Signature · 42.6% low-access (90th pct)
Pickens County, SC
Pickens County sits in the upper national band on low-access (42.6%, +20.5 pts vs U.S.), with SNAP/vehicle context from ACS 2024.
- 42.6%
- low-access pop.
- 8
- food-desert tracts
- 8.3%
- on SNAP
- 135K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Pickens County, SC
LA-SEVERE · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-SEVERE 42.6% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +20.5 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 8 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 29% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Richland County (+ 3.9 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Pickens County sits in the upper national band (42.6%, #328 of 3,079) with 8 LILA tracts.
- #328
- national by low-access %
- #3
- in SC
- 16
- low-access tracts
- 19K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 42.6% low-access (90th pct) (+20.5 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Pickens County compares nationally
Pickens County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 42.6% low-access share outpaces 90% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #328 most-affected nationwide.
Pickens County's elevated USDA tier split
28 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 8 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Pickens County has 17 urban and 11 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Pickens County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in South Carolina, not a full county-board reprint
- Beaufort
Beaufort 49%
49 % low-access
- Richland
Richland 46.5%
46.5 % low-access
- Pickens
Pickens 42.6%
42.6 % low-access
- Colleton
Colleton 38%
38 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson 36.1%
36.1 % low-access
- Barnwell 0
Barnwell 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 28 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 119,224 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 16 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 8 |
| Low-Access Population | 50,757 |
| Low-Access Share | 42.6%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 18,601 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 134,629 |
| Median Household Income | $61,064 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.2%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,369 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.3%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.3% |
Thick SNAP store book in Pickens County
Pickens County has 112 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 58 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 58
- 7-eleven 36852a 36852a, clemson
- bi fast store, easley
- bj's food store, pickens
- blue ridge produce, pickens
- central express, central
- circle k 272423, clemson
- clemson university, clemson
- corner food mart, easley
- country corner, pickens
- country food mart, easley
- country mart 1, easley
- dacusville farmers market, inc., easley
- dodge store 8707, easley
- durhams convenience mart, six mile
- easley mart 1, easley
- eds gts express mart, greenville
- ez stop food store, liberty
- farmers market, easley
- garden spot, norris
- garden spot, easley
- griffin grocery no, pickens
- gulf food store, easley
- hot spot 1201, easley
- hot spot 4002, easley
- hot spot 4004, pickens
- kc mart 4 n/a, central
- la costena super market llc, easley
- liberty food store, liberty
- m mart 2 1, liberty
- maws grocery, central
- midway stop, easley
- new market, central
- om food mart, easley
- plez u, easley
- quiktrip 1121, easley
- stop-a-minit 29, clemson
- sonny's market, central
- speedy mart, easley
- speedy mart, easley
- speedymart, easley
- spinx 101, easley
- spinx 141, pickens
- spinx 199, liberty
- spinx 223, easley
- spinx 226, easley
- stop n go clemson, clemson
- stop and shop easley, easley
- stop-a-minit 12, liberty
- stop-a-minit 19, pickens
- store and more, pickens
- super stop, easley
- tiger gas vault, clemson
- winslett's produce, easley
- xpress mart, easley
- xpress mart 104, pickens
- xpress mart 106 106, liberty
- xpress mart 108, pickens
- zee mart, easley
Combination Grocery/Other · 36
- anderson's butcher shop, easley
- cvs pharmacy 3533, easley
- cvs pharmacy 4026, clemson
- cvs pharmacy 4286, easley
- cvs pharmacy 5598, liberty
- cvs pharmacy 7534, pickens
- dollar general 19470, pickens
- dollar general 5872, six mile
- dollar general 6875, easley
- dollar general 8592, liberty
- dollar general 8652, pickens
- dollar general 9311, easley
- dollar general 9667, easley
- dollar tree 2442, easley
- dollar general 13415, easley
- dollar general 14885, central
- dollar general 15242, easley
- dollar general 15508, pickens
- dollar general 15683, easley
- dollar general 15931, liberty
- dollar general 21413, easley
- dollar general 22715, pickens
- dollar general 24036, pickens
- dollar general 24484, liberty
- dollar general 7140, central
- dollar tree 2832, central
- dollar tree 5394, pickens
- dollar tree 7647, clemson
- dollar tree 8419, liberty
- family dollar store 4487, liberty
- family dollar store 6260, easley
- family dollar 13721, six mile
- mile creek farms market, six mile
- walgreens 11400, easley
- walgreens 11698, pickens
- walgreens 11769, clemson
Supermarket · 10
- aldi 76092, easley
- ingles markets 17, pickens
- ingles markets 251, easley
- ingles markets 253, liberty
- ingles markets 51, easley
- ingles markets 53, clemson
- publix 0205, easley
- publix 1379, clemson
- save-a-lot food store 24752, laurens
- save-a-lot food store 24817, pickens
Super Store · 5
- sam's club 4901, easley
- walmart 3222, central
- walmart neighborhood market 4445, clemson
- walmart supercenter 631, easley
- walmart supercenter 3191, pickens
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- los parientes meat market and grocery, easley
- supermercado el torito, easley
Small Grocery Store · 1
- supermercado linasur, easley
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in South Carolina
One of 45 counties in South Carolina, 6 are shown here.
Compare Pickens County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Counties near Pickens County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Pickens County, both outside South Carolina so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside SC (42.6% here).
- Butte County, SD · 42.5% low-access
- Hamblen County, TN · 42.7% low-access
- Gonzales County, TX · 42.5% low-access
- Butler County, OH · 42.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside SC (8.3% here).
- Davidson County, TN · 8.3% SNAP
- Davidson County, TN · 8.3% SNAP
- Franklin County, TN · 8.3% SNAP
- Franklin County, TN · 8.3% 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.
Pickens County inside a higher low-access state context
Pickens County sits inside South Carolina (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Pickens County, SC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 45077. 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.