County food-access profile · Georgia
Muscogee County, GA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Muscogee 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).
- 30.2%
- low-access pop.
- 11
- food-desert tracts
- 16.8%
- on SNAP
- 204K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
30.2% of Muscogee County residents live in a low-access area, and 11 of its 53 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 21
- low-access tracts
- 20K
- food-desert residents
- 10.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.0%
- 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 Muscogee County's low-access share at 30.2%, above the national share. 21 of the county's 53 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 57,403 people. 11 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 19,724 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 Muscogee County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Muscogee County's 30.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 71% of them and ranked #918 most-affected nationwide.
Muscogee County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 53 census tracts in Muscogee County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Muscogee County vs. other Georgia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia
- Muscogee
Muscogee County, GA
30.2 % 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 | 53 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 189,885 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 21 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 11 |
| Low-Access Population | 57,403 |
| Low-Access Share | 30.2%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 19,724 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 203,711 |
| Median Household Income | $58,073 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.0%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 13,700 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.8%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 10.9%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.9% |
About 16.8% of Muscogee County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 30.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 13,700 households here.
- 10.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 11 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 Muscogee County
above the national share
11 of Muscogee County's 53 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 20.8% of all its tracts.
A further 10 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 21.
An estimated 57,403 residents, roughly 30.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 19,724 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 32 tracts (60.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Muscogee County
Muscogee County has 205 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 94 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 94
- 12 ave bp, columbus
- 5 corner lotto, columbus
- a&m food mart, columbus
- ava food mart, columbus
- bait shop, columbus
- big cat food mart, columbus
- bp food mart, columbus
- bp food mart, columbus
- buena vista convenience store, columbus
- buena vista grocery, columbus
- buenavista market, columbus
- chester's grocery, columbus
- circle k 6741, columbus
- circle k store 6678, columbus
- circle k store 6685, columbus
- circle k store 6693, columbus
- circle k store 6704, columbus
- circle k store 6749, columbus
- circle k 2706702, columbus
- circle k 6679, columbus
- circle k 6686, columbus
- circle k 6692, columbus
- circle k 6705, columbus
- circle k 6706, columbus
- circle k 6707, columbus
- circle k 6708, midland
- circle k 6709, columbus
- circle k 6712, columbus
- circle k 6713, columbus
- circle k 6744, columbus
- circle k 6745, columbus
- circle k 6750, columbus
- citgo at mlk, columbus
- columbus speed track, columbus
- columbus state university market on broa 2738, columbus
- country corner, columbus
- crown gas 201, columbus
- cusseta food mart, columbus
- eagle food mart, columbus
- extra miles, columbus
- falcon too, columbus
- farah food express, columbus
- floyd food mart, columbus
- forrest road food mart, columbus
- hada columbus foodmart inc, columbus
- han dee mart, columbus
- hidden lake grocery, columbus
- hometown food store, columbus
- ivy park food mart, midland
- jd veterans inc, columbus
- kaps market, columbus
- liberty at fort benning, columbus
- liberty food mart, columbus
- liberty on milgen road, columbus
- little bobs, columbus
- lotto and food mart, columbus
- lotto lounge, columbus
- lotto mart, columbus
- lucky food mart 2, columbus
- lumpkin food mart, columbus
- m & p food mart, columbus
- macon food mart, columbus
- maher 2024 inc, columbus
- manchester 2107, columbus
- marathon gas marathon, columbus
- milgen food mart, columbus
- mystic food mart, columbus
- nanak j, columbus
- nkp 2024 inc, columbus
- one stop shop, columbus
- phillps 66 weems road, columbus
- pyramid food mart, columbus
- quick pick mart, columbus
- rk food mart, columbus
- raceway, columbus
- reese food mart, columbus
- right stop, columbus
- river road lotto mart, columbus
- shell food mart, columbus
- shell, columbus
- shreeji food mart, columbus
- star food mart, columbus
- super c, columbus
- twins food mart #2, columbus
- texaco on wynnton, columbus
- tienda la bendicion, columbus
- usa food mart, columbus
- university chevron, columbus
- veterans petro, columbus
- victory food mart, columbus
- warm springs food mart, columbus
- young's grocery, columbus
- zelmo's at windsor park, columbus
- zelmo's uptown, columbus
Combination Grocery/Other · 62
- cvs pharmacy 2946, columbus
- cvs pharmacy 4579, columbus
- cvs pharmacy 4671, columbus
- cvs pharmacy 4674, columbus
- cvs pharmacy 4677, columbus
- cvs pharmacy 4679, columbus
- cvs pharmacy 7666, columbus
- dollar general 14178, fortson
- dollar general 14458, columbus
- dollar general 2922, columbus
- dollar general 6320, columbus
- dollar general 7184, columbus
- dollar general 7350, columbus
- dollar general 9145, columbus
- dollar general 9867, columbus
- dollartree 10204, columbus
- dollartree 10607, columbus
- dollartree 9147, columbus
- dollar general 10399, columbus
- dollar general 14585, columbus
- dollar general 14701, columbus
- dollar general 18005, columbus
- dollar general 19084, columbus
- dollar general 20169, midland
- dollar general 20476, fortson
- dollar general 21466, columbus
- dollar general 23907, columbus
- dollar general 9476, columbus
- dollar tree 2032, columbus
- dollar tree 2160, columbus
- dollar tree 356, columbus
- dollar tree 4160, columbus
- dollar tree 4786, columbus
- dollar tree 5618, columbus
- dollar tree 7415, columbus
- family dollar store 1563, columbus
- family dollar store 4246, columbus
- family dollar store 5108, columbus
- family dollar 11402, columbus
- family dollar 11459, columbus
- family dollar 11660, columbus
- family dollar 12470, midland
- family dollar 12619, columbus
- family dollar 12630, columbus
- family dollar 12685, columbus
- family dollar 8295, columbus
- family dollar 8860, columbus
- family dollar 9373, columbus
- family dollar store 10423, columbus
- family dollar store 333, columbus
- family dollar store 418, columbus
- family dollar store 5105, columbus
- family dollar store 6827, columbus
- patel sisters, columbus
- ria's ethnic foods, columbus
- tienda la nueva esperanza 3, columbus
- wakis international market 1, columbus
- walgreens 12754, columbus
- walgreens 18178, midland
- walgreens 6326, columbus
- walgreens 6373, columbus
- youngs oriental, columbus
Supermarket · 16
- aldi 76047 76047, columbus
- aldi 76149, columbus
- asian supermarket, columbus
- cost kutter 498, columbus
- food depot 60, columbus
- publix 0474, columbus
- publix 1390, columbus
- publix 562, columbus
- publix 650, columbus
- piggly wiggly 12, columbus
- piggly wiggly 444, columbus
- publix super market 1868, columbus
- publix super markets, inc. 1880, columbus
- rainbow foods, columbus
- the fresh market 122, columbus
- winn-dixie 439, columbus
Super Store · 15
- foodland 457, columbus
- lewis jones food market 432, columbus
- piggly wiggly 423, columbus
- piggly wiggly 427, columbus
- piggly wiggly 434, columbus
- piggly wiggly 7, columbus
- sam's club 8213, columbus
- target store t-1179, columbus
- walmart neighborhood market 4421, columbus
- walmart neighborhood market 4426, columbus
- walmart neighborhood market 5907, columbus
- walmart supercenter 1311, columbus
- walmart supercenter 1338, columbus
- walmart supercenter 4200, columbus
- walmart supercenter 4283, columbus
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 4
- grier's farmers market, columbus
- napier's produce, columbus
- napier's-midtown, columbus
- the food mill farmer's market, columbus
Small Grocery Store · 4
- country life food store, columbus
- la nacional, columbus
- sai indian groceries, columbus
- tienda la fe llc, columbus
Farmers' Market · 3
- north highland farmers market, columbus
- oasis makers community markets, columbus
- produce & craft market at midtown, columbus
Large Grocery Store · 3
- columbus cash & carry, columbus
- oriental food and gift center, columbus
- super mercado las americas, columbus
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- food locker, columbus
- la mexicana de columbus, columbus
- la nacional 2, columbus
Military Commissary · 1
- fort benning commissary 212, ft benning
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Georgia
Compare Muscogee County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Food access nationally, Georgia in context
Muscogee 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 Muscogee County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Muscogee County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Muscogee County? ▼
Is Muscogee County a food desert? ▼
What share of Muscogee 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.