County food-access profile · Alabama
Lauderdale County, AL
Lauderdale 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.
- 17.0%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 10.0%
- on SNAP
- 96K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
17.0% of Lauderdale County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 5.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.2%
- 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).
Lauderdale County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 17.0% per the USDA Atlas. 7 of the county's 22 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 15,762 residents who live far from a supermarket. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,999 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 Lauderdale County compares nationally
Lauderdale County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.0% low-access share that beats 38% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,948).
Lauderdale County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 22 census tracts in Lauderdale County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Lauderdale County vs. other Alabama counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Alabama
- Lauderdale
Lauderdale County, AL
17 % low-access
- Autauga
Autauga County, AL
33.9 % low-access
- Baldwin
Baldwin County, AL
25.1 % low-access
- Barbour
Barbour County, AL
20.5 % low-access
- Bibb 1.6
Bibb County, AL
1.6 % low-access
- Blount 6.8
Blount County, AL
6.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 22 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 92,709 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 15,762 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.0%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,999 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 95,830 |
| Median Household Income | $62,649 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,925 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.2% |
About 10.0% of Lauderdale County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 17.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,925 households here.
- 5.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Lauderdale County
near the national share
4 of Lauderdale County's 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 18.2% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 15,762 residents, roughly 17.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,999 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (68.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Lauderdale County
Lauderdale County has 95 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 40 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 40
- 7 point quickstop, florence
- 72 hwy quick stop llc, killen
- a to z center star market 1, killen
- anderson convenience store, anderson
- brothers market 1, florence
- circle k 2723689, florence
- cloverdale quickmart, florence
- crossroads market, florence
- dev krupa inc, rogersville
- florence blvd chevron, florence
- good spirits 4, florence
- gp quickstop, killen
- haddocks quickstop and deli inc, florence
- happy hollow, florence
- hi tech corner, florence
- john market, florence
- latino's market llc 1, florence
- mapco express, inc. 5215, florence
- mapco express, inc. 5216, florence
- mapco express, inc. 5221, florence
- mapco express, inc. 7301, florence
- mapco 930, florence
- murphy express 8864, florence
- quick mart 23, florence
- quick mart 25, killen
- quick stop 12, florence
- quickstop 6, florence
- quik mart 21, lexington
- quik mart 24, rogersville
- quik mart 29, florence
- quik mart 39, rogersville
- quik mart 40, florence
- quik mart 42, florence
- quik mart 7, florence
- shan 2 food mart, florence
- smile fuels, florence
- tiger mart, rogersville
- victory mart 1, florence
- wild stores inc, florence
- yashvi and viaan llc, lexington
Combination Grocery/Other · 34
- cvs pharmacy 4817, florence
- cvs pharmacy 4925, florence
- dollar general 0191, florence
- dollar general 19046, florence
- dollar general 3430, rogersville
- dollar general 3663, florence
- dollar general 4208, florence
- dollar general 4907, killen
- dollar general 7750, florence
- dollar general 8672, florence
- dollar general 8734, lexington
- dollar general 9669, killen
- dollartree 8700, florence
- dollar general 11645, florence
- dollar general 11708, anderson
- dollar general 11742, florence
- dollar general 17035, florence
- dollar general 17775, florence
- dollar general 19868, waterloo
- dollar general 20420, florence
- dollar general 21306, killen
- dollar general 22390, florence
- dollar general 24522, killen
- dollar general 30212, florence
- dollar general 8730, florence
- dollar general 8733, rogersville
- dollar tree 322, florence
- dollar tree 6610, florence
- dollar tree 88, florence
- family dollar 12935, anderson
- family dollar 13536, florence
- family dollar 13762, florence
- walgreens 10109, florence
- walgreens 10628, florence
Super Store · 7
- foodland 114, rogersville
- foodland 117, killen
- sam's club 8196, florence
- target store t-1322, florence
- walmart neighborhood market 4188, florence
- walmart s/c 766, florence
- walmart supercenter 4187, florence
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 75064 75064, florence
- foodland 105, rogersville
- foodland 116, florence
- priceless iga #40 40, florence
- publix 1409, florence
Large Grocery Store · 4
- big star #30, florence
- food outlet, florence
- green valley nursery, florence
- randolph sales llc - food outlet 70, florence
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- ht general merchandise, florence
- los 2 hermanos market llc 1, florence
- valley health foods, florence
Seafood Specialty · 1
- sewell's seafood, rogersville
Small Grocery Store · 1
- brisa foods llc, florence
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Alabama
Compare Lauderdale County vs Autauga County → · All Alabama counties →
Food access nationally, Alabama in context
Lauderdale County sits inside Alabama (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
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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.