County food-access profile · Georgia
Fayette County, GA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Fayette 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).
- 36.7%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 4.8%
- on SNAP
- 122K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
36.7% of Fayette County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 14
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 3.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 5.6%
- 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 Fayette County's low-access share at 36.7%, above the national share. 14 of the county's 20 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 39,118 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 Fayette County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Fayette County's 36.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 83% of them and ranked #531 most-affected nationwide.
Fayette County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Fayette County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Fayette County vs. other Georgia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia
- Fayette
Fayette County, GA
36.7 % 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) | 106,567 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 14 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 39,118 |
| Low-Access Share | 36.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,275 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 122,244 |
| Median Household Income | $111,978 |
| Poverty Rate | 5.6%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,145 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.8%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.7% |
About 4.8% of Fayette County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 36.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 4.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,145 households here.
- 3.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $111,978 with a 5.6% 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 Fayette County
above the national share
A further 14 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 14.
An estimated 39,118 residents, roughly 36.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 6,275 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 Fayette County
Fayette County has 75 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 27 locations (36% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 27
- alpinewoods store investments inc, fayetteville
- bp food mart, fayetteville
- corinth road food mart, jonesboro
- cornerstone chevron 0, fayetteville
- dollys store, tyrone
- fayette village bp, fayetteville
- fayetteville chevron food mart, fayetteville
- flash foods llc 274243, fayetteville
- flash foods llc 274244, fayetteville
- flash foods llc 2745124, fayetteville
- flash foods llc 2745125, peachtree city
- paw paw's bp, fayetteville
- petrol point station no, peachtree city
- pit stop 28, peachtree city
- quiktrip 807, fayetteville
- race trac 192, fayetteville
- racetrac 2318, peachtree city
- racetrac 2575 2575, fayetteville
- s-mart, fayetteville
- shell food mart, fayetteville
- shell food mart, fayetteville
- shop at stevens entry, peachtree city
- sinan express, fayetteville
- trillium wood inc, fayetteville
- tyrone bp, tyrone
- village store, peachtree city
- woolsey chevron foodmart, fayetteville
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- cvs pharmacy 2544, peachtree city
- cvs pharmacy 4760, fayetteville
- cvs pharmacy 7068, tyrone
- dollar general 1281, fayetteville
- dollar general 19546, fayetteville
- dollar tree 4052, peachtree city
- dollartree 9498, fayetteville
- dollar general 12190, jonesboro
- dollar general 6163, tyrone
- dollar general store 17568, fayetteville
- dollar tree 2158, fayetteville
- dollar tree 7704, fayetteville
- dollar tree 7890, tyrone
- dollar tree 8876, peachtree city
- family dollar 11060, fayetteville
- family dollar store 8582, fayetteville
- mama put african grocery store, fayetteville
- walgreen 06372, fayetteville
- walgreens 06371, fayetteville
- walgreens 12554, peachtree city
- walgreens 17189, fayetteville
- walgreens 17952, peachtree city
Supermarket · 12
- aldi 76007 76007, peachtree city
- aldi 76052, fayetteville
- food depot 38, fayetteville
- ingles markets 443, fayetteville
- publix 0892, tyrone
- publix 1087, fayetteville
- publix 546, peachtree city
- publix 579, fayetteville
- publix 0799, peachtree city
- sprouts farmers market 524, peachtree city
- trader joe's peachtree city 800, peachtree city
- the fresh market 128, peachtree city
Super Store · 9
- eden fresh market, fayetteville
- kroger 315, fayetteville
- kroger 388, peachtree city
- kroger 422, peachtree city
- kroger 490, fayetteville
- target store t-2129, peachtree city
- target store t-778, fayetteville
- walmart 594, fayetteville
- walmart s/c 3461, peachtree city
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- el rincon latino, peachtree city
- j mart, peachtree city
- papa murphy's take and bake ga019, fayetteville
Seafood Specialty · 1
- best seafood direct market, fayetteville
Small Grocery Store · 1
- vine flavors int'l market, fayetteville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Georgia
Compare Fayette County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Food access nationally, Georgia in context
Fayette 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 Fayette County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Fayette County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Fayette County? ▼
Is Fayette County a food desert? ▼
What share of Fayette 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.