County food-access profile · Tennessee
Putnam County, TN
Putnam 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.
- 41.4%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 9.3%
- on SNAP
- 83K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
41.4% of Putnam County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 11K
- food-desert residents
- 3.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 18.4%
- 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).
Putnam County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 41.4% is well above the national share. 8 of the county's 15 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 29,939 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 11,011 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 Putnam County compares nationally
Putnam County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 41.4% low-access share outpaces 89% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #356 most-affected nationwide.
Putnam County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 15 census tracts in Putnam County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Putnam County vs. other Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Putnam
Putnam County, TN
41.4 % low-access
- Anderson 10.9
Anderson County, TN
10.9 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, TN
23 % low-access
- Benton 12.6
Benton County, TN
12.6 % low-access
- Bledsoe 4.7
Bledsoe County, TN
4.7 % low-access
- Blount
Blount County, TN
30.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 15 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 72,321 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 29,939 |
| Low-Access Share | 41.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 11,011 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 82,558 |
| Median Household Income | $58,912 |
| Poverty Rate | 18.4%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,111 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.3%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.3% |
About 9.3% of Putnam County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 41.4% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,111 households here.
- 3.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Putnam County
well above the national share
4 of Putnam County's 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 26.7% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 29,939 residents, roughly 41.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 11,011 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 7 tracts (46.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Putnam County
Putnam County has 85 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 39 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 39
- a & j food mart, cookeville
- breadbox 3483, cookeville
- breadbox 3484, cookeville
- circle k 4703700, cookeville
- citgo 101, cookeville
- colonial foodmart, cookeville
- cookeville express way, cookeville
- east spring gulf 13, cookeville
- echo valley market, cookeville
- evolve c-store, cookeville
- jackson mart of cookeville, cookeville
- kash stop 8, cookeville
- la marquensita, cookeville
- little dodge deli and market, baxter
- love' travel stops & country stores, inc 330, baxter
- m&m trading post, cookeville
- mapco express, inc. 7460, cookeville
- mike's market, cookeville
- minit mart 4470, cookeville
- monterey market, monterey
- monterey shell, monterey
- murphy usa 7008, cookeville
- murphy usa 7027, cookeville
- on the way west jackson, cookeville
- pilot travel center 265, cookeville
- quick stop, cookeville
- roy's market, cookeville
- shell hwy 56 baxter, baxter
- smokes & beverages, cookeville
- speed mart of cookeville, cookeville
- speedway 7106, baxter
- speedway 7137, cookeville
- sunoco, cookeville
- t mart 205 1, cookeville
- t mart 405, baxter
- t-mart, cookeville
- tigermarket 208 208, cookeville
- toms market, monterey
- wildwood market, bloomington springs
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- cvs pharmacy 2198, cookeville
- cvs pharmacy 6434, cookeville
- dollar general 11157, cookeville
- dollar general 14082, cookeville
- dollar general 2411, monterey
- dollar general 4717, cookeville
- dollar general 4718, baxter
- dollar general 8849, cookeville
- dollar general 8940, cookeville
- dollar general 9379, cookeville
- dolalr general store 16175, cookeville
- dollar general 10766, cookeville
- dollar general 18305, cookeville
- dollar general 21431, silver point
- dollar general 23912, cookeville
- dollar general 25737, baxter
- dollar general 30871, cookeville
- dollar tree 326, cookeville
- dollar tree 5892, cookeville
- family dollar store 6834, monterey
- walgreen 05474, cookeville
- walgreen 11969, cookeville
Supermarket · 8
- aldi 71026 71026, cookeville
- food lion 0995, cookeville
- food city 683, cookeville
- food lion 2149, cookeville
- houchens save-a-lot 156, cookeville
- hometown iga 42, cookeville
- publix 1634, cookeville
- todd's monterey cee bee, monterey
Small Grocery Store · 5
- fil-am asian store, cookeville
- guatemex market 2 llc, cookeville
- tienda coataneca 1, cookeville
- tienda la juquilita, cookeville
- tiendia la tapatia, monterey
Super Store · 5
- dollar general market 9825, cookeville
- kroger co #00893-a 893, cookeville
- sam's club 4930, cookeville
- walmart 657, cookeville
- walmart s/c 5175, cookeville
Large Grocery Store · 2
- baxter bi rite, baxter
- cash & carry, cookeville
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- el milagro market, cookeville
- tienda los angeles grocery, cookeville
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza tn018, cookeville
Seafood Specialty · 1
- bubba gandy seafood and cajun market, cookeville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Putnam County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Putnam County sits inside Tennessee (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 Putnam County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Putnam County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Putnam County? ▼
Is Putnam County a food desert? ▼
What share of Putnam 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.