County food-access profile · Tennessee
Roane County, TN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Roane 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).
- 20.3%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 13.1%
- on SNAP
- 55K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
20.3% of Roane County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 5.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.0%
- 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 Roane County's low-access share at 20.3%, above the national share. 4 of the county's 10 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 11,016 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,382 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 Roane County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Roane County's 20.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 47% of them and ranked #1,668 most-affected nationwide.
Roane County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Roane County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Roane County vs. other Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Roane
Roane County, TN
20.3 % low-access
- Anderson 10.9
Anderson County, TN
10.9 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, TN
23 % low-access
- Benton
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 | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 54,181 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 11,016 |
| Low-Access Share | 20.3%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,382 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 55,208 |
| Median Household Income | $71,885 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.0%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,983 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.1%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 13.1% of Roane County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 20.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,983 households here.
- 5.9% 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 Roane County
above the national share
1 of Roane County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.0% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 11,016 residents, roughly 20.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,382 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (60.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Roane County
Roane County has 54 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 29 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 29
- biges, rockwood
- dailys stop, kingston
- downtown marathon, oliver springs
- eagle mart, harriman
- fuel stop#7 7, harriman
- highway 27 citgo, harriman
- house of tobacco & beverage, rockwood
- kay mart 2, harriman
- kenjo 28, kingston
- kwikchek, kingston
- kwikchek #2, kingston
- lehigh gas - ohio llc 901, kingston
- midtown quick stop, harriman
- murphy usa 7853, rockwood
- paint rock market, kingston
- premier mart, harriman
- renfro's county store and deli, ten mile
- riverbend, kingston
- rockwood foodmart, rockwood
- rocky top market 902, rockwood
- rocky top markets 904, harriman
- rocky top markets 913, harriman
- rocky top markets 914, kingston
- rocky top markets 926, kingston
- schilo market, harriman
- treasure mee hunt and mee grocery 0, harriman
- weigel's 58, kingston
- weigel's 85, harriman
- zoomerz 967, kingston
Combination Grocery/Other · 19
- big lots 3168, rockwood
- cvs pharmacy 3740, harriman
- dollar general 18686, loudon
- dollar general 9691, kingston
- dollartree 10105, rockwood
- dollartree 9558, kingston
- dollar general 14829, harriman
- dollar general 15670, kingston
- dollar general 16186, harriman
- dollar general 16613, kingston
- dollar general 24308, philadelphia
- dollar general 24472, harriman
- dollar general 25738, kingston
- dollar general 30536, oliver springs
- dollar general 30647, rockwood
- dollar general 31187, harriman
- dollar tree 6853, harriman
- walgreens 10612, harriman
- walgreens 17476, rockwood
Super Store · 3
- dollar general market 9807, harriman
- kroger 628, harriman
- walmart supercenter 676, rockwood
Supermarket · 2
- food city 634, harriman
- food city 653, kingston
Large Grocery Store · 1
- united grocery outlet 20, harriman
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Roane County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Roane 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 Roane County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Roane County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Roane County? ▼
Is Roane County a food desert? ▼
What share of Roane 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.