PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · South Carolina

Greenwood County, SC

Greenwood 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.

13.6%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
13.6%
on SNAP
69K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 SC

The food-access picture

13.6% of Greenwood County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 14 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

4
low-access tracts
3K
food-desert residents
7.4%
households, no vehicle
15.1%
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).

Greenwood County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 13.6% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 14 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 9,455 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,889 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 Greenwood County compares nationally

Greenwood County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.6% low-access share that beats 29% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,234).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Greenwood County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 14 census tracts in Greenwood County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Greenwood County, SC USDA-defined food-access tiers: 10 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 14 tracts evaluated. 10 tracts adequate (71.4%) 3 tracts limited (21.4%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (7.1%) Adequate 71% Limited 21% Severe 7% Food-access tier distribution: Greenwood County, SC
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Greenwood County vs. other South Carolina counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Carolina

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Greenwood County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts14
Atlas Population (2010 basis)69,661
Low-Access Tracts4
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population9,455
Low-Access Share13.6%below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population2,889

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Greenwood County
IndicatorValue
Population69,489
Median Household Income$52,830
Poverty Rate15.1%near the national average
SNAP Households3,806
SNAP Participation Rate13.6%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle7.4%near the national average
Group-Quarters Population5.1%
SNAP participation in Greenwood County 13.6%

About 13.6% of Greenwood County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 13.6% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 13.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,806 households here.
  • 7.4% 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 Greenwood County

near the national share

1 of Greenwood County's 14 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 7.1% 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 9,455 residents, roughly 13.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 2,889 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 10 tracts (71.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Greenwood County

Greenwood County has 89 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 47 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 47

  • 1 stop convenience store, greenwood
  • 7-eleven 36832, greenwood
  • 7-eleven 36860j, greenwood
  • 7-eleven 36862j, greenwood
  • 7-eleven, inc. 36847j, greenwood
  • charlie bs convenience store, greenwood
  • cokesbury express, hodges
  • country corner #23, greenwood
  • country corner #24, ninety six
  • double 8, greenwood
  • ez stop 51 3, greenwood
  • emerald express, greenwood
  • express mart, greenwood
  • ez trip, greenwood
  • g food mart, greenwood
  • greenwood food mart, greenwood
  • greenwood mart, greenwood
  • hop in, greenwood
  • hot spot 2009, greenwood
  • li'l cricket 3836, greenwood
  • lil' b's minit mart na, greenwood
  • maxwell food mart, greenwood
  • murphy usa 7723, greenwood
  • one stop marina, greenwood
  • one stop of coronaca 2, greenwood
  • one way 2, greenwood
  • pic 'n' sav, ninety six
  • promisedland grocery, bradley
  • quick & fast, greenwood
  • quick pantry 16, greenwood
  • quick way 1, greenwood
  • quiktrip 1123, greenwood
  • quikies, greenwood
  • ram 23 llc, greenwood
  • ram ram 8, greenwood
  • royal 8, greenwood
  • stop-a-minit 30, greenwood
  • spinx 117, greenwood
  • spinx 119, greenwood
  • stop-a-minit 10, ware shoals
  • stop-a-minit 18, greenwood
  • stop-a-minit 21, greenwood
  • stop-a-minit 22, greenwood
  • sweety food mart, greenwood
  • value spot 602, greenwood
  • vgo food mart, greenwood
  • wareshoals party shop, ware shoals

Combination Grocery/Other · 25

  • cvs pharmacy 7388, greenwood
  • cvs pharmacy inc 5579, greenwood
  • cvs pharmacy 4173, greenwood
  • dollar general 3784, greenwood
  • dollar general 4439, ninety six
  • dollar general 4500, greenwood
  • dollar general 6123, greenwood
  • dollar general 7279, greenwood
  • dollar general 9220, ware shoals
  • dollar tree 0577, greenwood
  • dollar general 15265, greenwood
  • dollar general 16116, greenwood
  • dollar general 17214, greenwood
  • dollar general 22583, greenwood
  • dollar general 25070, greenwood
  • dollar general 31337, greenwood
  • dollar general store 17950, hodges
  • dollar tree 5278, greenwood
  • family dollar 10721, ninety six
  • family dollar 83, greenwood
  • family dollar store 233, greenwood
  • family dollar store 7896, ware shoals
  • the peach stand, greenwood
  • walgreen 07446, greenwood
  • walgreens 10229, greenwood

Supermarket · 8

  • aldi 76036, greenwood
  • food lion 1431, greenwood
  • food lion 2145, greenwood
  • food lion 2847, greenwood
  • piggly wiggly 188, ware shoals
  • piggly wiggly 326, ninety six
  • price wise foods 187, greenwood
  • publix 1464, greenwood

Medium Grocery Store · 3

  • greenwood discount center 400-sc2, greenwood
  • mi veracruz, greenwood
  • super favorita, greenwood

Super Store · 3

  • kj's market-greenwood 605, greenwood
  • walmart supercenter 1382, greenwood
  • walmart supercenter 6887, greenwood

Farmers' Market · 1

  • uptown market, greenwood

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • asian market, greenwood

Seafood Specialty · 1

  • captain crustys seafood & produce, greenwood

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in South Carolina

Abbeville County
20.4% low-access · 14.5% SNAP
Aiken County
29.1% low-access · 10.8% SNAP
Allendale County
2.3% low-access · 28.7% SNAP
Anderson County
36.1% low-access · 10.6% SNAP
Bamberg County
27.1% low-access · 24.1% SNAP
Barnwell County
0.0% low-access · 24.5% SNAP

Compare Greenwood County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →

Food access nationally, South Carolina in context

Greenwood County sits inside South Carolina (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Greenwood County has low food access? ▼
13.6% of residents in Greenwood County, SC live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Greenwood County? ▼
13.6% of households in Greenwood County receive SNAP, covering 3,806 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Greenwood County? ▼
The poverty rate in Greenwood County, SC is 15.1%, with a median household income of $52,830 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Greenwood County a food desert? ▼
1 of Greenwood County's 14 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Greenwood County households lack a vehicle? ▼
7.4% of households in Greenwood County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.