County food-access profile · Mississippi
Madison County, MS
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Madison 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).
- 24.0%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 7.2%
- on SNAP
- 112K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
24.0% of Madison County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 21 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 5.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.2%
- 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).
USDA data puts Madison County's low-access share at 24.0%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 21 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 22,811 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,006 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 Madison County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Madison County's 24.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 56% of them and ranked #1,368 most-affected nationwide.
Madison County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 21 census tracts in Madison County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Madison County vs. other Mississippi counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Mississippi
- Madison
Madison County, MS
24 % 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 | 21 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 95,203 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 22,811 |
| Low-Access Share | 24.0%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,006 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 111,647 |
| Median Household Income | $83,441 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,154 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.2%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
About 7.2% of Madison County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 24.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,154 households here.
- 5.3% 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 Madison County
above the national share
2 of Madison County's 21 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 9.5% of all its tracts.
A further 9 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 22,811 residents, roughly 24.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,006 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 10 tracts (47.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Madison County
Madison County has 81 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 43 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 43
- bacon's convenience store llc, camden
- bluesky 635, madison
- canton mart, canton
- chevron, canton
- circle k 2723435, canton
- circle k 2723736, madison
- county line road chevron 0585, ridgeland
- countyline jasco shell llc, ridgeland
- farmhaven x-press, canton
- fast fill #6, ridgeland
- fleetway 100, madison
- freys lane grocery, canton
- fuel time 10, madison
- gmah llc, canton
- germantown market, canton
- gill gas to go, canton
- gurwinder group llc, flora
- hwy 51 llc, canton
- jasco food & gas, canton
- k & k one stop, canton
- kd one stop, canton
- karam 2 llc, canton
- karam 3 llc, canton
- lake harbor chevron, ridgeland
- love' travel stops & country stores, inc 208, canton
- m & k food mart, flora
- michael's 16, canton
- michael's 43, camden
- neighbors market, canton
- nimrat llc, canton
- oreo mart, canton
- quick fill llc 1, canton
- quikstop 3 inc, ridgeland
- school street valero, ridgeland
- speed quick mart inc, canton
- sprint mart 101, ridgeland
- sprint mart 106, ridgeland
- sprint mart 112, madison
- sprint mart 127, flora
- sprint mart 128, madison
- tienda anita, canton
- yandell shell, canton
- z mini mart, canton
Combination Grocery/Other · 18
- canton discount drugs, canton
- cvs pharmacy 4993, madison
- cvs pharmacy 8310, madison
- dollar general 0875, flora
- dollar general 10358, canton
- dollar general 18499, ridgeland
- dollartree 10790, ridgeland
- dolar general 17829, canton
- dollar general 10478, canton
- dollar tree 2730, madison
- dollar tree 7103, canton
- family dollar 10265, canton
- family dollar 11902, canton
- family dollar 12656, flora
- family dollar store 10157, ridgeland
- walgreens 11111, madison
- walgreens 5655, ridgeland
- walgreens 15250, madison
Super Store · 10
- costco wholesale 1366, ridgeland
- dollar general market 13605, canton
- kroger 472, madison
- kroger 0492, madison
- kroger 0494, ridgeland
- piggly wiggly 181 181, canton
- sam's club 8271, madison
- walmart s/c 2720, madison
- walmart store # 875 0875, ridgeland
- walmart supercenter 3059, canton
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 82008, ridgeland
- delta marketing group, llc 45171, canton
- mac's fresh market 12, ridgeland
- sullivan's grocery 15, flora
- sullivan's marketplace mp1, madison
- the fresh market 091, ridgeland
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- al salam mediterranean market inc, ridgeland
- carniceria valdez, ridgeland
- d market, canton
- tienda la libertad 3, canton
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Mississippi
Compare Madison County vs Adams County → · All Mississippi counties →
Food access nationally, Mississippi in context
Madison 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 Madison County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Madison County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Madison County? ▼
Is Madison County a food desert? ▼
What share of Madison 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.