County food-access profile · Tennessee
Hawkins County, TN
Hawkins 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.
- 16.8%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 12.9%
- on SNAP
- 58K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
16.8% of Hawkins County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 4.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.2%
- 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).
Hawkins County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 16.8% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 13 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 9,576 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,854 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 Hawkins County compares nationally
Hawkins County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 16.8% low-access share that beats 37% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,967).
Hawkins County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 13 census tracts in Hawkins County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Hawkins County vs. other Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Hawkins
Hawkins County, TN
16.8 % 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 | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 56,833 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,576 |
| Low-Access Share | 16.8%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,854 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 57,964 |
| Median Household Income | $56,936 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.2%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,041 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.9%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 12.9% of Hawkins County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 16.8% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,041 households here.
- 4.3% 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 Hawkins County
near the national share
2 of Hawkins County's 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 15.4% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 9,576 residents, roughly 16.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,854 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (69.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Hawkins County
Hawkins County has 53 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 24 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 24
- arrowhead market, rogersville
- bulls market & deli, bulls gap
- discount tobacco & beer mart n/a, surgoinsville
- dot & ricks market 1, surgoinsville
- hwy food mart, rogersville
- kenjo 14, church hill
- lakeview market, rogersville
- liberty market, rogersville
- mr zip 512, rogersville
- murphy usa 6777, rogersville
- persia general store, rogersville
- quick stop market 12, rogersville
- quick stop market 29, mount carmel
- quick stop market 50, church hill
- quick stop market 7, greeneville
- racetrac 2648 2648, bulls gap
- raceway gas station and convenience store, rogersville
- rockhill grocery, rogersville
- skipez, mount carmel
- stanley valley market 1, surgoinsville
- surgoinsville mini market, surgoinsville
- valley foodmart & tobacco, church hill
- warrior mart, rogersville
- whistle stop market, church hill
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- big lots 3157, rogersville
- cvs pharmacy 3792, rogersville
- dollar general 13734, church hill
- dollar general 184, rogersville
- dollar general 4142, church hill
- dollar general 4340, rogersville
- dollartree 6764, rogersville
- dollar general 11795, bulls gap
- dollar general 16362, rogersville
- dollar general 17296, rogersville
- dollar general 21269, surgoinsville
- dollar general 21839, mount carmel
- dollar general 23846, bulls gap
- dollar general 9844, surgionsville
- dollar general store 16544, mooresburg
- dollartree 6764, rogersville
- family dollar 13945, rogersville
- family dollar store 3428, bulls gap
- family dollar store 541, church hill
- walgreens 10960, rogersville
Supermarket · 6
- food city 603, church hill
- food city 612, rogersville
- food lion 1497, church hill
- price less foods 469, kingsport
- save a lot 197, rogersville
- super dollar discount foods 2619, rogersville
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- rogersville produce, rogersville
- s & j fruits, mooresburg
Super Store · 1
- walmart s/c 3234, rogersville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Hawkins County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Hawkins 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 Hawkins County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Hawkins County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Hawkins County? ▼
Is Hawkins County a food desert? ▼
What share of Hawkins 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.