County food-access profile · Alabama
Shelby County, AL
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Shelby 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).
- 34.4%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 4.6%
- on SNAP
- 230K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
34.4% of Shelby County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 48 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 25
- low-access tracts
- 11K
- food-desert residents
- 2.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.2%
- 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 Shelby County's low-access share at 34.4%, above the national share. 25 of the county's 48 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 67,201 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 11,354 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 Shelby County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Shelby County's 34.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 79% of them and ranked #646 most-affected nationwide.
Shelby County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 48 census tracts in Shelby County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Shelby County vs. other Alabama counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Alabama
- Shelby
Shelby County, AL
34.4 % low-access
- Autauga
Autauga County, AL
33.9 % low-access
- Baldwin
Baldwin County, AL
25.1 % low-access
- Barbour
Barbour County, AL
20.5 % low-access
- Bibb 1.6
Bibb County, AL
1.6 % low-access
- Blount 6.8
Blount County, AL
6.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 48 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 195,085 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 25 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 67,201 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 11,354 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 230,211 |
| Median Household Income | $97,961 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.2%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,014 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.6%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 2.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.7% |
About 4.6% of Shelby County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 34.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 4.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,014 households here.
- 2.5% 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 Shelby County
above the national share
1 of Shelby County's 48 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 2.1% of all its tracts.
A further 24 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 25.
An estimated 67,201 residents, roughly 34.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 11,354 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 23 tracts (47.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Shelby County
Shelby County has 145 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 60 locations (41% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 60
- allen food mart, shelby
- ajex food mart, harpersville
- american fuel, montevallo
- b & b discount store, shelby
- bp shop, alabaster
- circle k 2704888, pelham
- circle k 2704893, calera
- caldwell shell, birmingham
- calera food mart, calera
- calera petro n/a, calera
- calera valero 159, calera
- chelsea quick mart, chelsea
- chevron food mart, alabaster, alabaster
- circle k 2723682, pelham
- circle k 2723806, chelsea
- circle k 2723807, alabaster
- circle k 2723809, birmingham
- circle k 2723816, helena
- circle k store 2707205, pelham
- circle k store 2709335, pelham
- crossroad food mart, montevallo
- crossroads chevron, pelham
- dogtown chevron 8, calera
- flowers bakery outlet 0122, calera
- gordos market inc 2, pelham
- helena jetpep, helena
- k&a llc, calera
- kent kwik 920, alabaster
- kent kwik 931, birmingham
- kent kwik 932, columbiana
- lexy express llc 0, alabaster
- mapco express, inc. 5175, calera
- mapco express, inc. 7549, hoover
- montevallo citgo, montevallo
- montevallo exxon, montevallo
- montevallo shell, montevallo
- murphy usa 6694, calera
- murphy usa 7051, pelham
- murphy usa 7545, chelsea
- murphy usa 7687, alabaster
- parv1inc no, alabaster
- pelham bp, pelham
- pelham exxon, pelham
- quiktrip 7171, calera
- rkp foodmart llc - alabaster shell, alabaster
- racetrac 2595, alabaster
- racetrac 2599, chelsea
- raceway 6818 01, pelham
- raceway 6819, pelham
- raceway 6825, hoover
- samarth, chelsea
- southern quick mart, alabaster
- spring creek grocery, shelby
- spur stop, alabaster
- sterrett quick mart, sterrett
- the general store, montevallo
- toulo food mart, calera
- uni country mart, montevallo
- valleydale shell, hoover
- vincent shell, vincent
Combination Grocery/Other · 45
- cvs 10181, birmingham
- cvs pharmacy 4667, pelham
- cvs pharmacy 467, calera
- cvs pharmacy 4814, pelham
- cvs pharmacy 4864, birmingham
- cvs pharmacy 4866, columbiana
- cvs pharmacy 7112, montevallo
- cvs pharmacy 4867, alabaster
- dollar general 0814, pelham
- dollar general 1607, alabaster
- dollar general 19662, montevallo
- dollar general 4962, montevallo
- dollar general 6415, wilsonville
- dollar general 7175, helena
- dollar general 9539, alabaster
- dollar general 9560, harpersville
- dollartree 8628, helena
- dollartree 8797, birmingham
- dollar general 10021, pelham
- dollar general 12246, pelham
- dollar general 12519, shelby
- dollar general 15575, vincent
- dollar general 20741, vandiver
- dollar general 21541, montevallo
- dollar general 23835, chelsea
- dollar general 24319, calera
- dollar general 31565, calera
- dollar general 4417, calera
- dollar general 8661, columbiana
- dollar general store 16485, harpersville
- dollar tree 1881, calera
- dollar tree 3439, chelsea
- dollar tree 344, birmingham
- dollar tree 3706, pelham
- dollar tree 4579, alabaster
- dollar tree 7929, columbiana
- walgreens 11099, helena
- walgreens 11531, chelsea
- walgreens 11651, birmingham
- walgreens 4589, pelham
- walgreens 7014, calera
- walgreens 7306, birmingham
- walgreens 7791, birmingham
- walgreens 9427, pelham
- walgreens 9951, alabaster
Supermarket · 20
- aldi 70032, pelham
- aldi 70209, chelsea
- aldi 38, alabaster
- aldi 70072, birmingham
- mi pueblo supermarket llc 1, pelham
- publix 0838, hoover
- publix 0841, birmingham
- publix 0882, birmingham
- publix 1073, alabaster
- publix 1074, helena
- publix 1202, pelham
- publix 1281, calera
- publix 1370, chelsea
- publix 1687, hoover
- publix super markets, inc. 1692, vestavia hills
- sav mor associated foods, calera
- sprouts farmers market 480, birmingham
- sprouts farmers market 482, birmingham
- the fresh market 049, birmingham
- winn-dixie 445, birmingham
Super Store · 13
- lucky's foodland plus, montevallo
- pic n sav #244, montevallo
- piggly wiggly 235, columbiana
- piggly wiggly 268, birmingham
- target store t-1772, birmingham
- target store t-2276, alabaster
- walmart 2111, birmingham
- walmart neighborhood market 4189, helena
- walmart neighborhood market 4756, alabaster
- walmart supercenter 423, alabaster
- walmart supercenter 3271, calera
- walmart supercenter 4330, chelsea
- walmart supercenter 5262, pelham
Large Grocery Store · 2
- brito's supermarket, alabaster
- hudd's food center, wilsonville
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- mi ranchito supermarket llc, pelham
- navarros fresh market llc, montevallo
Delivery Route · 1
- mercy deliverance ministries mobile grocery, hoover
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- kenston farms, pelham
Small Grocery Store · 1
- la colonia mexicana, montevallo
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Alabama
Compare Shelby County vs Autauga County → · All Alabama counties →
Food access nationally, Alabama in context
Shelby County sits inside Alabama (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 Shelby County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Shelby County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Shelby County? ▼
Is Shelby County a food desert? ▼
What share of Shelby 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.