Signature · 2 LILA tracts (28.6% of tracts)
Suwannee County, FL
Suwannee County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 2 LILA tracts (28.6% of the book) alongside 12.0% low-access.
- 12.0%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 15.9%
- on SNAP
- 45K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Suwannee County, FL
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 12.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -10.1 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 15.9% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 29% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Columbia County (+ 1.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Suwannee County lands in the lower national band (12.0%, #2,344 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,344
- national by low-access %
- #54
- in FL
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 2 LILA tracts (28.6% of tracts) .
How Suwannee County compares nationally
Suwannee County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 12.0% low-access share that beats 25% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,344).
Suwannee County's lower-band USDA tier split
7 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
All 7 of Suwannee County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Suwannee County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Florida, not a full county-board reprint
- Glades
Glades 56.2%
56.2 % low-access
- Putnam 13.4
Putnam 13.4%
13.4 % low-access
- Columbia 13.1
Columbia 13.1%
13.1 % low-access
- Suwannee 12
Suwannee 12%
12 % low-access
- Wakulla 10.7
Wakulla 10.7%
10.7 % low-access
- DeSoto 10.6
DeSoto 10.6%
10.6 % low-access
- Gilchrist 0.1
Gilchrist 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 41,551 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,984 |
| Low-Access Share | 12.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,233 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 45,342 |
| Median Household Income | $56,658 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.0%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,569 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Suwannee County
Suwannee County has 57 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 30 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
7 towns share the 57 authorized stores; Live Oak holds 65% of them. 5 of the 7 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Lake City, Mcalpin, O Brien, Wellborn, White Springs.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Live Oak | 37 | 7 |
| Branford | 9 | 2 |
| Lake City | 3 | none |
| Mcalpin | 3 | none |
| O Brien | 2 | none |
| Wellborn | 2 | none |
| White Springs | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 30
- big n little of liveoaks, live oak
- busy bee 47, branford
- county line general store 1, lake city
- ez corner food store 2, live oak
- fm food store, live oak
- j k food mart, live oak
- jiffy food store 304, live oak
- jiffy food store 305, live oak
- jiffy food store 310, live oak
- jiffy food store 311, live oak
- johnson & johnson 35, wellborn
- johnson & johnson 7, lake city
- luraville country store, live oak
- milton's country store, inc., lake city
- mahi mahi discount stop, live oak
- murphy usa 7774, live oak
- snp food mart, live oak
- sandy's minimarket, restaurant and bakery, live oak
- stop n shop, live oak
- sunstop 319, o brien
- sunstop 322, live oak
- sunstop 325, mcalpin
- sunstop 335, white springs
- sunstop 339, branford
- sunstop 345, live oak
- sunstop 346, live oak
- sunstop 347, branford
- sunstop 353, live oak
- taylor citgo store, live oak
- time savers food mart, branford
Combination Grocery/Other · 14
- cvs pharmacy 5171, live oak
- dollar general 1273, live oak
- dollar general 7928, live oak
- dollar general 12634, wellborn
- dollar general 16349, live oak
- dollar general 16533, live oak
- dollar general 19593, live oak
- dollar general 22089, branford
- dollar general 22936, o brien
- dollar general 24999, live oak
- dollar general store 16350, mcalpin
- dollar tree 939, live oak
- family dollar 8501, branford
- walgreens 9724, live oak
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- la rotonda supermarket, live oak
- pepes grocery, live oak
- the village grocer, live oak
Super Store · 3
- dollar general market 13377, branford
- save a lot, live oak
- walmart 2626, live oak
Supermarket · 3
- publix super markets, inc. 1709, live oak
- scaff's supermarket 0043, branford
- winn dixie 198, live oak
Farmers' Market · 1
- live oak fl farmers market, live oak
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- j&y farmland, live oak
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- mobley custom cut, mcalpin
Seafood Specialty · 1
- r&k seafood, branford
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Florida
One of 66 counties in Florida, 6 are shown here.
Compare Suwannee County vs Alachua County → · All Florida counties →
Counties near Suwannee County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Suwannee County, both outside Florida so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside FL (12.0% here).
- O'Brien County, IA · 12.0% low-access
- Richland Parish, LA · 12.0% low-access
- Butler County, AL · 12.0% low-access
- Pine County, MN · 12.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside FL (15.9% here).
- Kankakee County, IL · 15.9% SNAP
- Pike County, IL · 15.9% SNAP
- Rock Island County, IL · 15.9% SNAP
- Harrison County, KY · 15.9% 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.
Florida among South Atlantic states
Florida ranks 4th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (25.1%). Suwannee County, at 12.0%, runs 13.1 pts below the Florida 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 Suwannee County, FL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 12121. 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.