PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Mississippi

Scott County, MS

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

31.4%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
15.0%
on SNAP
28K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MS

The food-access picture

31.4% of Scott County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

3
low-access tracts
5K
food-desert residents
6.4%
households, no vehicle
22.2%
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 Scott County's low-access share at 31.4%, above the national share. 3 of the county's 6 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 8,863 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,581 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 Scott County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Scott County's 31.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 73% of them and ranked #854 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Scott County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 6 census tracts in Scott 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 Scott County, MS USDA-defined food-access tiers: 3 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 6 tracts evaluated. 3 tracts adequate (50.0%) 1 tracts limited (16.7%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (33.3%) Adequate 50% Limited 17% Severe 33% Food-access tier distribution: Scott County, MS
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Scott County vs. other Mississippi counties

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

% 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 Scott County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts6
Atlas Population (2010 basis)28,264
Low-Access Tracts3
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population8,863
Low-Access Share31.4%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population4,581

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Scott County
IndicatorValue
Population27,718
Median Household Income$48,786
Poverty Rate22.2%well above the national average
SNAP Households1,457
SNAP Participation Rate15.0%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.4%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.9%
SNAP participation in Scott County 15.0%

About 15.0% of Scott County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 31.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 15.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,457 households here.
  • 6.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 2 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 Scott County

above the national share

2 of Scott County's 6 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 33.3% of all its tracts.

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.

An estimated 8,863 residents, roughly 31.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 4,581 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 3 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Scott County

Scott County has 37 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 15 locations (41% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 15

  • dollar general 0622, forest
  • dollar general 18778, morton
  • dollar general 2803, morton
  • dollar general 8841, sebastopol
  • dollar general 9097, lake
  • dollar tree 4107, forest
  • dollar general 10538, forest
  • dollar general 16650, morton
  • dollar general 21469, forest
  • dollar general 22177, lena
  • dollar general store 17694, forest
  • family dollar 13423, morton
  • family dollar 13525, forest
  • family dollar 13733, sebastopol
  • walgreens 12536, forest

Convenience Store · 14

  • 21 quick stop, walnut grove
  • bg gas, morton
  • cnk grocery, forest
  • d's one stop food mart, forest
  • eknoor llc, forest
  • fisherman corner, morton
  • love's travel stop 639, lake
  • magnolia sunshine llc, walnut grove
  • morton exxon, morton
  • murphy usa 7384, forest
  • race time 2, forest
  • shaws northside general store inc, forest
  • shell food mart 25, morton
  • tienda tacana#4 1, forest

Super Store · 3

  • fairway foods inc, morton
  • vowell's marketplace 2, forest
  • walmart supercenter 1059, forest

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • chicken outlet store, morton

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • la moreliana of forest llc 1, forest

Seafood Specialty · 1

  • jo's fish and bait shop inc., forest

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • el mercadito, morton

Supermarket · 1

  • piggly wiggly, sebastopol

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Mississippi

Adams County
28.3% low-access · 16.5% SNAP
Alcorn County
18.9% low-access · 16.1% SNAP
Amite County
13.9% low-access · 15.2% SNAP
Attala County
27.1% low-access · 15.6% SNAP
Benton County
35.7% low-access · 17.2% SNAP
Bolivar County
50.9% low-access · 26.0% SNAP

Compare Scott County vs Adams County → · All Mississippi counties →

Food access nationally, Mississippi in context

Scott County sits inside Mississippi (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Scott County has low food access? ▼
31.4% of residents in Scott County, MS 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 Scott County? ▼
15.0% of households in Scott County receive SNAP, covering 1,457 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Scott County? ▼
The poverty rate in Scott County, MS is 22.2%, with a median household income of $48,786 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Scott County a food desert? ▼
2 of Scott County's 6 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 Scott County households lack a vehicle? ▼
6.4% of households in Scott 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.