, darlington
  • family dollar 7561, lamar
  • scwfc community market, hartsville
  • walgreen 9737, darlington
  • walgreens 10329, hartsville

Super Store · 5

  • darlington iga 637, darlington
  • hartsville iga 673, hartsville
  • iga food center #62, hartsville
  • walmart supercenter 1135, hartsville
  • walmart supercenter 7188, darlington

Supermarket · 5

  • food lion 1428, darlington
  • food lion 2836, hartsville
  • piggly wiggly 170, darlington
  • piggly wiggly 196, lamar
  • piggly wiggly 277, hartsville

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • darlington packing co, darlington

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).

Other Counties in South Carolina

One of 45 counties in South Carolina, 6 are shown here.

Compare Darlington County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →

Counties near Darlington County's lower low-access or SNAP band

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Darlington County, both outside South Carolina so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside SC (12.5% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside SC (19.5% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Darlington County inside a lower low-access state context

Darlington County sits inside South Carolina (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 Darlington County, SC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 45031. 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.