County food-access profile · Florida
Okaloosa County, FL
Okaloosa County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 41.5%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 7.9%
- on SNAP
- 217K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
41.5% of Okaloosa County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 26
- low-access tracts
- 20K
- food-desert residents
- 3.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.3%
- 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).
Okaloosa County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 41.5% is well above the national share. 26 of the county's 41 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 75,060 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 20,079 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 Okaloosa County compares nationally
Okaloosa County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 41.5% low-access share outpaces 89% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #353 most-affected nationwide.
Okaloosa County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 41 census tracts in Okaloosa County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Okaloosa County vs. other Florida counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Florida
- Okaloosa
Okaloosa County, FL
41.5 % low-access
- Alachua 19.2
Alachua County, FL
19.2 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, FL
55.6 % low-access
- Bay
Bay County, FL
31.5 % low-access
- Bradford 1.1
Bradford County, FL
1.1 % low-access
- Brevard
Brevard County, FL
41.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 41 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 180,822 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 26 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 75,060 |
| Low-Access Share | 41.5%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 20,079 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 216,599 |
| Median Household Income | $81,998 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,711 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.9%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.1% |
About 7.9% of Okaloosa County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 41.5% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,711 households here.
- 3.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Okaloosa County
well above the national share
2 of Okaloosa County's 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 4.9% of all its tracts.
A further 24 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 26.
An estimated 75,060 residents, roughly 41.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 20,079 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (36.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Okaloosa County
Okaloosa County has 174 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 91 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 91
- a&c food mart, niceville
- browns grocery, holt
- big boss stores 220, niceville
- bluewater food mart, niceville
- brake time, fort walton beach
- brothers destin harbor 301, destin
- browns grocery, holt
- brummeyers general store inc. 1, crestview
- cefco 407, niceville
- cefco 408, crestview
- cefco 409, niceville
- cefco 410, fort walton beach
- cefco 412, ft walton beach
- cefco 415, crestview
- cefco 419, fort walton beach
- cefco 422, baker
- circle k 2707210, ft. walton beach
- circle k 2707315, crestview
- circle k 8347, destin
- circle k 2708349, fort walton beach
- circle k 2723851, destin
- circle k 2723852, niceville
- circle k store 2707069, crestview
- circle k store 2709083, niceville
- diyaa food stores 2059, shalimar
- dodge store 9106, fort walton beach
- duke food mart, crestview
- fla convenience, crestview
- flowers bakery outlet 366, fort walton beach
- flowers bakery outlet 850, crestview
- friendly express, fort walton beach
- fwb gas llc, mary esther
- green acres food max, fort walton beach
- hollywood food mart, fort walton beach
- hollywood food mart se, fort walton beach
- maynila asian market, crestview
- mobile fwb, fort walton beach
- murphy express 8707, niceville
- murphy express 8871, fort walton beach
- murphy usa 7689, destin
- murphy usa 7893, crestview
- murphy usa 7993, fort walton beach
- murphy usa 8658, mary esther
- murphy usa 8667, fort walton beach
- navi food mart, fort walton beach
- newcastle quick stop, fort walton beach
- quick food mart 4, fort walton beach
- quick food mart 8, fort walton beach
- quick food mart 9, fort walton beach
- quick stop no, crestview
- quik stop market 900157, shalimar
- raceway 769, fort walton beach
- rizzy store 5 5, fort walton beach
- shalimar raceway, shalimar
- shell food mart, fort walton beach
- six brothers meat market & grocery, fort walton beach
- store 434, destin
- store 436, destin
- sunoco fwb, fort walton beach
- sunshine food mart 474, crestview
- sunshine foodmart 459, crestview
- super station 5, niceville
- super station 6 llc, destin
- synergy oil partners llc, fort walton beach
- tienda la mexicana y taqueria, destin
- tom thumb 0118, crestview
- tom thumb 900013, crestview
- tom thumb 900037, niceville
- tom thumb 900048, laurel hill
- tom thumb 900056, crestview
- tom thumb 900057, crestview
- tom thumb 900059, valparaiso
- tom thumb 900061, fort walton beach
- tom thumb 900076, crestview
- tom thumb 900081, crestview
- tom thumb 900085, crestview
- tom thumb 900094, laurel hill
- tom thumb 900100, niceville
- tom thumb 900115, crestview
- tom thumb 900116, destin
- tom thumb food store 900023, fort walton beach
- tom thumb food store 900058, fort walton beach
- tom thumb food store 900132, mary esther
- tom thumb food store 900144, niceville
- tom thumb food store 900148, crestview
- tom thumb food store 900154, mary esther
- tom thumb food store inc. 900066, fort walton beach
- tom thumb food stores 900010, fort walton beach
- tom thumb food stores 900039, fort walton beach
- tom thumb food stores 900046, fort walton beach
- tom thumb food stores 900077, fort walton beach
Combination Grocery/Other · 47
- cvs pharmacy 3003, mary esther
- cvs pharmacy 3513, destin
- cvs pharmacy 4015, crestview
- cvs pharmacy 4440, fort walton beach
- cvs pharmacy 4612, niceville
- cvs pharmacy 5178, niceville
- cvs pharmacy 5194, fort walton beach
- dollar general 0792, crestview
- dollar general 14316, crestview
- dollar general 1524, fort walton beach
- dollar general 3876, niceville
- dollar general 7064, fort walton beach
- dollar general 7232, crestview
- dollar general 7703, niceville
- dollar general 9241, mary esther
- dollar general 9563, mary esther
- dollar general 11687, baker
- dollar general 12055, crestview
- dollar general 12513, laurel hill
- dollar general 13556, shalimar
- dollar general 16051, crestview
- dollar general 17340, holt
- dollar general 19810, crestview
- dollar general 20964, crestview
- dollar general 21467, crestview
- dollar general 24795, baker
- dollar general 24827, crestview
- dollar general 30168, baker
- dollar general 30209, crestview
- dollar general 30350, fort walton beach
- dollar tree 0270, mary esther
- dollar tree 277, destin
- dollar tree 3121, crestview
- dollar tree 3577, fort walton beach
- dollar tree 4200, niceville
- dollar tree 6632, fort walton beach
- family dollar 13199, laurel hill
- family dollar store 514, fort walton beach
- grocery in and out, fort walton beach
- k-2 oriental food and gifts, mary esther
- new world oriental market, crestview
- walgreens 04848, fort walton beach
- walgreens 04913, destin
- walgreens 05582, fort walton beach
- walgreens 06578, destin
- walgreens 06811, crestview
- walgreens 06978, niceville
Supermarket · 18
- aldi 82033, fort walton beach
- aldi 82060, crestview
- aldi 82241, fort walton beach
- aldi 76161, niceville
- publix 0383, ft walton beach
- publix 0677, destin
- publix 0766, fort walton beach
- publix 0801, crestview
- publix 1303, fort walton beach
- pic n sav 617, crestview
- publix 1461, niceville
- publix super markets inc 1602, crestview
- publix super markets, inc. 2023, destin
- the fresh market 076, destin
- winn dixie 0558, crestview
- winn dixie 0560, destin
- winn dixie 566, fort walton beach
- winn-dixie 0551, niceville
Super Store · 10
- grocery outlet 7715, niceville
- piggly wiggly of fwb llc, mary esther
- sam's club 6361, fort walton beach
- target store t-2085, destin
- target store t-740, mary esther
- walmart 1362, destin
- walmart 919, fort walton beach
- walmart s/c 944, crestview
- walmart supercenter 5845, niceville
- whole foods market 10621, destin
Large Grocery Store · 2
- 6-b thrifty foods, inc., crestview
- pic n sav, baker
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- burke's orient express, fort walton beach
- thai market, fort walton beach
Military Commissary · 2
- eglin afb commissary 511, eglin afb
- hurlburt field commissary 526, hurlburt field
Small Grocery Store · 2
- c & c international market, llc, crestview
- goshen foods, fort walton beach
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Florida
Compare Okaloosa County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →
Food access nationally, Florida in context
Okaloosa County sits inside Florida (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 Okaloosa County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Okaloosa County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Okaloosa County? ▼
Is Okaloosa County a food desert? ▼
What share of Okaloosa 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.