County food-access profile · Mississippi
Lee County, MS
Lee 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.
- 19.9%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 10.4%
- on SNAP
- 83K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
19.9% of Lee County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 6.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.6%
- 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).
Lee County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 19.9% per the USDA Atlas. 7 of the county's 18 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 16,493 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,714 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 Lee County compares nationally
Lee County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 19.9% low-access share that beats 46% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,692).
Lee County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 18 census tracts in Lee County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Lee County vs. other Mississippi counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Mississippi
- Lee
Lee County, MS
19.9 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, MS
28.3 % low-access
- Alcorn
Alcorn County, MS
18.9 % low-access
- Amite 13.9
Amite County, MS
13.9 % low-access
- Attala
Attala County, MS
27.1 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, MS
35.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 18 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 82,910 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 16,493 |
| Low-Access Share | 19.9%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,714 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 83,034 |
| Median Household Income | $67,863 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.6%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,382 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.4%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
About 10.4% of Lee County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 19.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,382 households here.
- 6.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Lee County
near the national share
3 of Lee County's 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 16.7% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 16,493 residents, roughly 19.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,714 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (61.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Lee County
Lee County has 97 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 41 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 41
- 6am. 10p. 7 days no, tupelo
- arar travel center, shannon
- b & a food market llc, mooreville
- bluesky 727, tupelo
- bluesky 735, tupelo
- bluesky 733, tupelo
- bluesky 734, saltillo
- brother quick stop llc, tupelo
- dodge's store 6806, tupelo
- dun-n-1 llc, tupelo
- eagle store, tupelo
- exxon of plantersville, plantersville
- flowers bakery outlet 125, tupelo
- git-n-go, baldwyn
- green store llc, tupelo
- in & out express llc, tupelo
- jay ambe bhagvati, tupelo
- journey's tupelo #1 inc, tupelo
- journeys verona inc, tupelo
- js mart, tupelo
- love's travel stops & country stores, inc 398, tupelo
- main street deli and market, tupelo
- murphy express 8606, tupelo
- north auburn grocery, tupelo
- raceway - baldwyn, guntown
- s & r supermart & deli 1, llc 01, tupelo
- sam llc, tupelo
- shriji, tupelo
- speedy gonzalez e z stop 2, tupelo
- sprint mart 37, tupelo
- sprint mart 38, tupelo
- sprint mart 39, tupelo
- sprint mart 4, tupelo
- sprint mart 43, tupelo
- sprint mart 44, tupelo
- sprint mart 45, tupelo
- sprint mart 49, tupelo
- stop and shop of tupelo llc, tupelo
- tupelo quick & easy llc, tupelo
- valley mart quick stop llc, saltillo
- west jackson mart llc, tupelo
Combination Grocery/Other · 37
- cvs pharmacy 8992, tupelo
- dollar general 1178, belden
- dollar general 3501, tupelo
- dollar general 3502, tupelo
- dollar general 3767, saltillo
- dollar general 4069, verona
- dollar general 7496, tupelo
- dollar general 7551, nettleton
- dollar general 7830, tupelo
- dollar general 8385, tupelo
- dollar general 8408, shannon
- dollar general 8824, saltillo
- dollar general 8938, guntown
- dollar general 9574, plantersville
- dollartree 10049, tupelo
- dollartree 9235, tupelo
- dollar general 14718, mooreville
- dollar general 15955, tupelo
- dollar general 17807, tupelo
- dollar general 20097, tupelo
- dollar general 20273, tupelo
- dollar general 21108, saltillo
- dollar general 22826, tupelo
- dollar general 23071, tupelo
- dollar general 23265, tupelo
- dollar general 30533, tupelo
- dollar tree 106, tupelo
- dollar tree 467, tupelo
- dollar tree 6958, shannon
- family dollar 13575, belden
- family dollar 13628, mooreville
- family dollar 2324, baldwyn
- family dollar store 523, tupelo
- south market of baldwyn llc, baldwyn
- walgreens 6771, tupelo
- walgreens 11290, tupelo
- walgreens 12689, tupelo
Super Store · 8
- brooks grocery, tupelo
- kroger 447, tupelo
- kroger 471, tupelo
- sam's club 6329, tupelo
- todds big star #88 inc, tupelo
- walmart 391, tupelo
- walmart neighborhood market 4619, tupelo
- walmart supercenter 258, tupelo
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 70061, tupelo
- cash saver 594, tupelo
- food giant 582, baldwyn
- food giant 583, saltillo
- hometown market inc, nettleton
- piggly wiggly 5, nettleton
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- asian food ii inc 2, tupelo
- better buy llc, plantersville
- la tienda 3 estrella 1, tupelo
- silver dollar bargains llc, tupelo
Large Grocery Store · 1
- mitchell's supermarket, guntown
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Mississippi
Compare Lee County vs Adams County → · All Mississippi counties →
Food access nationally, Mississippi in context
Lee County sits inside Mississippi (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 Lee County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Lee County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Lee County? ▼
Is Lee County a food desert? ▼
What share of Lee 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.