Signature · 8.0% low-access (16th pct)
Gulf County, FL
Gulf County lands in the lower national band on low-access (8.0%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 8.0%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 12.0%
- on SNAP
- 15K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Gulf County, FL
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 8.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -14.1 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 12.0% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Lafayette County ( -0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Gulf County lands in the lower national band (8.0%, #2,640 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,640
- national by low-access %
- #61
- in FL
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 300
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 8.0% low-access (16th pct) (-14.1 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Gulf County compares nationally
Gulf County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.0% low-access share that beats 16% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,640).
Gulf County's lower-band USDA tier split
3 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 3 of Gulf County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Gulf County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Florida, not a full county-board reprint
- Glades
Glades 56.2%
56.2 % low-access
- Broward 9.4
Broward 9.4%
9.4 % low-access
- Dixie 8.6
Dixie 8.6%
8.6 % low-access
- Levy 8.4
Levy 8.4%
8.4 % low-access
- Gulf 8
Gulf 8%
8 % low-access
- Lafayette 7.9
Lafayette 7.9%
7.9 % low-access
- Gilchrist 0.1
Gilchrist 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 3 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 15,863 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,264 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 300 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 15,131 |
| Median Household Income | $61,179 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 714 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.0%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 17.3% |
SNAP retailers in Gulf County
Gulf County has 21 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 8 locations (38% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
4 towns share the 21 authorized stores; Wewahitchka holds 52% of them. 1 of the 4 towns has no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: St Joe Beach.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Wewahitchka | 11 | 2 |
| Port Saint Joe | 6 | 1 |
| Port St Joe | 3 | 1 |
| St Joe Beach | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 8
- express lane 777, st joe beach
- express lane 779, port saint joe
- express lane 780, wewahitchka
- howard creek country mart, wewahitchka
- randy's discount grocery, wewahitchka
- store 293, port saint joe
- sunstop 750, port st joe
- tucker's 1-stop inc., wewahitchka
Combination Grocery/Other · 7
- dollar general 4465, wewahitchka
- dollar general 20706, port saint joe
- dollar general 21703, port saint joe
- dollar general 22763, wewahitchka
- dollar general 25096, wewahitchka
- family dollar store 4866, port st joe
- family dollar store 8646, wewahitchka
Super Store · 3
- david rich's iga 7033, wewahitchka
- dollar general market 13154, port st joe
- duren's piggly wiggly, port saint joe
Farmers' Market · 1
- the farmacy 2415, port saint joe
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- dixie dandy, wewahitchka
Seafood Specialty · 1
- shrimpers lady 1, wewahitchka
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Florida
One of 66 counties in Florida, 6 are shown here.
Compare Gulf County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →
Counties near Gulf County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Gulf County, both outside Florida so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside FL (8.0% here).
- Knox County, ME · 8.0% low-access
- Miller County, MO · 8.0% low-access
- Macon County, NC · 8.0% low-access
- Williamsburg County, SC · 8.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside FL (12.0% here).
- Walker County, GA · 12.0% SNAP
- Moffat County, CO · 12.0% SNAP
- Johnson County, AR · 12.0% SNAP
- Cass County, IA · 12.0% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Florida among South Atlantic states
Florida ranks 4th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (25.1%). Gulf County, at 8.0%, runs 17.1 pts below the Florida rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Gulf County, FL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 12045. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.