PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Tennessee

Dyer County, TN

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

27.5%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
15.8%
on SNAP
37K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 TN

The food-access picture

27.5% of Dyer County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

3
low-access tracts
6K
food-desert residents
6.7%
households, no vehicle
16.3%
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 Dyer County's low-access share at 27.5%, above the national share. 3 of the county's 8 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 10,533 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,716 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 Dyer County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Dyer County's 27.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 64% of them and ranked #1,117 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Dyer County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 8 census tracts in Dyer 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 Dyer County, TN USDA-defined food-access tiers: 5 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 8 tracts evaluated. 5 tracts adequate (62.5%) 1 tracts limited (12.5%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (25.0%) Adequate 63% Limited 13% Severe 25% Food-access tier distribution: Dyer County, TN
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Dyer County vs. other Tennessee counties

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

% 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 Dyer County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts8
Atlas Population (2010 basis)38,335
Low-Access Tracts3
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population10,533
Low-Access Share27.5%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population5,716

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Dyer County
IndicatorValue
Population36,508
Median Household Income$58,154
Poverty Rate16.3%above the national average
SNAP Households2,336
SNAP Participation Rate15.8%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.7%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.5%
SNAP participation in Dyer County 15.8%

About 15.8% of Dyer County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 27.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 15.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,336 households here.
  • 6.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 2 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 Dyer County

above the national share

2 of Dyer County's 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 25.0% of all its tracts.

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.

An estimated 10,533 residents, roughly 27.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 5,716 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 5 tracts (62.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Dyer County

Dyer County has 45 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 24 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 24

  • all in one, dyersburg
  • care market, dyersburg
  • casey's general store 3092, dyersburg
  • corner market 2, dyersburg
  • dodge store 6607, dyersburg
  • duncan's food mart 1, newbern
  • gatlin's grocery, dyersburg
  • gordon's express, dyersburg
  • hilltop market, dyersburg
  • janice's salvage grocery, dyersburg
  • jr mart, dyersburg
  • love's travel stop 641, dyersburg
  • mini mart, dyersburg
  • murphy usa 7760, dyersburg
  • newbern corner mart, newbern
  • parkview amoco 4, dyersburg
  • rice grocery, tigrett
  • sai of dyersburg corporation, dyersburg
  • sarang inc, dyersburg
  • short stop 1, dyersburg
  • sunflower health food, dyersburg
  • t & b's grocery, dyersburg
  • tiger market 1, dyersburg
  • trimble food mart, trimble

Combination Grocery/Other · 15

  • cvs 10645, dyersburg
  • dollar general 11267, dyersburg
  • dollar general 11297, dyersburg
  • dollar general 18785, dyersburg
  • dollar general 2460, dyersburg
  • dollar general 6705, dyersburg
  • dollar general 7250, dyersburg
  • dollar general 16247, dyersburg
  • dollar general 18020, dyersburg
  • dollar general 2789, newbern
  • dollar general 30829, dyersburg
  • dollar tree 442, dyersburg
  • family dollar 3283, dyersburg
  • twice daily/white bison 3237, newbern
  • walgreens 9465, dyersburg

Super Store · 2

  • kroger food store 392, dyersburg
  • walmart 677, dyersburg

Supermarket · 2

  • dyersburg save a lot 21335, dyersburg
  • food rite 52, newbern

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • a cut above meats and market, dyersburg

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • el amigo, dyersburg

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Tennessee

Anderson County
10.9% low-access · 11.9% SNAP
Bedford County
23.0% low-access · 10.2% SNAP
Benton County
12.6% low-access · 15.8% SNAP
Bledsoe County
4.7% low-access · 18.1% SNAP
Blount County
30.1% low-access · 5.9% SNAP
Bradley County
32.9% low-access · 11.7% SNAP

Compare Dyer County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →

Food access nationally, Tennessee in context

Dyer County sits inside Tennessee (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 Dyer County has low food access? ▼
27.5% of residents in Dyer County, TN 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 Dyer County? ▼
15.8% of households in Dyer County receive SNAP, covering 2,336 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Dyer County? ▼
The poverty rate in Dyer County, TN is 16.3%, with a median household income of $58,154 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Dyer County a food desert? ▼
2 of Dyer County's 8 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 Dyer County households lack a vehicle? ▼
6.7% of households in Dyer 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.