PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Georgia

Effingham County, GA

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

22.2%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
7.8%
on SNAP
69K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 GA

The food-access picture

22.2% of Effingham County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.

3
low-access tracts
3K
food-desert residents
2.8%
households, no vehicle
6.8%
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 Effingham County's low-access share at 22.2%, above the national share. 3 of the county's 10 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 11,589 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.

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 Effingham County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Effingham County's 22.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 52% of them and ranked #1,518 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Effingham County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 10 census tracts in Effingham 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 Effingham County, GA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 7 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 10 tracts evaluated. 7 tracts adequate (70.0%) 3 tracts limited (30.0%) Adequate 70% Limited 30% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Effingham County, GA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Effingham County vs. other Georgia counties

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

% 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 Effingham County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts10
Atlas Population (2010 basis)52,250
Low-Access Tracts3
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population11,589
Low-Access Share22.2%near the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,414

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Effingham County
IndicatorValue
Population69,143
Median Household Income$88,438
Poverty Rate6.8%well below the national average
SNAP Households1,892
SNAP Participation Rate7.8%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle2.8%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.5%
SNAP participation in Effingham County 7.8%

About 7.8% of Effingham County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 22.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 7.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,892 households here.
  • 2.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • Median household income is $88,438 with a 6.8% poverty rate.

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 Effingham County

above the national share

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

An estimated 11,589 residents, roughly 22.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 3,414 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 7 tracts (70.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Effingham County

Effingham County has 53 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 33 locations (62% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 33

  • 1780 country store, bloomingdale
  • 76 rincon, rincon
  • blue jay food mart, rincon
  • chevron, bloomingdale
  • ebenezer chevron, rincon
  • el cheapo 61, guyton
  • gate service station 225, rincon
  • gurudev datta inc n/a, clyo
  • love's travel stop 819, rincon
  • mahant 7 inc, eden
  • marathon food, rincon
  • murphy express 8792, rincon
  • nouria 1283 highway 21 south 855, springfield
  • nouria 6188 highway 21 south 854, rincon
  • one stop, clyo
  • parker's 102, rincon
  • parker's 108, bloomingdale
  • parker's 40, rincon
  • parker's 92, guyton
  • parker's 97, bloomingdale
  • parker's 98, rincon
  • parkers 30, guyton
  • parkers 34, springfield
  • parkers 42, bloomingdale
  • prapti fuel stop inc, rincon
  • reyansh management #2, springfield
  • rincon country store, rincon
  • rudra bp, bloomingdale
  • shymagi, springfield
  • shree dutta inc, rincon
  • shyam food mart, eden
  • springfield bp, springfield
  • vherai llc 1, springfield

Combination Grocery/Other · 15

  • cvs pharmacy 7758, rincon
  • dollar general 17747, guyton
  • dollar general 3929, rincon
  • dollar general 4371, guyton
  • dollar general 4374, springfield
  • dollar general 10479, eden
  • dollar general 12439, guyton
  • dollar general 21352, clyo
  • dollar general 22263, guyton
  • dollar general 22294, rincon
  • dollar general 25069, springfield
  • dollar general store 17546, rincon
  • dollar tree 3910, rincon
  • family dollar store 3064, springfield
  • walgreens 10799, rincon

Super Store · 3

  • ken's iga 4, guyton
  • kroger 625, rincon
  • walmart 1011, rincon

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • woods seafood on laurel llc, springfield

Supermarket · 1

  • food lion 2826, springfield

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Georgia

Appling County
47.8% low-access · 19.6% SNAP
Atkinson County
23.5% low-access · 26.2% SNAP
Bacon County
3.3% low-access · 20.9% SNAP
Baker County
61.3% low-access · 15.2% SNAP
Baldwin County
24.6% low-access · 16.2% SNAP
Banks County
1.8% low-access · 9.0% SNAP

Compare Effingham County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →

Food access nationally, Georgia in context

Effingham County sits inside Georgia (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 Effingham County has low food access? ▼
22.2% of residents in Effingham County, GA 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 Effingham County? ▼
7.8% of households in Effingham County receive SNAP, covering 1,892 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Effingham County? ▼
The poverty rate in Effingham County, GA is 6.8%, with a median household income of $88,438 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Effingham County a food desert? ▼
0 of Effingham County's 10 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). No tracts here meet both conditions in the 2019 Atlas.
What share of Effingham County households lack a vehicle? ▼
2.8% of households in Effingham 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.