PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Tennessee

Madison County, TN

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).

33.5%
low-access pop.
8
food-desert tracts
16.3%
on SNAP
99K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 TN

The food-access picture

33.5% of Madison County residents live in a low-access area, and 8 of its 27 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

14
low-access tracts
13K
food-desert residents
8.9%
households, no vehicle
18.2%
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 33.5%, above the national share. 14 of the county's 27 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 32,887 people. 8 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 13,342 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 33.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 77% of them and ranked #708 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Madison County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 27 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).

Food access tier distribution for Madison County, TN USDA-defined food-access tiers: 13 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 6 limited, 8 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 27 tracts evaluated. 13 tracts adequate (48.1%) 6 tracts limited (22.2%) 8 tracts severe / food desert (29.6%) Adequate 48% Limited 22% Severe 30% Food-access tier distribution: Madison County, TN
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Madison County vs. other Tennessee counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Madison County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts27
Atlas Population (2010 basis)98,294
Low-Access Tracts14
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)8
Low-Access Population32,887
Low-Access Share33.5%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population13,342

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Madison County
IndicatorValue
Population99,295
Median Household Income$60,042
Poverty Rate18.2%above the national average
SNAP Households6,540
SNAP Participation Rate16.3%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle8.9%near the national average
Group-Quarters Population4.1%
SNAP participation in Madison County 16.3%

About 16.3% of Madison County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 33.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 16.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,540 households here.
  • 8.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 8 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

8 of Madison County's 27 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 29.6% of all its tracts.

A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 14.

An estimated 32,887 residents, roughly 33.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 13,342 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 13 tracts (48.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Madison County

Madison County has 104 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 51 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 51

  • ab trinity food mart, jackson
  • airways amoco, jackson
  • airways market, jackson
  • blooming medina llc 00, jackson
  • bowling convenience inc, jackson
  • bp, jackson
  • bull market #3, jackson
  • butmata, inc, jackson
  • casey's 4407, jackson
  • circle k 4703913, jackson
  • casey jones mobil mart, jackson
  • chester express, jackson
  • chester food mart, jackson
  • circle k 4703685, jackson
  • circle k 4703686, jackson
  • denmark truck stop, denmark
  • dodge store 6601, jackson
  • dodge store 7201, jackson
  • east chester express inc, jackson
  • exxon food mart, pinson
  • five points country store, pinson
  • gnj quick stop, jackson
  • go gas quick stop, jackson
  • hale street market, jackson
  • highland food market, jackson
  • highland stop inc, jackson
  • hollywood market inc, jackson
  • hollywood tobacco store, jackson
  • huck's 300, jackson
  • huck's 303, jackson
  • lancer food mart, jackson
  • law road mart, jackson
  • love' travel stops & country stores, inc 244, jackson
  • megamart, jackson
  • murphy usa 7842, jackson
  • northside express inc, jackson
  • oilwell food mart, jackson
  • old hickory express, jackson
  • old hickory fuel mart inc, jackson
  • parkway fast fuel, jackson
  • pilot travel center 366, jackson
  • rz fuel city, jackson
  • raceway 942 llc, jackson
  • royal discount food, jackson
  • royal market, jackson
  • speedway 7154, jackson
  • speedway 7163, jackson
  • speedway food mart, jackson
  • superway express mart no, jackson
  • ta denmark 245, denmark
  • up & up inc, jackson

Combination Grocery/Other · 36

  • bargain dave's 002, jackson
  • cvs pharmacy 2386, jackson
  • dollar general 0783, jackson
  • dollar general 15361, medon
  • dollar general 4204, jackson
  • dollar general 6348, jackson
  • dollar general 6598, jackson
  • dollar general 7727, jackson
  • dollar general 8151, jackson
  • dollar general 89, jackson
  • dollar general 9679, jackson
  • dollar general 9957, jackson
  • dollartree 10873, jackson
  • dollar general 13254, jackson
  • dollar general 13314, jackson
  • dollar general 15188, spring creek
  • dollar general 15560, jackson
  • dollar general 18136, pinson
  • dollar general 23913, jackson
  • dollar general 25902, denmark
  • dollar general 3209, jackson
  • dollar tree 1281, jackson
  • dollar tree 3399, jackson
  • dollar tree 427, jackson
  • dollar tree 5593, jackson
  • family dollar store 10627, jackson
  • family dollar 1113, jackson
  • family dollar 3995, jackson
  • family dollar 9380, jackson
  • latham's meat co., jackson
  • shell 3224, jackson
  • the morning catch llc, jackson
  • walgreens 3175, jackson
  • walgreens 12718, jackson
  • walgreens 13659, jackson
  • walgreens 9835, jackson

Super Store · 7

  • kroger food & pharmacy 448, jackson
  • kroger food & pharmacy 468, jackson
  • kroger food store 398, jackson
  • sam's club 6507, jackson
  • target store 921, jackson
  • walmart 335, jackson
  • walmart store 393, jackson

Supermarket · 5

  • aldi 70075, jackson
  • food giant 535, jackson
  • food giant 536, jackson
  • food rite 7, jackson
  • houchens save a lot 192, jackson

Small Grocery Store · 2

  • la bamba mexican grocery, jackson
  • nelly's mexican store, jackson

Farmers' Market · 1

  • west tennessee farmers' market, jackson

Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1

  • jared farms market & custom deer processing, medon

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • grubb's grocery, jackson

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Tennessee

Anderson County
10.9% low-access · 11.9% SNAP
Bedford County
23.0% low-access · 10.2% SNAP
Benton County
12.6% low-access · 15.8% SNAP
Bledsoe County
4.7% low-access · 18.1% SNAP
Blount County
30.1% low-access · 5.9% SNAP
Bradley County
32.9% low-access · 11.7% SNAP

Compare Madison County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →

Food access nationally, Tennessee in context

Madison County sits inside Tennessee (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

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? ▼
33.5% of residents in Madison County, TN live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Madison County? ▼
16.3% of households in Madison County receive SNAP, covering 6,540 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Madison County? ▼
The poverty rate in Madison County, TN is 18.2%, with a median household income of $60,042 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Madison County a food desert? ▼
8 of Madison County's 27 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Madison County households lack a vehicle? ▼
8.9% of households in Madison County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.