County food-access profile · Georgia
Thomas County, GA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Thomas 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).
- 28.2%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 20.4%
- on SNAP
- 46K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
28.2% of Thomas County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 5.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.9%
- 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 Thomas County's low-access share at 28.2%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 11 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 12,632 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,555 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 Thomas County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Thomas County's 28.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,073 most-affected nationwide.
Thomas County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 11 census tracts in Thomas County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Thomas County vs. other Georgia counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Georgia
- Thomas
Thomas County, GA
28.2 % low-access
- Appling
Appling County, GA
47.8 % low-access
- Atkinson 23.5
Atkinson County, GA
23.5 % low-access
- Bacon 3.3
Bacon County, GA
3.3 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, GA
61.3 % low-access
- Baldwin
Baldwin County, GA
24.6 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 44,720 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,632 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.2%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,555 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 45,777 |
| Median Household Income | $60,736 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.9%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,820 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 20.4%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.2% |
About 20.4% of Thomas County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 28.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 20.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,820 households here.
- 5.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Thomas County
above the national share
2 of Thomas County's 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 18.2% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 12,632 residents, roughly 28.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,555 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (54.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Thomas County
Thomas County has 62 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 27 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 27
- circle k 2723897, thomasville
- coolidge food champ, coolidge
- easy in & out, thomasville
- flash foods llc 274277, thomasville
- flash foods llc 274278, thomasville
- flash foods llc 274280, thomasville
- flowers bakery outlet 91, thomasville
- grannys country store, thomasville
- jackson pantry, thomasville
- jenshir llc, boston
- krishna's corner, thomasville
- lotto corner, thomasville
- marathon marketplace, thomasville
- meigs food mart 2, meigs
- murphy express 8746, thomasville
- pantry 1, pavo
- pmj food mart 2, thomasville
- raceway, thomasville
- raceway 6999, thomasville
- shikotar llc, thomasville
- susie q's 1, thomasville
- susie q's 2, thomasville
- susie q's 20, thomasville
- susie q's 27, thomasville
- susie q's 3, thomasville
- t&j's country store, ochlocknee
- thomasville travel center, thomasville
Combination Grocery/Other · 20
- cvs pharmacy 4515, thomasville
- dollar general 1904, thomasville
- dollar general 7956, thomasville
- dollar general 8279, pavo
- dollar general 10314, coolidge
- dollar general 11759, boston
- dollar general 11985, meigs
- dollar general 12936, thomasville
- dollar general 15151, ochlocknee
- dollar general 15190, thomasville
- dollar general 16653, thomasville
- dollar general 24600, thomasville
- dollar general 30838, thomasville
- dollar general 8265, thomasville
- dollar tree 1731, thomasville
- family dollar 9020, thomasville
- family dollar store 6132, thomasville
- roses 315, thomasville
- walgreens 11794, thomasville
- walgreens 1629, thomasville
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 82072, thomasville
- food lion 2806, thomasville
- publix 1498, thomasville
- sunstop 889, thomasville
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- george's food mart iga, ochlocknee
- pavo grocery store, pavo
- the bread wagon, thomasville
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 2
- lewis produce, inc 2292266271, thomasville
- tee & js open market, thomasville
Small Grocery Store · 2
- murphy boston inc, boston
- wright street mini market, thomasville
Super Store · 2
- bob & jeff's iga, thomasville
- walmart 889, thomasville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- hubbard's country meat market, thomasville
Seafood Specialty · 1
- harpers seafood fresh market 0, thomasville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Georgia
Compare Thomas County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →
Food access nationally, Georgia in context
Thomas County sits inside Georgia (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 Thomas County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Thomas County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Thomas County? ▼
Is Thomas County a food desert? ▼
What share of Thomas 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.