County food-access profile · Tennessee
Sevier County, TN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Sevier 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).
- 21.5%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 7.2%
- on SNAP
- 100K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
21.5% of Sevier County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
- 4.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.5%
- 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 Sevier County's low-access share at 21.5%, above the national share. 6 of the county's 18 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 19,292 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,959 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 Sevier County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Sevier County's 21.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 50% of them and ranked #1,567 most-affected nationwide.
Sevier County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 18 census tracts in Sevier County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Sevier County vs. other Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Sevier
Sevier County, TN
21.5 % 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 | 18 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 89,889 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 19,292 |
| Low-Access Share | 21.5%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,959 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 99,652 |
| Median Household Income | $62,581 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.5%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,911 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.2%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 7.2% of Sevier County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 21.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,911 households here.
- 4.1% 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 Sevier County
above the national share
1 of Sevier County's 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 5.6% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 19,292 residents, roughly 21.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 6,959 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (66.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Sevier County
Sevier County has 137 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 64 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 64
- black bear market, sevierville
- circle k 4703940, sevierville
- casey's general store 4049, seymour
- casey's general store 4228, sevierville
- chambers market, sevierville
- choudhry & sons enterprises inc, pigeon forge
- city market, sevierville
- corner market & grill, sevierville
- ez stop food mart 10, seymour
- ez stop food mart 18, sevierville
- ez stop food mart 24, sevierville
- ez stop food mart 32, seymour
- fastop market 226, pigeon forge
- fastop market 228, pigeon forge
- fastop market 229, sevierville
- fastop markets 212, pigeon forge
- fastop markets 217, sevierville
- fastop markets 218, kodak
- fastop markets 219, sevierville
- fastop markets 220, sevierville
- fastop markets 221, seymour
- fastop markets 222, sevierville
- fastop markets 223, sevierville
- fastop markets 224, sevierville
- fastop markets 225, gatlinburg
- flowers bakery outlet 514, seymour
- goodstop 4219, sevierville
- goodstop 4226, pigeon forge
- goodstop 4230, sevierville
- harry's 28, kodak
- jay hanuman dollar plus mart inc, kodak
- jimmy country market, sevierville
- jimmys market 4, gatlinburg
- ken jo 43, sevierville
- kenjo 39, sevierville
- kenjo 49, sevierville
- kenjo 42, kodak
- kodak trade center, kodak
- lakeside market & deli, dandridge
- lee's food mart 27, kodak
- lee's food mart 407, kodak
- marathon food mart, sevierville
- mr zip 511, sevierville
- murphy express 8562, sevierville
- new center market, sevierville
- parkway foodmart, sevierville
- peter's market 4237623143, sevierville
- pigeon forge food mart, pigeon forge
- pk food mart 1, sevierville
- pk food mart 2, sevierville
- refuel energy inc, pigeon forge
- ritz llc dba - jimmy's market & grill 1, sevierville
- stop n shop market, gatlinburg
- the dam store, sevierville
- the local market 126, strawberry plains
- u-shop, sevierville
- valley mart exxon, sevierville
- weigel's 1075, seymour
- weigel's 69, sevierville
- weigels 1090, kodak
- weigels 1091, pigeon forge
- weigels 1113, sevierville
- weigels 1122, sevierville
- zoomerz 975, pigeon forge
Combination Grocery/Other · 40
- big lots 3163, sevierville
- cvs pharmacy 6267, pigeon forge
- cvs pharmacy 6361, sevierville
- dollar general 10330, sevierville
- dollar general 19807, pigeon forge
- dollar general 19904, sevierville
- dollar general 19918, sevierville
- dollar general 2339, sevierville
- dollar general 6313, seymour
- dollar general 8727, kodak
- dollartree 10065, sevierville
- dollar general 11385, sevierville
- dollar general 11750, gatlinburg
- dollar general 11933, sevierville
- dollar general 12734, strawberry plains
- dollar general 13627, sevierville
- dollar general 16405, cosby
- dollar general 22484, sevierville
- dollar general 23230, seymour
- dollar general 23450, seymour
- dollar general 30084, sevierville
- dollar general 30434, sevierville
- dollar general 30535, dandridge
- dollar general 31201, sevierville
- dollar general store 17649, pigeon forge
- dollar tree 2911, sevierville
- dollar tree 5632, pigeon forge
- dollar tree 5850, seymour
- family dollar 11809, sevierville
- family dollar 7955, gatlinburg
- family dollar 9179, pigeon forge
- family dollar store 7915, sevierville
- family dollar store 8152, kodak
- roses express 679, sevierville
- walgreens 07048, pigeon forge
- walgreens 3284, sevierville
- walgreens 6609, sevierville
- walgreens 7407, seymour
- walgreens 12448, sevierville
- walgreens 13107, gatlinburg
Supermarket · 10
- aldi 70016 70016, sevierville
- express by food city 610, pigeon forge
- food city 611, gatlinburg
- food city 644, seymour
- food city 667, sevierville
- food city 609, kodak
- food city 665, pigeon forge
- food city 668, sevierville
- publix tennessee llc 1515, pigeon forge
- publix tennessee llc 1713, sevierville
Super Store · 8
- bj's wholesale club 268, sevierville
- dollar general market 9819, seymour
- kroger 536, pigeon forge
- kroger store 562, sevierville
- kroger store 581, seymour
- target store t2903, sevierville
- walmart 578, sevierville
- walmart neighborhood market 5908, sevierville
Medium Grocery Store · 6
- el primo productos hispanos, sevierville
- escobar's latino market, sevierville
- la catrina latin store, pigeon forge
- lila's market & mexican food, sevierville
- river's market 1, pigeon forge
- sevierville bargain barn, sevierville
Small Grocery Store · 6
- beni's latinos market, kodak
- jennifers market, sevierville
- latino market, pigeon forge
- latino market emmanuel dios con nosotros 1, kodak
- los paisanos mexican market, pigeon forge
- taste of europe, pigeon forge
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza tn038, seymour
Farmers' Market · 1
- seymour farmers market, seymour
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- swaggerty sausage company, kodak
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Sevier County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Sevier 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 Sevier County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Sevier County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Sevier County? ▼
Is Sevier County a food desert? ▼
What share of Sevier 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.