Signature · 1 LILA tracts (25% of tracts)
DeKalb County, TN
DeKalb County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (25% of the book) alongside 14.6% low-access.
- 14.6%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 13.2%
- on SNAP
- 21K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County DeKalb County, TN
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 14.6% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -7.5 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-TYPICAL 13.2% SNAP
- VEH-OK 7.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 25% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Crockett County ( -0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
DeKalb County lands in the lower national band (14.6%, #2,142 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,142
- national by low-access %
- #46
- in TN
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 1 LILA tracts (25% of tracts) .
How DeKalb County compares nationally
DeKalb County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.6% low-access share that beats 31% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,142).
DeKalb County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
DeKalb County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (3 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
DeKalb County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Tennessee, not a full county-board reprint
- Montgomery
Montgomery 47%
47 % low-access
- DeKalb 14.6
DeKalb 14.6%
14.6 % low-access
- Crockett 14.5
Crockett 14.5%
14.5 % low-access
- McMinn 14.5
McMinn 14.5%
14.5 % low-access
- Loudon 14.2
Loudon 14.2%
14.2 % low-access
- Macon 14
Macon 14%
14 % low-access
- Grainger 0
Grainger 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 18,723 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,740 |
| Low-Access Share | 14.6%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,343 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 20,959 |
| Median Household Income | $53,153 |
| Poverty Rate | 18.6%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,145 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.2%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
Other Counties in Tennessee
One of 94 counties in Tennessee, 6 are shown here.
Compare DeKalb County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Counties near DeKalb County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for DeKalb County, both outside Tennessee so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside TN (14.6% here).
- Comal County, TX · 14.6% low-access
- Muskogee County, OK · 14.6% low-access
- Stone County, MO · 14.6% low-access
- Montgomery County, KY · 14.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside TN (13.2% here).
- Falls County, TX · 13.2% SNAP
- Uintah County, UT · 13.2% SNAP
- Calhoun County, SC · 13.2% SNAP
- Wythe County, VA · 13.2% 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.
Tennessee among East South Central states
Tennessee ranks 1st of 4 East South Central states by population-weighted low-access (27.2%). DeKalb County, at 14.6%, runs 12.6 pts below the Tennessee rate.
- Tennessee 27.2%
- Mississippi 26.4%
- Alabama 24.5%
- Kentucky 19.8%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 DeKalb County, TN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 47041. 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.