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 2019 Census ACS 2024 GA

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 #2,461).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Stephens County's lower-band USDA tier split

5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Stephens County, GA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 3 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 0 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 5 tracts evaluated. 3 tracts adequate (60.0%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (40.0%) Adequate 60% Limited 0% Severe 40% Food-access tier distribution: Stephens County, GA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Stephens County has 2 urban and 3 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.

Stephens County vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in Georgia, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Stephens County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts5
Atlas Population (2010 basis)26,175
Low-Access Tracts2
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population2,718
Low-Access Share10.4%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,397

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Stephens County
IndicatorValue
Population27,012
Median Household Income$54,754
Poverty Rate15.8%above the national average
SNAP Households1,528
SNAP Participation Rate14.5%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.3%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population3.4%

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.

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).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside GA (14.5% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Stephens County inside a lower low-access state context

Stephens County sits inside Georgia (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 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.