County food-access profile · South Carolina
Darlington County, SC
Darlington 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.
- 12.5%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 19.5%
- on SNAP
- 63K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
12.5% of Darlington County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 10.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 21.1%
- 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).
Darlington County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 12.5% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 16 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 8,576 residents who live far from a supermarket. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,720 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 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).
Darlington County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 16 census tracts in Darlington County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Darlington County vs. other South Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Carolina
- Darlington 12.5
Darlington County, SC
12.5 % low-access
- Abbeville
Abbeville County, SC
20.4 % low-access
- Aiken
Aiken County, SC
29.1 % low-access
- Allendale 2.3
Allendale County, SC
2.3 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, SC
36.1 % low-access
- Bamberg
Bamberg County, SC
27.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 16 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 68,681 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,576 |
| Low-Access Share | 12.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,720 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 62,558 |
| Median Household Income | $48,581 |
| Poverty Rate | 21.1%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,986 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.5%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 10.4%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.9% |
About 19.5% of Darlington County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 12.5% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 19.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,986 households here.
- 10.4% 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 Darlington County
near the national share
5 of Darlington County's 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 31.3% of all its tracts.
An estimated 8,576 residents, roughly 12.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,720 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (68.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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 retailers.
Other Counties in South Carolina
Compare Darlington County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, South Carolina in context
Darlington County sits inside South Carolina (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 Darlington County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Darlington County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Darlington County? ▼
Is Darlington County a food desert? ▼
What share of Darlington 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.