County food-access profile · Georgia

Rockdale County, GA

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Rockdale 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).

39.6%
low-access pop.
4
food-desert tracts
12.2%
on SNAP
95K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 GA

The food-access picture

39.6% of Rockdale County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

11
low-access tracts
11K
food-desert residents
3.2%
households, no vehicle
10.8%
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 Rockdale County's low-access share at 39.6%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 15 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 33,760 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 11,367 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 Rockdale County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Rockdale County's 39.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 87% of them and ranked #415 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Rockdale County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 15 census tracts in Rockdale County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Rockdale County, GA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 4 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 7 limited, 4 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 15 tracts evaluated. 4 tracts adequate (26.7%) 7 tracts limited (46.7%) 4 tracts severe / food desert (26.7%) Adequate 27% Limited 47% Severe 27% Food-access tier distribution: Rockdale County, GA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Rockdale County vs. other Georgia counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Rockdale County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts15
Atlas Population (2010 basis)85,215
Low-Access Tracts11
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)4
Low-Access Population33,760
Low-Access Share39.6%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population11,367

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Rockdale County
IndicatorValue
Population95,281
Median Household Income$77,247
Poverty Rate10.8%below the national average
SNAP Households4,187
SNAP Participation Rate12.2%near the national average
Households Without a Vehicle3.2%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.9%
SNAP participation in Rockdale County 12.2%

About 12.2% of Rockdale County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 39.6% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 12.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,187 households here.
  • 3.2% 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 Rockdale County

above the national share

4 of Rockdale 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 7 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.

An estimated 33,760 residents, roughly 39.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 11,367 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 4 tracts (26.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Rockdale County

Rockdale County has 86 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 44 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 44

  • chevron food mart, conyers
  • chevron food mart, conyers
  • chevron food mart, conyers
  • chevron station #767, conyers
  • circle k sigman, conyers
  • citgo food mart, conyers
  • conyers 1801 llc, conyers
  • conyers quickmart, conyers
  • conyers shell, conyers
  • corner market, stockbridge
  • daredia investments inc food mart, conyers
  • eastview food mart, conyers
  • fatima & mohan inc, conyers
  • flash foods llc 2745126, conyers
  • food mart, conyers
  • fritz food mart, conyers
  • jai jalaram 2024 llc, conyers
  • lakeshore mart, conyers
  • lucky lotto foodmart, stockbridge
  • mathews market place, conyers
  • magnet market, conyers
  • mini food mart, conyers
  • ms krima business inc, conyers
  • neighbourhood petroleum, conyers
  • one stop 711, conyers
  • quick stop superette, conyers
  • quick trip 761, conyers
  • quiktrip 770, conyers
  • quiktrip 802, conyers
  • quick spot, conyers
  • quiktrip 833, conyers
  • race trac 2330, conyers
  • robinson's superette, conyers
  • salem food mart, conyers
  • salem market, conyers
  • shell food mart, conyers
  • shell food mart, conyers
  • sigman food mart, conyers
  • sigman texaco food mart, conyers
  • stockbridge b p, stockbridge
  • sunoco stop & shop, stockbridge
  • teek 7 llc, conyers
  • texaco food mart, conyers
  • texaco food mart, conyers

Combination Grocery/Other · 21

  • cvs pharmacy 4694, conyers
  • cvs pharmacy 4542, conyers
  • corner's edge butcher shoppe of conyers, conyers
  • dollar general 13634, conyers
  • dollar general 19040, loganville
  • dollar general 2893, conyers
  • discount meat market, conyers
  • dollar general 14624, conyers
  • dollar general 20535, conyers
  • dollar general 23036, conyers
  • dollar tree 1427, conyers
  • dollar tree 4300, conyers
  • dollar tree 7836, conyers
  • dollar tree 8276, conyers
  • efe african market, conyers
  • family dollar 11602, conyers
  • family dollar 7671, conyers
  • family dollar store 10212, conyers
  • family dollar store 4224, conyers
  • walgreens 10479, conyers
  • walgreens 7742, conyers

Medium Grocery Store · 7

  • ariana de la moreliana, conyers
  • carniceria la costa, conyers
  • carniceria y taqueria bella vista 2, conyers
  • conyers meat mart, conyers
  • el sol, conyers
  • j market, conyers
  • la fiesta supermercado, conyers

Supermarket · 7

  • aldi 76066, conyers
  • food depot 43, conyers
  • food depot 64, conyers
  • ingles markets 469, conyers
  • publix 1071, conyers
  • publix 1118, conyers
  • publix 1411, conyers

Super Store · 4

  • bj's membership club 150, conyers
  • kroger 320, conyers
  • target store t-2174, conyers
  • walmart supercenter 2475, conyers

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • taiba farms, conyers

Seafood Specialty · 1

  • crawfish seafood market, conyers

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • supermercado la moreliana, conyers

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Georgia

Compare Rockdale County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →

Food access nationally, Georgia in context

Rockdale 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 Rockdale County has low food access?
39.6% of residents in Rockdale County, GA live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Rockdale County?
12.2% of households in Rockdale County receive SNAP, covering 4,187 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Rockdale County?
The poverty rate in Rockdale County, GA is 10.8%, with a median household income of $77,247 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Rockdale County a food desert?
4 of Rockdale County's 15 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Rockdale County households lack a vehicle?
3.2% of households in Rockdale County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.