County food-access profile · Tennessee
Shelby County, TN
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).
- 32.8%
- low-access pop.
- 51
- food-desert tracts
- 15.5%
- on SNAP
- 919K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
32.8% of Shelby County residents live in a low-access area, and 51 of its 220 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 105
- low-access tracts
- 104K
- food-desert residents
- 8.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.8%
- 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 Shelby County's low-access share at 32.8%, above the national share. 105 of the county's 220 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 303,862 people. 51 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 103,798 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 32.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 76% of them and ranked #759 most-affected nationwide.
Shelby County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 220 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 Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Shelby
Shelby County, TN
32.8 % low-access
- Anderson 10.9
Anderson County, TN
10.9 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, TN
23 % low-access
- Benton 12.6
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 | 220 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 927,644 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 105 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 51 |
| Low-Access Population | 303,862 |
| Low-Access Share | 32.8%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 103,798 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 919,173 |
| Median Household Income | $63,767 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 56,268 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.5%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.2%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
About 15.5% of Shelby County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 32.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 56,268 households here.
- 8.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 51 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 Shelby County
above the national share
51 of Shelby County's 220 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 23.2% of all its tracts.
A further 54 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 105.
An estimated 303,862 residents, roughly 32.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 103,798 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 115 tracts (52.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Shelby County
Shelby County has 918 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 189 locations (21% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 189
- cvs pharmacy 4992, memphis
- cvs pharmacy 6628, cordova
- cvs pharmacy 7619, memphis
- cvs pharmacy 8427, memphis
- cvs pharmacy 10204, memphis
- cvs pharmacy 6304, memphis
- cvs pharmacy 7144, memphis
- dollar general 0166, memphis
- dollar general 10986, memphis
- dollar general 12940, memphis
- dollar general 14123, millington
- dollar general 14241, bartlett
- dollar general 14328, millington
- dollar general 2698, millington
- dollar general 4482, memphis
- dollar general 6541, arlington
- dollar general 6647, memphis
- dollar general 7498, memphis
- dollar tree 4082, memphis
- dollartree 8679, memphis
- dollartree 9325, millington
- dollartree 9621, memphis
- dollartree 9682, memphis
- dollartree 9845, collierville
- dollar general 10135, cordova
- dollar general 10669, memphis
- dollar general 10754, bartlett
- dollar general 11570, memphis
- dollar general 11599, memphis
- dollar general 11609, memphis
- dollar general 11798, memphis
- dollar general 11856, memphis
- dollar general 11958, memphis
- dollar general 12109, memphis
- dollar general 12155, memphis
- dollar general 12168, memphis
- dollar general 12206, memphis
- dollar general 12536, memphis
- dollar general 12662, memphis
- dollar general 12713, memphis
- dollar general 12749, memphis
- dollar general 12833, memphis
- dollar general 13181, cordova
- dollar general 13192, memphis
- dollar general 13247, memphis
- dollar general 15124, memphis
- dollar general 16024, cordova
- dollar general 19010, memphis
- dollar general 19289, memphis
- dollar general 20594, memphis
- dollar general 20979, memphis
- dollar general 21391, piperton
- dollar general 21432, cordova
- dollar general 21819, millington
- dollar general 22317, memphis
- dollar general 22506, memphis
- dollar general 22748, memphis
- dollar general 23977, memphis
- dollar general 24291, memphis
- dollar general 25045, millington
- dollar general 25424, cordova
- dollar general 25425, memphis
- dollar general 25532, collierville
- dollar general 30094, memphis
- dollar general 30915, memphis
- dollar general 31006, memphis
- dollar general 7492, memphis
- dollar tree 2529, germantown
- dollar tree 2948, memphis
- dollar tree 346, memphis
- dollar tree 3560, cordova
- dollar tree 376, millington
- dollar tree 379, memphis
- dollar tree 387, collierville
- dollar tree 3871, memphis
- dollar tree 395, memphis
- dollar tree 4024, memphis
- dollar tree 423, memphis
- dollar tree 5184, memphis
- dollar tree 5282, memphis
- dollar tree 5311, memphis
- dollar tree 5471, cordova
- dollar tree 5604, memphis
- dollar tree 5762, bartlett
- dollar tree 5940, memphis
- dollar tree 6064, memphis
- dollar tree 616, memphis
- dollar tree 619, memphis
- dollar tree 6536, memphis
- dollar tree 6623, memphis
- dollar tree 6818, memphis
- dollar tree 6988, memphis
- dollar tree 7093, memphis
- dollar tree 7634, memphis
- dollar tree 7772, memphis
- dollartree 09915, memphis
- dollartree 8885, memphis
- family dollar 11549, memphis
- family dollar 1170, memphis
- family dollar 11811, memphis
- family dollar 11953, memphis
- family dollar 1568, memphis
- family dollar 3370, memphis
- family dollar 3398, memphis
- family dollar 3537, memphis
- family dollar 4181, memphis
- family dollar 5671, memphis
- family dollar 5803, memphis
- family dollar 5844, memphis
- family dollar 5960, memphis
- family dollar 5984, memphis
- family dollar 6010, memphis
- family dollar 6097, memphis
- family dollar 6105, memphis
- family dollar 6465, memphis
- family dollar 6892, memphis
- family dollar 723, memphis
- family dollar 7230, memphis
- family dollar 759, memphis
- family dollar 820, memphis
- family dollar 8323, memphis
- family dollar 8417, memphis
- family dollar 8516, memphis
- family dollar 8558, memphis
- family dollar 8579, memphis
- family dollar 8690, memphis
- family dollar 8691, memphis
- family dollar 876, memphis
- family dollar 8814, memphis
- family dollar 8953, memphis
- family dollar 8979, memphis
- family dollar 8980, memphis
- family dollar 8992, memphis
- family dollar 9049, memphis
- family dollar store 10252, cordova
- family dollar store 10467, cordova
- family dollar store 8027, memphis
- family dollar store 854, millington
- family dollar store 8610, memphis
- family dollar store 8681, memphis
- family dollar store 8694, memphis
- family dollar store 8735, memphis
- millbranch fish market, memphis
- rose's 559, memphis
- saigruha collierville, collierville
- samar market, memphis
- samar market, memphis
- taps african grocery and meat none, bartlett
- walgreen 00586, memphis
- walgreen 02775, memphis
- walgreen 03013, memphis
- walgreen 03176, memphis
- walgreen 03473, memphis
- walgreen 03866, memphis
- walgreen 05676, memphis
- walgreen 06212, collierville
- walgreen 06769, memphis
- walgreen 07613, memphis
- walgreen 09174, memphis
- walgreen 09719, memphis
- walgreens 06644, memphis
- walgreens 06882, memphis
- walgreens 07059, memphis
- walgreens 07792, millington
- walgreens 3227, memphis
- walgreens 4083, bartlett
- walgreens 4232, cordova
- walgreens 4312, germantown
- walgreens 4628, memphis
- walgreens 4735, memphis
- walgreens 5654, memphis
- walgreens 6465, bartlett
- walgreens 07808, memphis
- walgreens 10103, memphis
- walgreens 11671, memphis
- walgreens 13108, memphis
- walgreens 1512, germantown
- walgreens 15287, memphis
- walgreens 15928, memphis
- walgreens 3699, memphis
- walgreens 5023, memphis
- walgreens 5705, collierville
- walgreens 6037, germantown
- walgreens 6242, cordova
- walgreens 6278, collierville
- walgreens 6341, bartlett
- walgreens 6958, arlington
- walgreens 6985, lakeland
- zenith african groceries, memphis
Convenience Store · 58
- 1210 n germantown llc, cordova
- 2100 sycamore inc, memphis
- 3135 new horn lake operations, memphis
- 4 way express 0, memphis
- 4027 jackson express, memphis
- 4145 neely express llc, memphis
- 4703678.0 270-3249, memphis
- 5 way mart, bartlett
- 51 express, memphis
- 64 express, arlington
- 7 skies truck stop llc, memphis
- 9423 poplar ave llc, germantown
- a & b circle k food mart, memphis
- a & g grocery, memphis
- a & w grocery none, memphis
- a & y, memphis
- a ok grocery, memphis
- a-1 food and fuel, memphis
- a1 stop & shop 2, memphis
- a1 stop & shop 3 llc, memphis
- a2z express mart, memphis
- asab market, memphis
- aa market inc, memphis
- abarrotes y dulceria jesus, memphis
- abbey management inc, arlington
- abbey mart, memphis
- airport food mart, memphis
- airways express, memphis
- airways food mart, memphis
- airways food mart, memphis
- airways gas express, memphis
- airya food mart, memphis
- algoodh discount tobacco none, memphis
- all in one food & fuel, memphis
- all in one n/a, memphis
- all in one shelby drive, memphis
- all season food store, collierville
- all yours mart n / a, memphis
- am market none, memphis
- amazing express, memphis
- amba express, memphis
- amg raines mini mart, memphis
- amigos express, memphis
- arlington travel center, arlington
- austin peay express gas, memphis
- ava keroles inc, cordova
- b & g food mart, memphis
- b & h express none, memphis
- baba food mart, memphis
- baba2 enterprise inc, memphis
- babu express inc, memphis
- baladna mediterranean supermarket none, cordova
- bartlet c store, bartlett
- bd express, memphis
- bellevue food shop, memphis
- bennington mini mart, memphis
- best corner express n/ a, memphis
- best market inc, memphis
Bakery Specialty · 3
- los reyes bakery, memphis
- papa murphy's pizza tn067, millington
- papa murphy's pizza tn073, memphis
Showing 250 of 918 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Shelby County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Shelby 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 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.