PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Mississippi

Pearl River County, MS

Pearl River County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

11.4%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
13.4%
on SNAP
57K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MS

The food-access picture

11.4% of Pearl River County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

2
low-access tracts
3K
food-desert residents
3.8%
households, no vehicle
16.5%
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).

Pearl River County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 11.4% per the USDA Atlas. 2 of the county's 9 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 6,346 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,193 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 Pearl River County compares nationally

Pearl River County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 11.4% low-access share that beats 24% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,385).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Pearl River County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 9 census tracts in Pearl River County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Pearl River County, MS USDA-defined food-access tiers: 7 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 9 tracts evaluated. 7 tracts adequate (77.8%) 1 tracts limited (11.1%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (11.1%) Adequate 78% Limited 11% Severe 11% Food-access tier distribution: Pearl River County, MS
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Pearl River County vs. other Mississippi counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Mississippi

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Pearl River County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts9
Atlas Population (2010 basis)55,834
Low-Access Tracts2
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population6,346
Low-Access Share11.4%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,193

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Pearl River County
IndicatorValue
Population57,458
Median Household Income$58,135
Poverty Rate16.5%above the national average
SNAP Households2,939
SNAP Participation Rate13.4%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle3.8%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.1%
SNAP participation in Pearl River County 13.4%

About 13.4% of Pearl River County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 11.4% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 13.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,939 households here.
  • 3.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 1 tract 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 Pearl River County

near the national share

1 of Pearl River County's 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 11.1% of all its tracts.

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 2.

An estimated 6,346 residents, roughly 11.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 3,193 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 7 tracts (77.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Pearl River County

Pearl River County has 67 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 28 locations (42% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 28

  • cvs pharmacy 5740, picayune
  • dollar general 2006, picayune
  • dollar general 9080, picayune
  • dollar general 926, poplarville
  • dollar general 9926, carriere
  • dollar general 11631, picayune
  • dollar general 13300, picayune
  • dollar general 14811, picayune
  • dollar general 15836, carriere
  • dollar general 15986, picayune
  • dollar general 16208, carriere
  • dollar general 17642, picayune
  • dollar general 20880, picayune
  • dollar general 23759, poplarville
  • dollar general 24605, carriere
  • dollar general 25710, poplarville
  • dollar general 31270, poplarville
  • dollar tree 2451, picayune
  • dollar tree 8610, poplarville
  • family dollar store 4995, picayune
  • family dollar 10685, picayune
  • family dollar 13543, picayune
  • family dollar 13627, carriere
  • family dollar 9142, carriere
  • family dollar store 2973, poplarville
  • family dollar store 8470, picayune
  • walgreen 10273, picayune
  • walgreen 10290, picayune

Convenience Store · 25

  • caesar country store, picayune
  • circle k 2723393, poplarville
  • clarks 37, picayune
  • discount zone llc, picayune
  • down south truck stop, lumberton
  • fuel zone 1, picayune
  • ice box of picayune, picayune
  • jackson quick stop, picayune
  • love's travel stop 619, poplarville
  • love's travel stop 860, picayune
  • main street quick stop inc, picayune
  • mickey no. 2, picayune
  • minit mart 17235, poplarville
  • minit mart 17245, poplarville
  • ms latin food market, picayune
  • murphy usa 7996, picayune
  • on the run 29, picayune
  • pit stop fuel inc, picayune
  • race trac 185, picayune
  • rosa's deli store, llc, picayune
  • shell market place llc, picayune
  • stop & go food mart, picayune
  • t j's country mart, picayune
  • valero, picayune
  • waterview all in one, poplarville

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 4

  • boss hogg meats and processing llc, poplarville
  • johnson's meat market, picayune
  • julie's pasture to plate meat market & processing, lumberton
  • nick's meat market and deli, picayune

Super Store · 3

  • odile inc dba claiborne hill smkt, picayune
  • rouses market 87, picayune
  • walmart 970, picayune

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • sunflower grocery inc, picayune
  • the discount grocery store, picayune

Small Grocery Store · 2

  • fortenberrys slaughter house, carriere
  • poplarville grocery, poplarville

Supermarket · 2

  • cashsaver 30, poplarville
  • ramey's 18, poplarville

Seafood Specialty · 1

  • louis seafood market, picayune

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Mississippi

Adams County
28.3% low-access · 16.5% SNAP
Alcorn County
18.9% low-access · 16.1% SNAP
Amite County
13.9% low-access · 15.2% SNAP
Attala County
27.1% low-access · 15.6% SNAP
Benton County
35.7% low-access · 17.2% SNAP
Bolivar County
50.9% low-access · 26.0% SNAP

Compare Pearl River County vs Adams County → · All Mississippi counties →

Food access nationally, Mississippi in context

Pearl River County sits inside Mississippi (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Pearl River County has low food access? ▼
11.4% of residents in Pearl River County, MS live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Pearl River County? ▼
13.4% of households in Pearl River County receive SNAP, covering 2,939 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Pearl River County? ▼
The poverty rate in Pearl River County, MS is 16.5%, with a median household income of $58,135 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Pearl River County a food desert? ▼
1 of Pearl River County's 9 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Pearl River County households lack a vehicle? ▼
3.8% of households in Pearl River County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.