County food-access profile · Georgia
Douglas County, GA
Douglas County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 43.0%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 12.8%
- on SNAP
- 148K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
43.0% of Douglas County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 14
- low-access tracts
- 20K
- food-desert residents
- 3.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.9%
- 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).
Douglas County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 43.0% is well above the national share. 14 of the county's 20 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 56,909 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 19,855 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 Douglas County compares nationally
Douglas County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 43.0% low-access share outpaces 90% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #316 most-affected nationwide.
Douglas County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Douglas County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Douglas County vs. other Georgia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia
- Douglas
Douglas County, GA
43 % 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) | 132,403 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 14 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 56,909 |
| Low-Access Share | 43.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 19,855 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 147,888 |
| Median Household Income | $82,984 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,682 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.8%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 12.8% of Douglas County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 43.0% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,682 households here.
- 3.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Douglas County
well above the national share
6 of Douglas County's 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 30.0% of all its tracts.
A further 8 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 14.
An estimated 56,909 residents, roughly 43.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 19,855 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (30.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Douglas County
Douglas County has 120 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 61 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 61
- 9600 quickmart, villa rica
- b m food mart n/a, douglasville
- bill arp marathon, douglasville
- blue sky business inc, lithia springs
- central food mart, winston
- chevron food mart, villa rica
- chevron food mart, douglasville
- chevron food mart, winston
- circle k store 1882, douglasville
- circle m food shop 47, lithia springs
- corn crib store, douglasville
- country store, douglasville
- dallas hwy texaco, douglasville
- douglasville food mart no, douglasville
- fairburn food mart, douglasville
- fairburn food store, douglasville
- fast n friendly, douglasville
- flowers bakery outlet 157, douglasville
- foodmart, douglasville
- fresh food mart, lithia springs
- global food mart, douglasville
- gloking enterprises inc, austell
- jp lee road 233, lithia springs
- kountry korner, douglasville
- kirat inc, lithia springs
- la tiendita supermarket, lithia springs
- lee road mart, lithia springs
- lithia food mart, lithia springs
- manis mart, lithia springs
- maxham bp, austell
- misha food inc, douglasville
- murphy usa 7548, lithia springs
- pak-shell, lithia springs
- park place grocery, douglasville
- petes convenience store, lithia springs
- petro mart, austell
- pop's corner, winston
- quick-serve, austell
- quiktrip 720, lithia springs
- quiktrip 758, douglasville
- quiktrip 808, douglasville
- quiktrip 1709, douglasville
- quiktrip 1723, douglasville
- r & r superette, douglasville
- reliance fuel, douglasville
- race trac 417, douglasville
- race trac 636, douglasville
- racetrac 2454, douglasville
- racetrac 688, lithia springs
- racetrac 619, douglasville
- sgc gas mart llc, austell
- shell food mart, douglasville
- shell food mart, douglasville
- shell food mart n/a, douglasville
- shell foodmart, winston
- skyview foodmart, lithia springs
- stop n shop, douglasville
- texaco food mart, douglasville
- texaco gas station, douglasville
- tienda el ejido 2 llc, lithia springs
- valero food mart, lithia springs
Combination Grocery/Other · 33
- cvs pharmacy 154, douglasville
- cvs pharmacy 5444, douglasville
- dollar general 13653, douglasville
- dollar general 13728, lithia springs
- dollar general 19460, douglasville
- dollar general 3399, douglasville
- dollar general 8138, douglasville
- dollar general 9332, douglasville
- dollartree 10243, lithia springs
- dollar general 11325, douglasville
- dollar general 15244, douglasville
- dollar general 16103, douglasville
- dollar general 22602, winston
- dollar general 23715, douglasville
- dollar general 24266, douglasville
- dollar general 9040, douglasville
- dollar tree 1388, douglasville
- dollar tree 269, douglasville
- dollar tree 6832, austell
- dollar tree 7953, douglasville
- eko plus african market llc, douglasville
- family dollar 12190, villa rica
- family dollar 12663, douglasville
- family dollar 3408, lithia springs
- family dollar 350, douglasville
- family dollar 7132, douglasville
- family dollar store 8652, lithia springs
- m&s wholesale and retail african int grocery, lithia springs
- seafood pot #2, douglasville
- walgreens 7337, lithia springs
- walgreens 10246, douglasville
- walgreens 10854, douglasville
- walgreens 17194, douglasville
Super Store · 9
- kroger 366, douglasville
- kroger 376, lithia springs
- kroger 391, douglasville
- kroger 485, douglasville
- kroger 616, douglasville
- sam's club 8211, douglasville
- target store 1172, douglasville
- walmart s/c 1488, douglasville
- walmart supercenter 3205, lithia springs
Supermarket · 8
- aldi 76011, douglasville
- food depot 40, douglasville
- food depot 52, douglasville
- ingles markets 414, douglasville
- ingles markets 432, douglasville
- publix 0730, lithia springs
- publix 1139, douglasville
- publix 485, douglasville
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- adom tropical market, douglasville
- carniceria la mexicana lithia springs inc, lithia springs
- la montana supermarket 2, douglasville
- la capital supermarket, douglasville
- super mi pueblo inc., austell
Small Grocery Store · 2
- caribbean market, douglasville
- sunrise caribbean fish meat and grocery store, douglasville
Farmers' Market · 1
- church st farmers market, douglasville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- douglasville retail meat 3, douglasville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Georgia
Compare Douglas County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Food access nationally, Georgia in context
Douglas 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 Douglas County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Douglas County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Douglas County? ▼
Is Douglas County a food desert? ▼
What share of Douglas 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.