County food-access profile · South Carolina
Lancaster County, SC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Lancaster 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).
- 28.5%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 9.7%
- on SNAP
- 104K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
28.5% of Lancaster County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 14 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 3.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.4%
- 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 Lancaster County's low-access share at 28.5%, above the national share. 6 of the county's 14 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 21,830 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,352 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 Lancaster County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Lancaster County's 28.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,050 most-affected nationwide.
Lancaster County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 14 census tracts in Lancaster County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Lancaster County vs. other South Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Carolina
- Lancaster
Lancaster County, SC
28.5 % low-access
- Abbeville
Abbeville County, SC
20.4 % low-access
- Aiken
Aiken County, SC
29.1 % low-access
- Allendale 2.3
Allendale County, SC
2.3 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, SC
36.1 % low-access
- Bamberg
Bamberg County, SC
27.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 14 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 76,652 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 21,830 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.5%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,352 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 104,475 |
| Median Household Income | $78,869 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.4%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,874 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
About 9.7% of Lancaster County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 28.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,874 households here.
- 3.4% 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 Lancaster County
above the national share
2 of Lancaster County's 14 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.3% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 21,830 residents, roughly 28.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,352 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (57.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Lancaster County
Lancaster County has 95 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 43 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 43
- 903 discount beverage, lancaster
- am pm gas & grill, lancaster
- bypass stop & go, lancaster
- c & g mini mart, lancaster
- circle k 2709088, lancaster
- cobblestone creek market, fort mill
- community discount beverage, lancaster
- corner market, lancaster
- country corner, lancaster
- family food store, lancaster
- five points in & out, lancaster
- flat creek quick stop, kershaw
- forks the, lancaster
- fuel express 1, lancaster
- jacks convience stores of lancaster, lancaster
- korner kupboard citgo 1, lancaster
- lloyds mini mart, lancaster
- m and r mini mart, lancaster
- market express 17383, fort mill
- market street grocery, lancaster
- midway grocery, lancaster
- mj mart 1, fort mill
- murphy express 8528, lancaster
- nouria 1240 great falls highway 300, lancaster
- quick stop #1, kershaw
- quik trip 1049, indian land
- quiktrip 1048, indian land
- riverside express, lancaster
- refuel 1024, kershaw
- stop-n-shop, lancaster
- sams mart 81, fort mill
- scotchman 3892, lancaster
- scotchman 3893, lancaster
- smokerise, lancaster
- south 200 discount beverage 1, lancaster
- speedee mart, lancaster
- swami mart 1, heath springs
- the market, lancaster
- tripstop, fort mill
- unity grocery, lancaster
- xpress mart #100, lancaster
- xpress mart 107, lancaster
- yogi food mart, kershaw
Combination Grocery/Other · 29
- cvs pharmacy 5476, lancaster
- cvs pharmacy 5479, fort mill
- cvs pharmacy 7005, lancaster
- dollar general 3223, lancaster
- dollar general 9371, lancaster
- dollar general 11333, heath springs
- dollar general 11912, lancaster
- dollar general 13004, lancaster
- dollar general 13194, lancaster
- dollar general 20773, lancaster
- dollar general 21344, kershaw
- dollar general 21484, lancaster
- dollar general 31009, lancaster
- dollar tree 5781, fort mill
- dollar tree 6356, kershaw
- dollar tree 7570, fort mill
- dollar tree 7851, lancaster
- dollar tree 937, lancaster
- family dollar 10379, lancaster
- family dollar 13203, lancaster
- family dollar 13477, heath springs
- family dollar 13500, lancaster
- family dollar 31, lancaster
- family dollar 919, kershaw
- family dollar store 10043, lancaster
- radhe indian supermarket, fort mill
- walgreen 10448, lancaster
- walgreens 11564, fort mill
- walgreens 17078, kershaw
Supermarket · 11
- aldi 66034, indian land
- aldi 66102, lancaster
- aldi 66126, fort mill
- food lion 1084, lancaster
- food lion 1209, lancaster
- food lion 2570, fort mill
- kershaw iga 645, kershaw
- kj's market-lancaster 610, lancaster
- lowes foods #283 283, indian land
- publix 1412, indian land
- smalls food center heath springs, heath springs
Super Store · 7
- costco wholesale 1714, indian land
- harris teeter 372, indian land
- lidl 1015, indian land
- target store t2934, indian land
- the meat center, lancaster
- walmart 1030, lancaster
- walmart supercenter 4237, indian land
Small Grocery Store · 3
- aladdin market, fort mill
- tienda mi pais, lancaster
- tienda mi pais 1462, lancaster
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- derby's ice cream, lancaster
Large Grocery Store · 1
- smalls food center kershaw 1, kershaw
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in South Carolina
Compare Lancaster County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, South Carolina in context
Lancaster County sits inside South Carolina (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 Lancaster County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Lancaster County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Lancaster County? ▼
Is Lancaster County a food desert? ▼
What share of Lancaster 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.