County food-access profile · Florida
Flagler County, FL
Flagler 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.
- 52.0%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 7.6%
- on SNAP
- 127K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
52.0% of Flagler County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 14
- low-access tracts
- 17K
- food-desert residents
- 4.0%
- 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).
Flagler County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 52.0% 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 49,750 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 17,135 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 Flagler County compares nationally
Flagler County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 52.0% low-access share outpaces 94% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #183 most-affected nationwide.
Flagler County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Flagler County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Flagler County vs. other Florida counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Florida
- Flagler
Flagler County, FL
52 % low-access
- Alachua 19.2
Alachua County, FL
19.2 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, FL
55.6 % low-access
- Bay
Bay County, FL
31.5 % low-access
- Bradford 1.1
Bradford County, FL
1.1 % low-access
- Brevard
Brevard County, FL
41.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 95,696 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 14 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 49,750 |
| Low-Access Share | 52.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 17,135 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 126,528 |
| Median Household Income | $77,363 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,987 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.6% |
About 7.6% of Flagler County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 52.0% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,987 households here.
- 4.0% 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 Flagler County
well above the national share
2 of Flagler County's 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.0% of all its tracts.
A further 12 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 14.
An estimated 49,750 residents, roughly 52.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 17,135 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 Flagler County
Flagler County has 70 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 25 locations (36% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 25
- 7-eleven 35479a, flagler beach
- 7-eleven 37765a, palm coast
- circle k 2721229, flagler beach
- circle k 2721230, palm coast
- circle k 2721233, bunnell
- circle k 2721265, palm coast
- circle k 2721267, palm coast
- circle k 2721278, palm coast
- circle k 2721283, palm coast
- circle k 2721290, palm coast
- country cooler, bunnell
- flagler beach shell, flagler beach
- harbor food mart, palm coast
- plantation bp, bunnell
- quick king food store 24, bunnell
- quick king food stores 26, bunnell
- race trac 104, palm coast
- race trac 2419, palm coast
- sunlight food mart #9, palm coast
- sunlight food mart 11, palm coast
- sunlight food mart 3, bunnell
- sunlight food mart 7, palm coast
- sunoco food mart, bunnell
- wawa store 5310 5310, palm coast,
- wawa store 5425, palm coast
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- cvs pharmacy 3249, south palm coast
- cvs pharmacy 7964, flagler beach
- cvs pharmacy 8383, palm coast
- dollar general 4487, bunnell
- dollar general 8648, flagler beach
- dollartree 8961, flagler beach
- dollar general 15170, palm coast
- dollar general 20292, bunnell
- dollar general 20829, palm coast
- dollar general 30956, bunnell
- dollar general 9705, palm coast
- dollar general store 16582, bunnell
- dollar general store 16637, palm coast
- dollar tree 4177, palm coast
- dollar tree 5158, palm coast
- family dollar 10133, bunnell
- gourmet deli, palm coast
- palm coast pharmacy, palm coast
- serpol of florida, palm coast
- walgreen 07755, palm coast
- walgreens 03472, palm coast
- walgreens 05808, palm coast
Supermarket · 10
- aldi 74113, palm coast
- aldi 74143, palm coast
- harris grocery, bunnell
- publix 1042, palm coast
- publix 1138, palm coast
- publix 1257, flagler beach
- publix 1339, palm coast
- publix 1493, palm coast
- winn dixie 2244, palm coast
- winn dixie 2247, palm coast
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- amigos supermarket, palm coast
- east coast market, palm coast
- far east asian market, palm coast
- millenium grocery llc, palm coast
- russian food, flagler beach
Super Store · 3
- bj's wholesale club 233, palm coast
- target 2364, palm coast
- walmart 1182, palm coast
Small Grocery Store · 2
- happy chef bistro and deli, flagler beach
- smak euro deli llc, palm coast
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- greg sims homestead & produce, bunnell
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- e & s foods, inc., bunnell
Seafood Specialty · 1
- anthonys fresh fish, bunnell
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Florida
Compare Flagler County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →
Food access nationally, Florida in context
Flagler County sits inside Florida (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 Flagler County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Flagler County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Flagler County? ▼
Is Flagler County a food desert? ▼
What share of Flagler 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.