Signature · 2.8% SNAP (1st pct in GA)
Oconee County, GA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Oconee 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).
- 22.3%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 2.8%
- on SNAP
- 44K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Oconee County, GA
LA-ELEVATED · PHOTO-FINISH · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ELEVATED 22.3% low-access
- PHOTO-FINISH +0.2 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 2.8% SNAP
- VEH-OK 0.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Johnson County (+ 0.0 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Oconee County ranks #1,501 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #69 of 151 counties in GA (22.3% low-access).
- #1,501
- national by low-access %
- #69
- in GA
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 2.8% SNAP (1st pct in GA) (-9.3 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Oconee County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Oconee County's 22.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 52% of them and ranked #1,501 most-affected nationwide.
Oconee County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
6 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Oconee County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (5 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Oconee County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Georgia, not a full county-board reprint
- Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee 97.7%
97.7 % low-access
- Lamar 22.4
Lamar 22.4%
22.4 % low-access
- Oconee 22.3
Oconee 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Johnson 22.3
Johnson 22.3%
22.3 % low-access
- Effingham 22.2
Effingham 22.2%
22.2 % low-access
- Wilkinson 21.8
Wilkinson 21.8%
21.8 % low-access
- Dade 0
Dade 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 32,808 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 7,320 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.3%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,116 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 43,551 |
| Median Household Income | $121,217 |
| Poverty Rate | 6.2%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 424 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 2.8%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 0.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.4% |
SNAP retailers in Oconee County
Oconee County has 24 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 14 locations (58% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
4 towns share the 24 authorized stores; Watkinsville holds 50% of them. 1 of the 4 towns has no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Bishop.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Watkinsville | 12 | 1 |
| Bogart | 6 | 1 |
| Athens | 3 | 2 |
| Bishop | 3 | none |
Convenience Store · 14
- athens shell, athens
- bogart food mart, bogart
- circle m food shop 26, watkinsville
- food mart, bishop
- fresh food mart, watkinsville
- golden pantry 77, bishop
- golden pantry food stores 1004, watkinsville
- golden pantry food stores 1034, watkinsville
- greensboro food mart, watkinsville
- jp bogart 259, bogart
- oconee fast mart, watkinsville
- race trac 51, watkinsville
- race trac 588, bogart
- super 76, watkinsville
Combination Grocery/Other · 6
- cvs pharmacy 4719, watkinsville
- dollar general 3023, bogart
- dollar general 17952, bogart
- dollar general 22812, bishop
- family dollar store 8137, watkinsville
- walgreens 17923, watkinsville
Super Store · 2
- costco wholesale 1621, athens
- striplings general store, bogart
Supermarket · 2
- publix 617, watkinsville
- trader joe's 736, athens
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Georgia
One of 158 counties in Georgia, 6 are shown here.
Compare Oconee County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Nationwide peers for Oconee County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Oconee County (2.8%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Georgia.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside GA (22.3% here).
- Mitchell County, IA · 22.3% low-access
- Marshall County, AL · 22.3% low-access
- Coahoma County, MS · 22.3% low-access
- Belmont County, OH · 22.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside GA (2.8% here).
- Sioux County, IA · 2.8% SNAP
- Gallatin County, MT · 2.8% SNAP
- Clarke County, VA · 2.8% SNAP
- Pitkin County, CO · 2.7% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Georgia among South Atlantic states
Georgia ranks 1st of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (30.9%). Oconee County, at 22.3%, runs 8.6 pts below the Georgia rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Oconee County, GA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 13219. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.