County food-access profile · Mississippi
Marshall County, MS
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Marshall 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).
- 22.5%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 13.9%
- on SNAP
- 34K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
22.5% of Marshall County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 5.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 23.0%
- 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 Marshall County's low-access share at 22.5%, above the national share. 3 of the county's 6 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 8,373 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,784 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 Marshall County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Marshall County's 22.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 53% of them and ranked #1,484 most-affected nationwide.
Marshall County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 6 census tracts in Marshall County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Marshall County vs. other Mississippi counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Mississippi
- Marshall
Marshall County, MS
22.5 % 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 | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 37,144 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,373 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.5%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,784 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 33,979 |
| Median Household Income | $53,458 |
| Poverty Rate | 23.0%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,829 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.1% |
About 13.9% of Marshall County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 22.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,829 households here.
- 5.0% 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 Marshall County
above the national share
3 of Marshall County's 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 50.0% of all its tracts.
An estimated 8,373 residents, roughly 22.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,784 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 3 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Marshall County
Marshall County has 46 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 30 locations (65% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 30
- 302 travel center, byhalia
- a1 grocery, byhalia
- byhalia enterprises llc, byhalia
- byhalia exxon 1, byhalia
- byhalia mart 1 inc, byhalia
- cayce express, byhalia
- cayce food market, byhalia
- cayce investment inc, byhalia
- chickasaw travel center, byhalia
- circle k store 2709076, holly springs
- circle k store 2709077, holly springs
- circle k store 2709078, holly springs
- five star food mart, byhalia
- i-69 express inc, byhalia
- khaled llc, byhalia
- lamar exxon 001, lamar
- love's travel stop 889, holly springs
- meenakshi enterprise, holly springs
- mt pleasant shell 001, mt pleasnt
- murphy usa 7573, holly springs
- on the square market, holly springs
- potts camp food mart inc, potts camp
- rso food & fuel, lamar
- srs enterprise inc, byhalia
- short stop grocery, holly springs
- slayden travel center, holly springs
- thomas grocery, byhalia
- victoria stop inc, byhalia
- warsaw grocery, byhalia
- wingo travel express, byhalia
Combination Grocery/Other · 13
- cvs/pharmacy 11085, holly springs
- dollar general 10826, potts camp
- dollar general 11064, red banks
- dollar general 19486, michigan city
- dollar general 19963, byhalia
- dollar general 8400, byhalia
- dollar general 9766, holly springs
- dollar general 10482, byhalia
- dollar general 16003, red banks
- dollar general 20281, holly springs
- dollar general store 18177, holly springs
- dollar tree 5970, holly springs
- family dollar 632, holly springs
Super Store · 3
- carlisle big star no 53, holly springs
- reed's market byhalia, byhalia
- walmart s/c 303, holly springs
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Mississippi
Compare Marshall County vs Adams County → · All Mississippi counties →
Food access nationally, Mississippi in context
Marshall 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 Marshall County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Marshall County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Marshall County? ▼
Is Marshall County a food desert? ▼
What share of Marshall 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.