County food-access profile · Mississippi
Rankin County, MS
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Rankin 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).
- 28.4%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 5.5%
- on SNAP
- 159K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
28.4% of Rankin County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 27 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 18
- low-access tracts
- 12K
- food-desert residents
- 3.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.8%
- 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 Rankin County's low-access share at 28.4%, above the national share. 18 of the county's 27 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 40,242 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 11,690 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 Rankin County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Rankin County's 28.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,059 most-affected nationwide.
Rankin County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 27 census tracts in Rankin County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Rankin County vs. other Mississippi counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Mississippi
- Rankin
Rankin County, MS
28.4 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, MS
28.3 % low-access
- Alcorn
Alcorn County, MS
18.9 % low-access
- Amite 13.9
Amite County, MS
13.9 % low-access
- Attala
Attala County, MS
27.1 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, MS
35.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 27 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 141,617 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 18 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 40,242 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.4%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 11,690 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 158,854 |
| Median Household Income | $79,357 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,326 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.3% |
About 5.5% of Rankin County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 28.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,326 households here.
- 3.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Rankin County
above the national share
3 of Rankin County's 27 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 15 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 18.
An estimated 40,242 residents, roughly 28.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 11,690 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (33.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Rankin County
Rankin County has 111 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 53 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 53
- berry quick stop, brandon
- bob's gas llc, brandon
- chevron, pelahatchie
- circle k 2723421, brandon
- circle k 2723437, florence
- circle k 2723440, pearl
- circle k 2723456, flowood
- circle k 2723748, pearl
- circle k 2723759, florence
- circle k 2723761, pearl
- circle k 2723859, brandon
- country junction, brandon
- double quick 209, brandon
- easy stop, pearl
- ed's corner, richland
- ed's quickie, florence
- fast trip, florence
- fill up 2, pearl
- fill up llc, pearl
- fleetway 107, flowood
- flowers bakery outlet 241, pearl
- fuel time 6, brandon
- huffnstuff, brandon
- j & r international xv llc, flowood
- jr food mart 477, florence
- kangaroo crossing 107, pelahatchie
- la1foodmart 3, brandon
- lakeside 13, brandon
- lakeside foodmart 12, brandon
- love's travel stop 420, flowood
- monterey food llc, florence
- murphy usa 7046, richland
- murphy usa 7565, flowood
- murphy usa 7828, pearl
- nates place, florence
- one stop food mart, pelahatchie
- outpost texaco, pearl
- pelahatchie express, pelahatchie
- pilot travel center 678, pearl
- quick food mart, pearl
- quiktrip 7249, flowood
- quiktrip 7250, richland
- raceway 6941, richland
- raceway 8651, pearl
- richland gas and food, richland
- stop & save, pearl
- sprint mart 114, flowood
- st jot llc, brandon
- super x mart, brandon
- supermart 6, florence
- texaco foodmart, pearl
- uday 2 llc, brandon
- xtra mile, brandon
Combination Grocery/Other · 39
- cvs pharmacy 5865, brandon
- cvs pharmacy 5878, richland
- cvs pharmacy 8311, flowood
- dollar general 10735, brandon
- dollar general 10757, puckett
- dollar general 1302, pearl
- dollar general 1662, flowood
- dollar general 3696, richland
- dollar general 7691, florence
- dollar general 8409, brandon
- dollar general 9066, pelahatchie
- dollartree 10157, florence
- dollartree 8835, flowood
- dollartree 9684, pearl
- dollar general 10208, pearl
- dollar general 10227, brandon
- dollar general 11402, brandon
- dollar general 12329, florence
- dollar general 13382, brandon
- dollar general 15738, florence
- dollar general 20370, pearl
- dollar general 20428, florence
- dollar general 20449, brandon
- dollar general 22229, brandon
- dollar general store 16601, brandon
- dollar tree 1290, brandon
- dollar tree 1811, richland
- dollar tree 3087, flowood
- dollar tree 5015, pearl
- dollar tree 8962, brandon
- family dollar 13554, brandon
- family dollar 2727, pearl
- family dollar store 10158, pearl
- family dollar store 2180, brandon
- roses 262, pearl
- walgreen 07656, richland
- walgreen 10270, flowood
- walgreens 3918, pearl
- walgreens 12822, brandon
Super Store · 13
- allen's food store inc, brandon
- kroger 363, pearl
- kroger 388, brandon
- kroger 449, richland
- kroger food store 00479, flowood
- kroger 0497, flowood
- kroger food store 493, brandon
- ramey's 25, florence
- sam's club 4790, pearl
- target store t-1920, flowood
- walmart 2755, flowood
- walmart 365, pearl
- walmart supercenter 2939, richland
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 82070, flowood
- fairway foods inc 103, pelahatchie
- ramey's 8, brandon
- save-a-lot 24927, pearl
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- cooper country meat packers, florence
Small Grocery Store · 1
- pearl meat market, pearl
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Mississippi
Compare Rankin County vs Adams County → · All Mississippi counties →
Food access nationally, Mississippi in context
Rankin County sits inside Mississippi (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 Rankin County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Rankin County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Rankin County? ▼
Is Rankin County a food desert? ▼
What share of Rankin 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.