County food-access profile · South Carolina
Florence County, SC
Florence 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.
- 17.8%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 16.1%
- on SNAP
- 137K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
17.8% of Florence County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 33 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 10K
- food-desert residents
- 7.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 18.7%
- 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).
Florence County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 17.8% per the USDA Atlas. 9 of the county's 33 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 24,319 residents who live far from a supermarket. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 10,232 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 Florence County compares nationally
Florence County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.8% low-access share that beats 40% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,885).
Florence County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 33 census tracts in Florence County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Florence County vs. other South Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Carolina
- Florence
Florence County, SC
17.8 % low-access
- Abbeville
Abbeville County, SC
20.4 % low-access
- Aiken
Aiken County, SC
29.1 % low-access
- Allendale 2.3
Allendale County, SC
2.3 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, SC
36.1 % low-access
- Bamberg
Bamberg County, SC
27.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 33 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 136,885 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 24,319 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.8%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 10,232 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 137,117 |
| Median Household Income | $58,305 |
| Poverty Rate | 18.7%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 8,488 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.1%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.6%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.4% |
About 16.1% of Florence County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 17.8% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 8,488 households here.
- 7.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Florence County
near the national share
5 of Florence County's 33 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 15.2% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.
An estimated 24,319 residents, roughly 17.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 10,232 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 24 tracts (72.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Florence County
Florence County has 173 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 88 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 88
- 1832 lucas, florence
- 2nd loop #179, florence
- 365 stores 118, florence
- 5 point superette, johnsonville
- aa food store, florence
- abhi enterprises, florence
- anay llc, florence
- blake's kwik stop, olanta
- breakers 179, florence
- busy corner #1, florence
- c-mart, florence
- carolina c store, florence
- circle k 2723138, florence
- circle k 2723152, florence
- circle k 2723216, florence
- circle k 2723237, johnsonville
- convenience corner, florence
- corner pantry 153, florence
- coward truck stop, coward
- cruisers ii, florence
- cruizers #179, timmonsville
- cruizers 1, florence
- cruizers vll, florence
- cruizers xlll, florence
- ez express, florence
- el paraiso, florence
- flowers bakery outlet 412, florence
- floyd's stores, timmonsville
- global market, effingham
- global market 3, florence
- hot spot 2027, timmonsville
- i 95 exxon, florence
- ingram street grocery, florence
- jackie poston inc, florence
- kgexpress, pamplico
- kruzers xix, florence
- kruzers xviii, florence
- lake city mart, lake city
- little fisher truck stop, scranton
- lucky spot 179, florence
- mars bluff grocery, florence
- mobil mart 1, florence
- murphy express 8681, lake city
- murphy express 8737, florence
- murphy usa 7146, florence
- murphy usa 7932, florence
- oakland grocery, florence
- on the go, effingham
- on the go, florence
- on the go, florence
- on the loop, florence
- one stop food mart, johnsonville
- pmg pm 94, florence
- pamplico junction, florence
- petro florence 393, florence
- petro stop, florence
- pilot travel center 337, florence
- pilot travel center 62, florence
- piyu mart, florence
- prospect grocery, lake city
- q's city mart 1, florence
- quick mart, lake city
- quick stop market, florence
- quiktrip 7139, florence
- rb mart, timmonsville
- raceway 6954, florence
- raceway 957, florence
- refuel 1030, florence
- refuel 1031, florence
- refuel 1032, lake city
- refuel 1034, florence
- refuel 1039, florence
- refuel 1066, timmonsville
- refuel 1068, florence
- refuel 1069, florence
- sai, johnsonville
- save mart, florence
- shell food mart, scranton
- shree ganesh 11 llc, florence
- shreeji charan llc, florence
- tienda mexicana veracruz 1, florence
- tommy food mart, florence
- town grocery & laundromat, lake city
- trade street mart, pamplico
- west indies market llc, florence
- yana food mart, florence
- young's 3640, florence
- young's 3642, florence
Combination Grocery/Other · 50
- cvs pharmacy 2353, florence
- cvs pharmacy 3863, lake city
- cvs pharmacy 4071, florence
- cvs pharmacy 5470, florence
- cvs pharmacy 7300, florence
- cvs pharmacy 7609, florence
- dollar general 0570, timmonsville
- dollar general 10844, florence
- dollar general 10956, florence
- dollar general 11158, effingham
- dollar general 1902, lake city
- dollar general 3054, florence
- dollar general 5862, scranton
- dollar general 7486, florence
- dollar general 7873, florence
- dollar general 9133, florence
- dollar general 9968, florence
- dollar tree 0486, florence
- dollar tree 6665, florence
- dollartree 10285, florence
- dollar general 11944, effingham
- dollar general 12343, olanta
- dollar general 13189, effingham
- dollar general 13447, florence
- dollar general 1367, pamplico
- dollar general 20250, coward
- dollar general 21073, johnsonville
- dollar general 23077, timmonsville
- dollar general 23619, lake city
- dollar general 25794, timmonsville
- dollar general 30032, lake city
- dollar general 30385, florence
- dollar general 7783, florence
- dollar general store 16753, effingham
- dollar general store 8032, johnsonville
- dollar tree 1067, florence
- dollar tree 5310, lake city
- family dollar 12714, johnsonville
- family dollar 13460, effingham
- family dollar 13516, johnsonville
- family dollar 156, lake city
- family dollar 4245, timmonsville
- family dollar 5996, florence
- family dollar 9264, florence
- family dollar store 2866, florence
- marianitas, florence
- maxway 611, lake city
- ole timey meats florence, florence
- walgreen 07155, florence
- walgreen 07626, florence
Supermarket · 14
- aldi 66049 66049, florence
- aldi 66076, florence
- food lion 2242, florence
- food lion 926, florence
- food lion 927, florence
- food lion 98, florence
- florence save a lot 21326, florence
- food lion, llc 2261, florence
- kj's market-johnsonville 615, johnsonville
- pamplico iga 679, pamplico
- piggly wiggly 161, florence
- piggly wiggly 283, johnsonville
- piggly wiggly 317, timmonsville
- sumter street grocery, florence
Super Store · 11
- harris teeter 124, florence
- kj's market-claussen 659, florence
- kj's market-ebenezer 669, florence
- kj's market-lake city 629, lake city
- kj's market-quinby 660, florence
- sam's club 6571, florence
- target store t-1452, florence
- walmart 2703, florence
- walmart 621, lake city
- walmart neighborhood market 3638, florence
- walmart supercenter 630, florence
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 3
- matthews fruit stand, lake city
- southern produce and plants, florence
- stevenson's produce, florence
Farmers' Market · 2
- city center farmers market 02, florence
- land-tec usa llc, olanta
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- drummonds quality meats, effingham
- frye's meat market, lake city
Large Grocery Store · 1
- star bazaar, florence
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- chinatown market, florence
Seafood Specialty · 1
- five points seafood market, florence
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in South Carolina
Compare Florence County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, South Carolina in context
Florence County sits inside South Carolina (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 Florence County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Florence County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Florence County? ▼
Is Florence County a food desert? ▼
What share of Florence 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.