County food-access profile · Alabama
Elmore County, AL
Elmore 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.
- 19.0%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 10.5%
- on SNAP
- 90K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
19.0% of Elmore County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 3.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.3%
- 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).
Elmore County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 19.0% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 15 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 15,066 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,953 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 Elmore County compares nationally
Elmore County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 19.0% low-access share that beats 44% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,769).
Elmore County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 15 census tracts in Elmore County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Elmore County vs. other Alabama counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Alabama
- Elmore
Elmore County, AL
19 % low-access
- Autauga
Autauga County, AL
33.9 % low-access
- Baldwin
Baldwin County, AL
25.1 % low-access
- Barbour
Barbour County, AL
20.5 % low-access
- Bibb 1.6
Bibb County, AL
1.6 % low-access
- Blount 6.8
Blount County, AL
6.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 15 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 79,303 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 15,066 |
| Low-Access Share | 19.0%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,953 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 89,526 |
| Median Household Income | $78,243 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,465 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.7% |
About 10.5% of Elmore County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 19.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,465 households here.
- 3.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Elmore County
near the national share
1 of Elmore County's 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 6.7% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 15,066 residents, roughly 19.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,953 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (73.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Elmore County
Elmore County has 90 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 37 locations (41% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 37
- cvs pharmacy 4865, wetumpka
- cvs pharmacy 4909, millbrook
- cvs pharmacy 4943, tallassee
- dollar general 18647, eclectic
- dollar general 2965, wetumpka
- dollar general 3786, millbrook
- dollar general 4008, tallassee
- dollar general 9090, millbrook
- dollartree 9577, millbrook
- dollar general 10157, deatsville
- dollar general 11576, deatsville
- dollar general 12753, tallassee
- dollar general 12824, wetumpka
- dollar general 13369, deatsville
- dollar general 13654, wetumpka
- dollar general 15183, wetumpka
- dollar general 16298, wetumpka
- dollar general 20157, titus
- dollar general 21776, wetumpka
- dollar general 23668, millbrook
- dollar general 24174, tallassee
- dollar general 24515, wetumpka
- dollar general 24630, wetumpka
- dollar general 31234, wetumpka
- dollar general 31323, wetumpka
- dollar general store 17060, elmore
- dollar general store 8517, eclectic
- dollar tree 2331, millbrook
- dollar tree 3443, wetumpka
- dollar tree 5148, tallassee
- evans homegrown produce 1, eclectic
- family dollar 10649, millbrook
- family dollar 12620, eclectic
- family dollar 13879, tallassee
- piggly wiggly, eclectic
- walgreens 10664, wetumpka
- walgreens 11389, millbrook
Convenience Store · 35
- 3210 main street mart, millbrook
- beeline 421, millbrook
- circle k 2709068, millbrook
- circle k store 2706630, millbrook
- el charrito latino 1, millbrook
- g-mart, eclectic
- kim's korner mart, titus
- kwik sack, wetumpka
- kwik shop, millbrook
- kwik shop, millbrook
- kwik shops 122, wetumpka
- kwik shops 126, wetumpka
- lakeside marathon, wetumpka
- marathon, tallassee
- marathon, wetumpka
- marathon gas station, elmore
- metro petro, millbrook
- millbrook chevron, millbrook
- murphy usa 6907, wetumpka
- murphy usa 7502, millbrook
- quick stop, eclectic
- redland market, wetumpka
- sai path inc, titus
- slapout marathon, wetumpka
- spring view food mart, millbrook
- stop n shop, wetumpka
- store 89, tallassee
- tallassee petro gas station, tallassee
- tallassee eagle, tallassee
- tallassee marathon, tallassee
- tienda la estrella, millbrook
- united food and fuel 18, elmore
- weoka road mini mart, wetumpka
- wetumpka pacecar, wetumpka
- wetumpka raceway 6714, wetumpka
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 76107, wetumpka
- east tallassee super foods 457, tallassee
- publix alabama, llc 2002, millbrook
- publix alabama, llc 2010, wetumpka
- the boy's store, wetumpka
- winn-dixie 428, wetumpka
- winn-dixie 451, millbrook
Super Store · 5
- food outlet - millbrook, millbrook
- tallassee super foods, tallassee
- walmart s/c 1101, wetumpka
- walmart supercenter 1057, tallassee
- walmart supercenter 4318, millbrook
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 2
- durham produce, tallassee
- slapout produce llc, deatsville
Small Grocery Store · 2
- nancys thai market, wetumpka
- tienda guatemaya llc 1, millbrook
Large Grocery Store · 1
- firetower grocery, wetumpka
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- millbrook meat store, millbrook
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Alabama
Compare Elmore County vs Autauga County → · All Alabama counties →
Food access nationally, Alabama in context
Elmore County sits inside Alabama (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 Elmore County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Elmore County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Elmore County? ▼
Is Elmore County a food desert? ▼
What share of Elmore 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.