Signature · 3.3% low-access (7th pct)
Smith County, TN
Smith County lands in the lower national band on low-access (3.3%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 3.3%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 9.8%
- on SNAP
- 20K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Smith County, TN
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ADEQUATE 3.3% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -18.8 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.8% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Meigs County ( -0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Smith County lands in the lower national band (3.3%, #2,900 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,900
- national by low-access %
- #80
- in TN
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 231
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 3.3% low-access (7th pct) (-18.8 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Smith County compares nationally
Food access in Smith County compares favorably nationally: its 3.3% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 7% of them (rank #2,902).
Smith County's lower-band USDA tier split
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Smith County has 1 urban and 4 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Smith County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Tennessee, not a full county-board reprint
- Montgomery
Montgomery 47%
47 % low-access
- Polk 4
Polk 4%
4 % low-access
- Unicoi 3.7
Unicoi 3.7%
3.7 % low-access
- Lawrence 3.5
Lawrence 3.5%
3.5 % low-access
- Smith 3.3
Smith 3.3%
3.3 % low-access
- Meigs 3.2
Meigs 3.2%
3.2 % low-access
- Grainger 0
Grainger 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 19,166 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 626 |
| Low-Access Share | 3.3%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 231 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 20,389 |
| Median Household Income | $66,293 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.0%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 780 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.8%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
SNAP retailers in Smith County
Smith County has 18 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 10 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 10
- arti 8 inc, carthage
- c&c market n deli, alexandria
- martin's grocery, carthage
- moe's mart, carthage
- murphy usa 7449, carthage
- pilot travel center 4597, gordonsville
- quick & easy market & deli, carthage
- s & p food mart, dixon springs
- tnt 1 market, gordonsville
- tanglewood market & daily, carthage
Combination Grocery/Other · 6
- dollar general 14021, lebanon
- dollar general 2004, gordonsville
- dollar general 2016, carthage
- dollar general 17069, pleasant shade
- dollar general 23031, carthage
- dollar tree 7113, carthage
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 568, carthage
Supermarket · 1
- carthage savway, carthage
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Tennessee
One of 94 counties in Tennessee, 6 are shown here.
Compare Smith County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Counties near Smith County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Smith County, both outside Tennessee so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside TN (3.3% here).
- McDowell County, WV · 3.3% low-access
- McDowell County, WV · 3.3% low-access
- Cayuga County, NY · 3.3% low-access
- Cayuga County, NY · 3.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside TN (9.8% here).
- Montague County, TX · 9.8% SNAP
- Montague County, TX · 9.8% SNAP
- Culpeper County, VA · 9.8% SNAP
- Culpeper County, VA · 9.8% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Smith County inside a lower low-access state context
Smith County sits inside Tennessee (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Smith County, TN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 47159. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.