County food-access profile · South Carolina
Oconee County, SC
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).
- 22.8%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 11.4%
- on SNAP
- 80K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
22.8% of Oconee County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 5.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.6%
- 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 Oconee County's low-access share at 22.8%, above the national share. 4 of the county's 15 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 16,949 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,728 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 Oconee County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Oconee County's 22.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 53% of them and ranked #1,464 most-affected nationwide.
Oconee County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 15 census tracts in Oconee County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Oconee County vs. other South Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Carolina
- Oconee
Oconee County, SC
22.8 % low-access
- Abbeville
Abbeville County, SC
20.4 % low-access
- Aiken
Aiken County, SC
29.1 % low-access
- Allendale 2.3
Allendale County, SC
2.3 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, SC
36.1 % low-access
- Bamberg
Bamberg County, SC
27.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 15 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 74,273 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 16,949 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.8%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,728 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 80,469 |
| Median Household Income | $62,388 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.6%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,940 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
About 11.4% of Oconee County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 22.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,940 households here.
- 5.2% 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 Oconee County
above the national share
3 of Oconee County's 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 20.0% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 16,949 residents, roughly 22.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,728 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (73.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Oconee County
Oconee County has 91 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 45 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 45
- 7-eleven 36822j, seneca
- 7-eleven 42316h, seneca
- 7-eleven 36822a, seneca
- action food, west union
- chauga store, westminster
- community food store, seneca
- country junction, west union
- countryside 1, seneca
- countryside 2, westminster
- high falls express, west union
- high volume, seneca
- jakes 01, salem
- kash & karry, seneca
- kent kwik 701, seneca
- kent kwik 702, walhalla
- kent kwik 703, seneca
- kent kwik 704, fair play
- kent kwik 705, seneca
- kent kwik 706, westminster
- kent kwik 710, westminster
- kent kwik 716, seneca
- keowee express, seneca
- locomart 2, seneca
- long creek general store & mercantile, llc, westminster
- lowry food mart, seneca
- murphy usa 6774, seneca
- palm gas, walhalla
- power trac 3, westminster
- power trac 4, westminster
- quiktrip 1101, seneca
- stop-a-minit 31, westminster
- snow creek country store, seneca
- sonny's food store, westminster
- spinx 152, west union
- spinx 156, seneca
- spinx 159, westminster
- stop-a-minit 34, seneca
- ta express fair play 465, fair play
- td's express, seneca
- tunnel town express, mountain rest
- upstate produce, walhalla
- vape and brew, walhalla
- walhalla food store, walhalla
- xpress mart, seneca
- xpress mart, seneca
Combination Grocery/Other · 30
- cvs pharmacy 3891, west union
- cvs pharmacy 4693, seneca
- cvs pharmacy 3537, seneca
- dollar general 0099, seneca
- dollar general 10773, seneca
- dollar general 10792, salem
- dollar general 13992, fair play
- dollar general 17898, west union
- dollar general 2038, west union
- dollar general 4755, westminster
- dollar general 6653, fair play
- dollar general 11804, seneca
- dollar general 12659, westminster
- dollar general 12796, mountain rest
- dollar general 12977, west union
- dollar general 17302, seneca
- dollar general 20552, seneca
- dollar general 21330, westminster
- dollar general 22965, salem
- dollar general 23624, walhalla
- dollar general 24550, seneca
- dollar general 24864, westminster
- dollar general 25177, seneca
- dollar general 31018, westminster
- dollar tree 2579, seneca
- dollar tree 6065, west union
- dollar tree 6252, westminster
- family dollar 11348, seneca
- family dollar 4312, west union
- walgreen 10163, seneca
Supermarket · 9
- aldi 66036 66036, seneca
- aldi 76075, seneca
- food lion 2209, seneca
- food lion 2855, seneca
- ingles markets 249, westminster
- ingles markets 49, west union
- ingles markets 94, seneca
- publix super markets, inc. 1671, seneca
- save-a-lot food store 24734, west union
Small Grocery Store · 2
- hochstetlers country store, seneca
- tienda mundo hispano llc, walhalla
Farmers' Market · 1
- mcladke orchards, seneca
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- rebel b farms, westminster
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- wilson processing co, westminster
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- la estrella, walhalla
Super Store · 1
- walmart s/c 1123, seneca
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in South Carolina
Compare Oconee County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, South Carolina in context
Oconee County sits inside South Carolina (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 Oconee County has low food access? ▼
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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.