Signature · 2 LILA tracts (40% of tracts)
Stephens County, GA
Stephens County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 2 LILA tracts (40% of the book) alongside 10.4% low-access.
- 10.4%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 14.5%
- on SNAP
- 27K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Stephens County, GA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 10.4% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -11.7 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 40% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Brooks County ( -0.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Stephens County lands in the lower national band (10.4%, #2,460 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,460
- national by low-access %
- #102
- in GA
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 2 LILA tracts (40% of tracts) .
How Stephens County compares nationally
Stephens County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 10.4% low-access share that beats 21% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,460).
Stephens County's lower-band USDA tier split
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
Stephens County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (3 rural, 2 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 2 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Stephens County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Georgia, not a full county-board reprint
- Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee 97.7%
97.7 % low-access
- Stephens 10.4
Stephens 10.4%
10.4 % low-access
- Brooks 10.2
Brooks 10.2%
10.2 % low-access
- Wilcox 9.9
Wilcox 9.9%
9.9 % low-access
- Sumter 9.8
Sumter 9.8%
9.8 % low-access
- Troup 9.5
Troup 9.5%
9.5 % low-access
- Dade 0
Dade 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 26,175 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,718 |
| Low-Access Share | 10.4%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,397 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 27,012 |
| Median Household Income | $54,754 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,528 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.5%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.4% |
Thick SNAP store book in Stephens County
Stephens County has 35 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 22 locations (63% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 35 authorized stores; Toccoa holds 89% of them. 2 of the 3 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Martin, Eastanollee.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Toccoa | 31 | 3 |
| Martin | 3 | none |
| Eastanollee | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 22
- 2nd time around discount, toccoa
- bucks superette, toccoa
- buddy's kwik stop, toccoa
- chevron food mart, toccoa
- country store, toccoa
- currahee mart, toccoa
- falls rd. convenience store, toccoa
- fast & friendly, toccoa
- foothill snack mart, toccoa
- green food mart, toccoa
- lucky food mart, toccoa
- mountain mart, toccoa
- murphy usa 7285, eastanollee
- neighborhoods store, toccoa
- raceway947, toccoa
- royal food store 26, toccoa
- royal food store 38, toccoa
- stumpy's food mart, martin
- the calico store, martin
- toccoa mart, toccoa
- toccoa mart, toccoa
- underdogs of toccoa, toccoa
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- cvs pharmacy 4190, toccoa
- dollar general 11252, martin
- dollar general 948, toccoa
- dollar general 15894, toccoa
- dollar general 20313, toccoa
- dollar general 30715, toccoa
- dollar general 30830, toccoa
- dollar tree 3628, toccoa
- family dollar 107, toccoa
- walgreens 12502, toccoa
Super Store · 2
- toccoa quality foods llc, toccoa
- walmart supercenter 1122, toccoa
Supermarket · 1
- ingles markets 436, toccoa
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Georgia
One of 158 counties in Georgia, 6 are shown here.
Compare Stephens County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Counties near Stephens County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Stephens County, both outside Georgia so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside GA (10.4% here).
- Montgomery County, IN · 10.4% low-access
- Van Buren County, AR · 10.4% low-access
- Pemiscot County, MO · 10.4% low-access
- Jackson County, FL · 10.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside GA (14.5% here).
- Menard County, IL · 14.5% SNAP
- Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT · 14.5% SNAP
- Montgomery County, IA · 14.5% SNAP
- East Feliciana Parish, LA · 14.5% 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.
Georgia among South Atlantic states
Georgia ranks 1st of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (30.9%). Stephens County, at 10.4%, runs 20.5 pts below the Georgia rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Stephens County, GA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 13257. 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.