County food-access profile · Georgia
Lowndes County, GA
Lowndes 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.
- 16.9%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 16.2%
- on SNAP
- 120K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
16.9% of Lowndes County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 6.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.2%
- 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).
Lowndes County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 16.9% per the USDA Atlas. 9 of the county's 25 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 18,419 residents who live far from a supermarket. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,031 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 Lowndes County compares nationally
Lowndes County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 16.9% low-access share that beats 38% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,955).
Lowndes County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 25 census tracts in Lowndes County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Lowndes County vs. other Georgia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia
- Lowndes 16.9
Lowndes County, GA
16.9 % 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 | 25 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 109,233 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 18,419 |
| Low-Access Share | 16.9%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,031 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 119,965 |
| Median Household Income | $58,541 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.2%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,456 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.2%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.8% |
About 16.2% of Lowndes County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 16.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,456 households here.
- 6.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Lowndes County
near the national share
6 of Lowndes County's 25 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 24.0% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.
An estimated 18,419 residents, roughly 16.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,031 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 16 tracts (64.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Lowndes County
Lowndes County has 130 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 68 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 68
- a b food, valdosta
- barrett's food mart, valdosta
- big foot travel center 939, hahira
- big foot travel center 946, valdosta
- bigfoot travel center 926, lake park
- circle k 2745146, valdosta
- circle k 2745200, valdosta
- devapani inc, valdosta
- fast break 2, valdosta
- flash food llc 20, valdosta
- flash food llc 27410, valdosta
- flash food llc 27417, valdosta
- flash foods llc 274273, valdosta
- flash foods llc 2745143, valdosta
- flash foods llc 2745144, valdosta
- flash foods llc 2745158, lake park
- flowers bakery outlet 99, valdosta
- forrest road partners inc, valdosta
- frank's mart, valdosta
- friendly express 105, valdosta
- friendly express 106, valdosta
- friendly express 108, hahira
- gas n go, valdosta
- gordon food mart, valdosta
- hiraa, valdosta
- j k food mart, valdosta
- j k food mart, valdosta
- love's travel stop 550, valdosta
- lowndes beverage, valdosta
- mk 5, valdosta
- murphy express 8623, valdosta
- madison discount shoppe, valdosta
- misha food mart, valdosta
- mitt's #4, valdosta
- mitt's food mart#2, valdosta
- mk1, valdosta
- murphy express 8518, valdosta
- nouria 101 northside drive east 582, valdosta
- nouria 701 east park avenue 580, valdosta
- oak food, valdosta
- one stop, valdosta
- one stop 1, valdosta
- one stop 4, valdosta
- one stop 3, valdosta
- p&d food mart, valdosta
- pilot travel center 4561, valdosta
- pilot travel center 631, lake park
- pop's corner, valdosta
- prem food mart, valdosta
- quick change 16, valdosta
- quick change 2, valdosta
- quick change 3, valdosta
- quick stop #2, valdosta
- quiktrip 7071, valdosta
- race way 1177, lake park
- racetrac 2622, valdosta
- racetrac 2666, valdosta
- raceway 1406, valdosta
- rj gas and food, valdosta
- sharpe ventures llc, valdosta
- sky limit stop coporation, valdosta
- speedway 1883, valdosta
- stop n shop, valdosta
- sunstop 884, valdosta
- ta lake park 249, lake park
- taste of the island grocery & food, valdosta
- tj food mart, valdosta
- valdosta partners 2317 inc, valdosta
Combination Grocery/Other · 33
- cvs pharmacy 4534, valdosta
- dollar general 14457, naylor
- dollar general 14555, valdosta
- dollar general 15258, valdosta
- dollar general 18760, valdosta
- dollar general 2094, valdosta
- dollar general 4085, lake park
- dollar general 7749, valdosta
- dollar general 8080, hahira
- dollar general 8226, valdosta
- dollar general 11607, valdosta
- dollar general 13704, valdosta
- dollar general 13908, valdosta
- dollar general 14645, valdosta
- dollar general 15163, valdosta
- dollar general 15564, valdosta
- dollar general 20309, valdosta
- dollar general 2440, valdosta
- dollar general 25060, lake park
- dollar tree 0051, valdosta
- dollar tree 3606, lake park
- dollar tree 6497, valdosta
- dollar tree 6871, valdosta
- dollar tree 988, valdosta
- family dollar 3231, lake park
- family dollar 420, valdosta
- family dollar 8389, valdosta
- family dollar store 10742, valdosta
- family dollar store 5800, valdosta
- shri hari farmer market, valdosta
- walgreens 17706, valdosta
- walgreens 6899, valdosta
- walgreens 9305, valdosta
Supermarket · 9
- aldi 76142, valdosta
- cost kutter 492, valdosta
- food lion 2833, hahira
- publix 430, valdosta
- publix 1435, valdosta
- stan's quality meats, valdosta
- salt lick sausage co., valdosta
- winn-dixie 140, valdosta
- winn dixie 0032, lake park
Super Store · 8
- mr. b's market, valdosta
- piggly wiggly 274, valdosta
- piggly wiggly 281, valdosta
- sam's club 6204, valdosta
- target store 750, valdosta
- walmart 2615, valdosta
- walmart neighborhood market 6732, valdosta
- walmart s/c 899, valdosta
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- apna desh grocery, valdosta
- carter & sons produce, valdosta
- eddie felders country meat market, valdosta
- fiveash food store, hahira
- la jalisco, valdosta
Seafood Specialty · 2
- oyster bar fish market inc, valdosta
- southside fishery, valdosta
Small Grocery Store · 2
- quick food store, valdosta
- tienda latina ii inc, valdosta
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- farmer brown's pro #1, valdosta
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- bailey's custom cuts, valdosta
Military Commissary · 1
- moody afb commissary 536, moody afb
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Georgia
Compare Lowndes County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Food access nationally, Georgia in context
Lowndes 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 Lowndes County has low food access? ▼
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What share of Lowndes 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.