County food-access profile · Florida
Sumter County, FL
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Sumter 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.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 5.7%
- on SNAP
- 143K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
33.8% of Sumter County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 3.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.7%
- 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 Sumter County's low-access share at 33.8%, above the national share. 6 of the county's 19 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 31,573 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,594 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 Sumter County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Sumter County's 33.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 78% of them and ranked #687 most-affected nationwide.
Sumter County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 19 census tracts in Sumter County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Sumter County vs. other Florida counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Florida
- Sumter
Sumter County, FL
33.8 % low-access
- Alachua 19.2
Alachua County, FL
19.2 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, FL
55.6 % low-access
- Bay
Bay County, FL
31.5 % low-access
- Bradford 1.1
Bradford County, FL
1.1 % low-access
- Brevard
Brevard County, FL
41.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 19 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 93,420 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 31,573 |
| Low-Access Share | 33.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,594 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 143,408 |
| Median Household Income | $76,508 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,027 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.7%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.5% |
About 5.7% of Sumter 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.
- 5.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,027 households here.
- 3.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Sumter County
above the national share
1 of Sumter County's 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 5.3% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 31,573 residents, roughly 33.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,594 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 13 tracts (68.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Sumter County
Sumter County has 91 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 41 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 41
- 44 mobil, wildwood
- 7-eleven 41104j, the villages
- 7-eleven 41357h, wildwood
- 7-eleven 41847, the villages
- 7-eleven #40365a, wildwood
- 7-eleven store #41711a 41711a, oxford
- 7-eleven store #42363a 42363a, wildwood
- 7-eleven store 42103a, the villages
- aa discount beverage, center hill
- ag fuel inc., lake panasoffkee
- circle k 2705932, wildwood
- circle k 2705941, the villages
- circle k 2707157, bushnell
- circle k 2707549, bushnell
- circle k 2707562, bushnell
- circle k 2707564, lady lake
- circle k 2707565, lady lake
- circle k 2707067, the villages
- circle k 2707068, the villages
- circle k 2721433, oxford
- circle k 7690, wildwood
- croom a coochee food mart, webster
- k h food mart, bushnell
- kal's food, lake panasoffkee
- lake panasoffkee circle k, lake panasoffkee
- love's travel stop 708, bushnell
- mobil food mart, wildwood
- murphy express 8630, oxford
- murphy usa 6830, bushnell
- pilot travel center 4556, wildwood
- pilot travel center 95, wildwood
- s & v food center, bushnell
- shop n go, webster
- sunstop 351, wildwood
- sunoco 2507 2507, bushnell
- ta wildwood 053, wildwood
- two sisters country store 2, lake panasoffkee
- wawa store 5322, lady lake
- wawa 5282, oxford
- wawa store 5449, wildwood
- webster sunoco, webster
Combination Grocery/Other · 25
- cvs pharmacy 11513, wildwood
- cvs pharmacy 3144, wildwood
- cvs pharmacy 3639, bushnell
- cvs pharmacy 8381, oxford
- dollar general 10103, lk panasoffke
- dollar general 14036, center hill
- dollar general 1525, wildwood
- dollar general 1651, bushnell
- dollar tree 4083, bushnell
- dollar general 11534, webster
- dollar general 16227, bushnell
- dollar general 20508, wildwood
- dollar general 20908, bushnell
- dollar general store 17287, coleman
- dollar tree 7484, wildwood
- dollar tree 7930, the villages
- family dollar 10950, webster
- family dollar store 10431, lake panasoffkee
- family dollar store 471, wildwood
- family dollar store 736, bushnell
- walgreen 05432, lady lake
- walgreens 10373, the villages
- walgreens 11329, the villages
- walgreens 15495, the villages
- walgreens 16466, the villages
Supermarket · 15
- aldi 74053, oxford
- aldi 74234, bushnell
- aldi 74250, the villages
- aldi 75104 75104, lady lake
- aldi 74048, wildwood
- publix 1080, the villages
- publix 1155, the villages
- publix 1487, the villages
- publix 1507, the villages
- publix 1581, lady lake
- publix super markets, inc. 1705, wildwood
- publix super markets, inc. 1741, the villages
- save-a-lot 61237, wildwood
- sprouts farmers market 650, the villages
- the fresh market 096, the villages
Super Store · 7
- bj's wholesale club, inc. 390, lady lake
- costco wholesale 1738, the villages
- target store t2906, wildwood
- walmart 4565, the villages
- walmart s/c 959, bushnell
- walmart supercenter 4262, the villages
- winn-dixie 2545, the villages
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- best meats, wildwood
- tin can pam's of lake panasoffkee, inc, lake panasoffkee
Large Grocery Store · 1
- billys meat market, webster
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Florida
Compare Sumter County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →
Food access nationally, Florida in context
Sumter County sits inside Florida (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 Sumter County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Sumter County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Sumter County? ▼
Is Sumter County a food desert? ▼
What share of Sumter 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.