County food-access profile · Georgia
Polk County, GA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Polk 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).
- 24.2%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 17.3%
- on SNAP
- 44K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
24.2% of Polk County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 7 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 5.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.4%
- 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 Polk County's low-access share at 24.2%, above the national share. 2 of the county's 7 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 10,042 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,041 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 Polk County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Polk County's 24.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 57% of them and ranked #1,355 most-affected nationwide.
Polk County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 7 census tracts in Polk County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Polk County vs. other Georgia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia
- Polk 24.2
Polk County, GA
24.2 % low-access
- Appling
Appling County, GA
47.8 % low-access
- Atkinson 23.5
Atkinson County, GA
23.5 % low-access
- Bacon 3.3
Bacon County, GA
3.3 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, GA
61.3 % low-access
- Baldwin
Baldwin County, GA
24.6 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 41,475 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 10,042 |
| Low-Access Share | 24.2%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,041 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 43,785 |
| Median Household Income | $58,515 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.4%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,743 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.2% |
About 17.3% of Polk County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 24.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 17.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,743 households here.
- 5.0% 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 Polk County
above the national share
1 of Polk County's 7 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.3% 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 10,042 residents, roughly 24.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,041 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 5 tracts (71.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Polk County
Polk County has 52 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 28 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 28
- antioch food mart, cedartown
- arco quick stop, cedartown
- burton's kwik stop, aragon
- chapman's shoppette, cedartown
- cedartown food mart, cedartown
- cedartown grocery & tobacco, cedartown
- cowboys, cedartown
- d k convenience store, cedartown
- dunn's quick stop, rockmart
- dunn's quick stop 2, aragon
- el camino mexican market, cedartown
- express stop, rockmart
- g & s cafe, cedartown
- g b foodmart, rockmart
- handy mart, rockmart
- hi tech food mart, rockmart
- indica oil company, cedartown
- los amigos, cedartown
- madi food mart, cedartown
- murphy usa 7323, cedartown
- poudel food mart, cedartown
- raceway 6854, rockmart
- rockmart food, rockmart
- royal food mart, cedartown
- shamrock food mart, cedartown
- smart mart, rockmart
- the corner store, cedartown
- the country store, cedartown
Combination Grocery/Other · 14
- cvs pharmacy 5356, cedartown
- dollar general 14577, cedartown
- dollar general 4163, rockmart
- dollar general 8075, aragon
- dollar general 13660, rockmart
- dollar general 24859, cedartown
- dollar general 25789, cedartown
- dollar general 30530, aragon
- dollar general 7839, cedartown
- dollar tree 3513, cedartown
- dollar tree 4653, rockmart
- family dollar 276, cedartown
- tienda y tortilleria la bendicion, cedartown
- walgreens 17083, cedartown
Super Store · 5
- dollar general market 9830, cedartown
- kroger 429, cedartown
- p m a supermarkets, cedartown
- walmart 4409, rockmart
- walmart 727, cedartown
Supermarket · 2
- ingles markets 453, rockmart
- triangle foods, rockmart
Farmers' Market · 1
- rockmart farmers market, inc, rockmart
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- carniceria los molcajetes, cedartown
Small Grocery Store · 1
- quetzal supermarket, cedartown
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Georgia
Compare Polk County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Food access nationally, Georgia in context
Polk County sits inside Georgia (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 Polk County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Polk County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Polk County? ▼
Is Polk County a food desert? ▼
What share of Polk 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.