County food-access profile · Tennessee
Giles County, TN
Giles 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.
- 12.0%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 11.4%
- on SNAP
- 31K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
12.0% of Giles County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
- 5.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.8%
- 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).
Giles County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 12.0% per the USDA Atlas. 2 of the county's 8 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 3,544 residents who live far from a supermarket. 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 Giles County compares nationally
Giles County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 12.0% low-access share that beats 25% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,344).
Giles County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 8 census tracts in Giles County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Giles County vs. other Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Giles 12
Giles County, TN
12 % low-access
- Anderson 10.9
Anderson County, TN
10.9 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, TN
23 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, TN
12.6 % low-access
- Bledsoe 4.7
Bledsoe County, TN
4.7 % low-access
- Blount
Blount County, TN
30.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 29,485 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,544 |
| Low-Access Share | 12.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,429 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 30,620 |
| Median Household Income | $62,307 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.8%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,374 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.2% |
About 11.4% of Giles County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 12.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,374 households here.
- 5.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $62,307 with a 12.8% 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 Giles County
near the national share
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 2.
An estimated 3,544 residents, roughly 12.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,429 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (75.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Giles County
Giles County has 37 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 16 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 16
- 410 college express llc, pulaski
- bad habits, pulaski
- davids market, prospect
- flag springs market, lynnville
- kent kwik 905, ardmore
- minor hill food mart 1, goodspring
- minor hill market, goodspring
- murphy usa 5714, pulaski
- north park market, pulaski
- pilot travel center 406, cornersville
- quick stop, pulaski
- quik mart 2, pulaski
- richland market, lynnville
- serv-n-go 6, cornersville
- west market and deli, pulaski
- winners circle market, pulaski
Combination Grocery/Other · 13
- cvs pharmacy 4365, pulaski
- dollar general 14769, pulaski
- dollar general 2142, pulaski
- dollar general 3423, pulaski
- dollar general 11494, lynnville
- dollar general 11800, pulaski
- dollar general 14012, goodspring
- dollar general 16719, minor hill
- dollar general 17421, ardmore
- dollar general 23237, pulaski
- dollar tree 2485, pulaski
- dollar tree 7460, ardmore
- walgreens 9266, pulaski
Super Store · 3
- dollar general market 9828, ardmore
- johnson foodtown, pulaski
- walmart 238, pulaski
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- all american meat processing & smokehouse, pulaski
- beech hill beef dba the local farmer, pulaski
Farmers' Market · 1
- giles county farmers market, pulaski
Large Grocery Store · 1
- piggly wiggly 80, ardmore
Supermarket · 1
- davis & eslick grocery, pulaski
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Giles County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Giles County sits inside Tennessee (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 Giles County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Giles County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Giles County? ▼
Is Giles County a food desert? ▼
What share of Giles 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.