Signature · 4.0% low-access (8th pct)
Polk County, TN
Polk County lands in the lower national band on low-access (4.0%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 4.0%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 14.0%
- on SNAP
- 18K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Polk County, TN
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ADEQUATE 4.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -18.1 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.0% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Henderson County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Polk County lands in the lower national band (4.0%, #2,869 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,869
- national by low-access %
- #77
- in TN
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 325
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 4.0% low-access (8th pct) (-18.1 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Polk County compares nationally
Food access in Polk County compares favorably nationally: its 4.0% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 8% of them (rank #2,869).
Polk County's lower-band USDA tier split
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
All 5 of Polk County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Polk County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Tennessee, not a full county-board reprint
- Montgomery
Montgomery 47%
47 % low-access
- Henderson 4.1
Henderson 4.1%
4.1 % low-access
- Tipton 4.1
Tipton 4.1%
4.1 % low-access
- Polk 4
Polk 4%
4 % low-access
- Unicoi 3.7
Unicoi 3.7%
3.7 % low-access
- Lawrence 3.5
Lawrence 3.5%
3.5 % low-access
- Grainger 0
Grainger 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 16,825 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 667 |
| Low-Access Share | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 325 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 17,898 |
| Median Household Income | $62,522 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.9%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,043 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.0%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
SNAP retailers in Polk County
Polk County has 20 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 10 locations (50% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Where the store book sits, by town
8 towns share the 20 authorized stores; Ocoee holds 30% of them. 7 of the 8 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Benton, Ducktown, Copperhill, Delano, Old Fort, Reliance and 1 more.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ocoee | 6 | 1 |
| Benton | 5 | none |
| Ducktown | 3 | none |
| Copperhill | 2 | none |
| Delano | 1 | none |
| Old Fort | 1 | none |
| Reliance | 1 | none |
| Turtletown | 1 | none |
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- dollar general 6635, ocoee
- dollar general 7533, copperhill
- dollar general 7981, benton
- dollar general 10005, ducktown
- dollar general 22485, old fort
- dollar general 24153, turtletown
- dollar general 31010, benton
- family dollar store 4248, ducktown
- family dollar 13632, ocoee
- family dollar store 2851, benton
Convenience Store · 9
- bhadra krupa llc, ocoee
- circle k 2723596, ducktown
- circle k 4703637, benton
- delano number 3, delano
- ez stop food mart 25, ocoee
- jay sadhi maa inc dba food mart v, ocoee
- mona & larry’s, reliance
- ocoee express, benton
- ocoee food mart, copperhill
Supermarket · 1
- food city 745, ocoee
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Tennessee
One of 94 counties in Tennessee, 6 are shown here.
Compare Polk County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Counties near Polk County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Polk County, both outside Tennessee so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside TN (4.0% here).
- Hancock County, ME · 4.0% low-access
- Russell County, KY · 4.0% low-access
- Fayette County, IA · 4.0% low-access
- Chenango County, NY · 4.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside TN (14.0% here).
- Carbon County, UT · 14.0% SNAP
- Tioga County, PA · 14.0% SNAP
- Potter County, PA · 14.0% SNAP
- Morgan County, WV · 14.0% 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.
Tennessee among East South Central states
Tennessee ranks 1st of 4 East South Central states by population-weighted low-access (27.2%). Polk County, at 4.0%, runs 23.2 pts below the Tennessee rate.
- Tennessee 27.2%
- Mississippi 26.4%
- Alabama 24.5%
- Kentucky 19.8%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Polk County, TN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 47139. 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.