County food-access profile · Georgia
Jackson County, GA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Jackson County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 32.8%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 7.5%
- on SNAP
- 85K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
32.8% of Jackson County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 2.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.3%
- 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).
USDA data puts Jackson County's low-access share at 32.8%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 11 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 19,815 people. 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 Jackson County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Jackson County's 32.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 76% of them and ranked #759 most-affected nationwide.
Jackson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 11 census tracts in Jackson County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Jackson County vs. other Georgia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia
- Jackson
Jackson County, GA
32.8 % low-access
- Appling
Appling County, GA
47.8 % low-access
- Atkinson 23.5
Atkinson County, GA
23.5 % low-access
- Bacon 3.3
Bacon County, GA
3.3 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, GA
61.3 % low-access
- Baldwin
Baldwin County, GA
24.6 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 60,485 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 19,815 |
| Low-Access Share | 32.8%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,658 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 84,757 |
| Median Household Income | $89,544 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.3%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,125 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 2.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.8% |
About 7.5% of Jackson County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 32.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,125 households here.
- 2.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $89,544 with a 7.3% 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 Jackson County
above the national share
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 19,815 residents, roughly 32.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,658 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (54.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Jackson County
Jackson County has 71 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 37 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 37
- arcade shell, jefferson
- aaa food & fuel inc, commerce
- arcade food mart, jefferson
- bp gas station, jefferson
- bp food mart, hoschton
- braselton chevron 0, braselton
- circle m food shop 41, jefferson
- corner station, commerce
- country foods 1, jefferson
- curry creek shell, jefferson
- dan's food mart, nicholson
- dry pond country store, commerce
- ds food store, athens
- fast phil's, athens
- fast picks 0, jefferson
- food mart, hoschton
- gas express llc dba circle k 200, jefferson
- golden pantry food stores 1053, braselton
- ila food mart, commerce
- j's corner food mart, jefferson
- jefferson chevron, jefferson
- jefferson food mart, jefferson
- love's travel stop 765, commerce
- north jackson food mart, pendergrass
- our store groceries, pendergrass
- pilot travel center 66, braselton
- platinum 42 inc, hoschton
- quiktrip 737, jefferson
- quiktrip 1705, jefferson
- quiktrip 762, braselton
- race trac 74, jefferson
- racetrac 2340, braselton
- royal braselton llc, hoschton
- royal food mart, jefferson
- s & i investments usa llc, athens
- speedway 7208, jefferson
- ta commerce 0156, commerce
Combination Grocery/Other · 21
- cvs pharmacy 5658, commerce
- cvs pharmacy 7637, hoschton
- cvs pharmacy 4164, jefferson
- dollar general 11160, hoschton
- dollar general 9147, athens
- dollar general 997, commerce
- dollar general 11925, nicholson
- dollar general 13130, jefferson
- dollar general 13429, braselton
- dollar general 13674, talmo
- dollar general 17893, jefferson
- dollar general 20900, hoschton
- dollar general 25083, jefferson
- dollar general 30619, pendergrass
- dollar general 8051, commerce
- dollar general 8268, jefferson
- dollar tree 5576, jefferson
- dollar tree 6572, commerce
- family dollar 8706, hoschton
- family dollar store 3393, jefferson
- walgreens 11791, commerce
Supermarket · 8
- aldi 76102, jackson
- b&t's food fresh 9, jefferson
- ingles markets 419, commerce
- publix 0108, braselton
- publix 1188, hoschton
- publix store 1827, jefferson
- publix super markets, inc. 1768, braselton
- publix super markets, inc. 1892, hoschton
Super Store · 3
- commerce quality foods llc, commerce
- kroger 638, jefferson
- kroger 686, hoschton
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- gazabiha farms inc, braselton
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- piggly wiggly, jefferson
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Georgia
Compare Jackson County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Food access nationally, Georgia in context
Jackson County sits inside Georgia (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 Jackson County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Jackson County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Jackson County? ▼
Is Jackson County a food desert? ▼
What share of Jackson 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.