County food-access profile · South Carolina
Sumter County, SC
Sumter County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 19.0%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 15.7%
- on SNAP
- 105K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
19.0% of Sumter County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 8.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.6%
- 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).
Sumter County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 19.0% per the USDA Atlas. 8 of the county's 23 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 20,373 residents who live far from a supermarket. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,564 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
Sumter County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 19.0% low-access share that beats 44% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,769).
Sumter County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 23 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 South Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Carolina
- Sumter
Sumter County, SC
19 % low-access
- Abbeville
Abbeville County, SC
20.4 % low-access
- Aiken
Aiken County, SC
29.1 % low-access
- Allendale 2.3
Allendale County, SC
2.3 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, SC
36.1 % low-access
- Bamberg
Bamberg County, SC
27.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 23 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 107,456 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 20,373 |
| Low-Access Share | 19.0%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,564 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 104,725 |
| Median Household Income | $56,693 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.6%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,454 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.7%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.4%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.7% |
About 15.7% of Sumter County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 19.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,454 households here.
- 8.4% 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 Sumter County
near the national share
4 of Sumter County's 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 17.4% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 20,373 residents, roughly 19.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,564 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (65.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Sumter County
Sumter County has 123 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 58 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 58
- a&p mart, sumter
- aameen llc, sumter
- b & m, sumter
- bp, gable
- bsp super llc, sumter
- cherryvale grocery, sumter
- circle k 2707070, sumter
- circle k 2723378, sumter
- circle k 2723381, sumter
- circle k 2723417, sumter
- corner pantry 129, sumter
- corner pantry 137, sumter
- cornerstop 118, sumter
- dalzell grocery, dalzell
- eagle express #5, sumter
- eagle express #6, sumter
- eagle express 19, sumter
- eagle express 7, sumter
- fatboys express, sumter
- fishbones bait & tackle, pinewood
- fuel express, sumter
- gate service station 301, sumter
- hodge auto truck service center, sumter
- j & l, sumter
- j american grocery, sumter
- joe's kwik marts 7019, sumter
- kens corner store, sumter
- kwik mart, sumter
- la corona, sumter
- lucky mart, sumter
- murphy usa 7805, sumter
- ohm stop, sumter
- quick corner, sumter
- quick stop, wedgefield
- rifty's grocery, sumter
- red bay llc, sumter
- refuel 1043, sumter
- refuel 1047, sumter
- shiv food mart 12, sumter
- shiv food mart 13, sumter
- shop & go, sumter
- shop & save, sumter
- short trip #110, sumter
- spann's market 1, sumter
- stop and go 2, sumter
- sumter stop, sumter
- sunnys tobacco & beer, sumter
- thamnai llc, dalzell
- the station, mayesville
- tienda mini market, sumter
- town and country, sumter
- young's, sumter
- young's 3606, sumter
- young's 3636, sumter
- young's 3637, sumter
- young's 3643, sumter
- young's 3644, pinewood
- young's 3653, sumter
Combination Grocery/Other · 43
- bj's health food store, sumter
- cvs pharmacy 2251, sumter
- cvs pharmacy 4184, sumter
- dollar general 18797, pinewood
- dollar general 19563, sumter
- dollar general 3649, sumter
- dollar general 4247, sumter
- dollar general 4456, sumter
- dollar general 6548, dalzell
- dollar general 7076, sumter
- dollar general 8228, sumter
- dollar general 8241, sumter
- dollar general 9753, sumter
- dollartree 10732, sumter
- dollartree 8665, sumter
- dollar general 12106, sumter
- dollar general 12538, sumter
- dollar general 13025, sumter
- dollar general 16596, sumter
- dollar general 17823, rembert
- dollar general 20541, wedgefield
- dollar general 21678, sumter
- dollar general 22505, sumter
- dollar general 22518, sumter
- dollar general 22760, sumter
- dollar general 22941, sumter
- dollar general 23432, sumter
- dollar general 23524, sumter
- dollar general 30207, dalzell
- dollar general store 16677, sumter
- dollar tree 2498, sumter
- dollar tree 5574, sumter
- family dollar store 4687, sumter
- family dollar store 4804, sumter
- family dollar 10967, sumter
- family dollar 112, sumter
- family dollar 11362, sumter
- family dollar 5299, sumter
- family dollar 6753, dalzell
- rose's 536, sumter
- walgreen 06074, sumter
- walgreen 09276, sumter
- walgreens 11724, sumter
Super Store · 9
- bj's wholesale club 267, sumter
- piggly wiggly, sumter
- piggly wiggly 091, sumter
- piggly wiggly 88, sumter
- sumter iga 650, sumter
- sumter iga wesmark 651, sumter
- wal mart neighborhood market 377, sumter
- walmart neighborhood market 5383, sumter
- walmart s/c 511, sumter
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 66003, sumter
- food lion 1475, sumter
- food lion 1681, sumter
- food lion 179, sumter
- food lion 2858, sumter
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- carnivore butcher & bottle, sumter
- martin farm meats, sumter
- peach orchard deer processing, dalzell
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 2
- farm fresh produce, sumter
- lakeside market, sumter
Delivery Route · 1
- les fresh fish n shrimp, sumter
Large Grocery Store · 1
- sumter cash & carry, sumter
Military Commissary · 1
- shaw afb commissary 345, shaw afb
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in South Carolina
Compare Sumter County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, South Carolina in context
Sumter County sits inside South Carolina (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? ▼
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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.