County food-access profile · Tennessee
Sumner County, TN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Sumner 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).
- 33.8%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 6.1%
- on SNAP
- 204K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
33.8% of Sumner County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 42 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 18
- low-access tracts
- 12K
- food-desert residents
- 3.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.8%
- 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 Sumner County's low-access share at 33.8%, above the national share. 18 of the county's 42 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 54,333 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 11,703 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 Sumner County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Sumner County's 33.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 78% of them and ranked #687 most-affected nationwide.
Sumner County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 42 census tracts in Sumner County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Sumner County vs. other Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Sumner
Sumner County, TN
33.8 % 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 | 42 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 160,645 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 18 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 54,333 |
| Low-Access Share | 33.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 11,703 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 204,424 |
| Median Household Income | $90,301 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,779 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.1%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.8% |
About 6.1% of Sumner County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 33.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,779 households here.
- 3.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Sumner County
above the national share
4 of Sumner County's 42 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 9.5% of all its tracts.
A further 14 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 18.
An estimated 54,333 residents, roughly 33.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 11,703 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 24 tracts (57.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Sumner County
Sumner County has 137 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 55 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 55
- 1, gallatin
- 31 e food mart 0, westmoreland
- 7-eleven 41862h, gallatin
- bethpage store, bethpage
- breadbox 3473, hendersonville
- circle k 4703902, gallatin
- circle k 4703911, portland
- circle k 4703927, hendersonville
- circle k 4703943, gallatin
- circle k 4703947, gallatin
- chris fried chicken, goodlettsville
- circle k 4703696, gallatin
- clark's market, westmoreland
- dodge store 6603, hendersonville
- drakewood market, portland
- east main exxon, gallatin
- exxon food & fuel 1, hendersonville
- first stop market, gallatin
- fann's market, gallatin
- fivestar 8000, portland
- gas & go llc, gallatin
- gege market, gallatin
- golden bear #21, portland
- golden bear #22, white house
- grab n go, portland
- hwy 109, portland
- lucky lotto 301, gallatin
- lucky lotto market and deli, gallatin
- mapco express, inc 1027, gallatin
- mapco express, inc. 1115, westmoreland
- master mart inc, goodlettsville
- mb mart, gallatin
- mgm market, gallatin
- murphy usa 7279, hendersonville
- om shivam inc, gallatin
- petro plus 5, gallatin
- quike stop, goodlettsville
- racetrac 2548, gallatin
- racetrac 2561, hendersonville
- racetrac 2617, gallatin
- rbm foodmart inc, gallatin
- rhino mart, hendersonville
- rr market gallatin, gallatin
- seven eleven 4199h, gallatin
- short stop market, gallatin
- smoke for less gallatin, gallatin
- south water food & gas, gallatin
- speedway 7100, hendersonville
- speedway 7139 7139, hendersonville
- speedway 7161, portland
- thorntons #511610 511610, gallatin
- thorntons 601, hendersonville
- tienda chapin 2 llc, portland
- triple s market 2, gallatin
- twin valley express, hendersonville
Combination Grocery/Other · 52
- big lots 3151, gallatin
- cvs pharmacy 3293, hendersonville
- cvs pharmacy 6441, gallatin
- cvs pharmacy 7630, portland
- dollar general 0403, gallatin
- dollar general 13191, gallatin
- dollar general 14340, portland
- dollar general 2310, portland
- dollar general 2826, hendersonville
- dollar general 3932, gallatin
- dollar general 9158, goodlettsville
- dollartree 10192, hendersonville
- dollar general 11886, westmoreland
- dollar general 12167, castalian springs
- dollar general 13566, bethpage
- dollar general 15212, bethpage
- dollar general 15334, goodlettsville
- dollar general 16172, cottontown
- dollar general 20796, portland
- dollar general 21356, gallatin
- dollar general 22114, gallatin
- dollar general 22633, portland
- dollar general 22753, hendersonville
- dollar general 24696, portland
- dollar general 30951, gallatin
- dollar general 9412, hendersonville
- dollar general store 16499, portland
- dollar tree 287, gallatin
- dollar tree 4910, hendersonville
- dollar tree 6177, portland
- dollar tree 7167, hendersonville
- family dollar 13678, westmoreland
- family dollar store 2454, gallatin
- family dollar store 3827, portland
- sudden service 0055, westmoreland
- sudden service 0057, gallatin
- sudden service 0073, westmoreland
- twice daily 0054, gallatin
- twice daily 6178, hendersonville
- twice daily 6179, gallatin
- twice daily 7207, hendersonville
- twice daily 8899, hendersonville
- twice daily/white bison 0070, gallatin
- twice daily/white bison 6187, gallatin
- walgreen 05064, gallatin
- walgreen 10348, goodlettsville
- walgreens 3365, hendersonville
- walgreens 7301, hendersonville
- walgreens 11129, portland
- walgreens 17668, hendersonville
- walgreens 18323, gallatin
- walgreens 9807, gallatin
Super Store · 13
- cashsaver #22, portland
- cashsaver 11, hendersonville
- costco wholesale 1659, hendersonville
- dollar general market 9800, hendersonville
- kroger 897, gallatin
- kroger l-0571 l 571, hendersonville
- kroger 569, gallatin
- kroger 619, hendersonville
- mike's foodland, westmoreland
- sam's club 8257, hendersonville
- target stores t-1511, hendersonville
- walmart supercenter 1376, hendersonville
- walmart supercenter 674, gallatin
Supermarket · 11
- aldi 70056, hendersonville
- aldi 70060, gallatin
- food lion 0725, gallatin
- food lion 1418, portland
- houchens save-a-lot 159, gallatin
- publix 0119, hendersonville
- publix 1033, gallatin
- publix 1141, goodlettsville
- price less foods 24, westmoreland
- publix tennessee, llc 1739, gallatin
- publix tennessee, llc 1780, gallatin
Small Grocery Store · 2
- alegria market, gallatin
- la tienda del pueblo, gallatin
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza tn054, gallatin
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- don's farm fresh produce, gallatin
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- g's meats n more, hendersonville
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- el gallito super mercado, gallatin
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Sumner County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Sumner 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 Sumner County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Sumner County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Sumner County? ▼
Is Sumner County a food desert? ▼
What share of Sumner 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.