County food-access profile · Tennessee
Tipton County, TN
Most of Tipton County sits within reach of a supermarket, better than most U.S. counties. This profile covers who, if anyone, qualifies as a food desert here, plus the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 4.1%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 12.4%
- on SNAP
- 62K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
4.1% of Tipton County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 965
- food-desert residents
- 5.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.6%
- 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).
By the USDA's measure, Tipton County fares better than most: just 4.1% of residents live in a low-access tract, below the national share. Still, 1 of the county's 13 tracts meet that threshold, covering about 2,505 people who live far from a supermarket, and 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 965 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 Tipton County compares nationally
Food access in Tipton County compares favorably nationally: its 4.1% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 9% of them (rank #2,865).
Tipton County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 13 census tracts in Tipton County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Tipton County vs. other Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Tipton 4.1
Tipton County, TN
4.1 % low-access
- Anderson 10.9
Anderson County, TN
10.9 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, TN
23 % low-access
- Benton
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 | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 61,081 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,505 |
| Low-Access Share | 4.1%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 965 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 61,553 |
| Median Household Income | $74,127 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.6%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,817 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 12.4% of Tipton County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 4.1% of residents are low-access, below the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,817 households here.
- 5.2% 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 Tipton County
below the national share
1 of Tipton County's 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 7.7% of all its tracts.
An estimated 2,505 residents, roughly 4.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 965 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (92.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Tipton County
Tipton County has 48 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 20 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 20
- bd food & gas mart, munford
- c-town market, covington
- diamond 7-eleven, atoka
- exxon food mart, covington
- fast time, covington
- fastimes #1 1, brighton
- holly grove, brighton
- hwy 51 express, munford
- hwy 51 exxon #2, covington
- hwy 51 exxon 1, atoka
- m & e express, drummonds
- mapco express, inc 3041, covington
- midway market 4, covington
- munford express, munford
- murphy usa 7396, covington
- naaz trading inc, burlison
- penny pantry inc 103, atoka
- tipton food mart, covington
- turnage grocery, burlison
- uncle sams deli, brighton
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- dollar general 10701, drummonds
- dollar general 14813, covington
- dollar general 43, covington
- dollar general 4490, atoka
- dollar general 10154, brighton
- dollar general 10283, covington
- dollar general 11332, brighton
- dollar general 16212, atoka
- dollar general 20012, brighton
- dollar general 20096, atoka
- dollar general 30790, millington
- dollar general 31192, mason
- dollar tree 543, covington
- family dollar store 2748, covington
- family dollar store 6044, atoka
- walgreens 07911, covington
- walgreens 11733, munford
Super Store · 4
- kroger store 433, atoka
- naifeh's food rite of munford, tn, munford
- naifeh's cash saver, covington
- walmart supercenter 93, covington
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- fastimes #7, brighton
- fastimes 5, atoka
- fastimes no.6 partnership, covington
Small Grocery Store · 2
- fastimes community market 3, brighton
- fastimes 2, atoka
Farmers' Market · 1
- court square farmers market, covington
Supermarket · 1
- covington save a lot 45040, covington
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Tipton County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Tipton 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
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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.