Signature · 7.2% SNAP (4th pct in MS)
Union County, MS
Union County lands in the lower national band on low-access (11.5%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 11.5%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 7.2%
- on SNAP
- 28K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Union County, MS
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 11.5% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -10.6 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.2% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 17% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Pearl River County ( -0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Union County lands in the lower national band (11.5%, #2,374 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,374
- national by low-access %
- #67
- in MS
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 7.2% SNAP (4th pct in MS) (-4.9 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Union County compares nationally
Union County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 11.5% low-access share that beats 24% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,374).
Union County's lower-band USDA tier split
6 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Union County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (5 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Union County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Mississippi, not a full county-board reprint
- Quitman
Quitman 90.1%
90.1 % low-access
- Simpson 12.4
Simpson 12.4%
12.4 % low-access
- Jasper 12.3
Jasper 12.3%
12.3 % low-access
- Wilkinson 11.8
Wilkinson 11.8%
11.8 % low-access
- Union 11.5
Union 11.5%
11.5 % low-access
- Pearl River 11.4
Pearl River 11.4%
11.4 % low-access
- Covington 0
Covington 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 27,134 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,121 |
| Low-Access Share | 11.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,548 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 28,122 |
| Median Household Income | $55,505 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.1%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 712 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.2%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
SNAP retailers in Union County
Union County has 23 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 10 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 23 authorized stores; New Albany holds 70% of them. 2 of the 3 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Blue Springs, Myrtle.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| New Albany | 16 | 3 |
| Blue Springs | 4 | none |
| Myrtle | 3 | none |
Convenience Store · 10
- 114 hwy 15 operations llc, new albany
- blue springs grocery & grill, blue springs
- circle k 2721540, new albany
- county line #1, blue springs
- j & j express llc, new albany
- jay jognima inc, new albany
- murphy usa 7314, new albany
- pilot travel center 174, new albany
- regal express llc, new albany
- west union one stop llc, myrtle
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- dollar general 1300, new albany
- dollar general 9577, blue springs
- dollar general 10083, new albany
- dollar general 11393, myrtle
- dollar general 16038, new albany
- dollar general 17417, myrtle
- dollar general 21924, blue springs
- dollar tree 521, new albany
- walgreens 12436, new albany
Super Store · 3
- reed's market 3422, new albany
- union grocery & supply co, new albany
- walmart supercenter 153, new albany
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- the meat box 1, new albany
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Mississippi
One of 81 counties in Mississippi, 6 are shown here.
Compare Union County vs Adams County → · All Mississippi counties →
Counties near Union County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Union County (7.2%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Mississippi.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MS (11.5% here).
- Tuscarawas County, OH · 11.5% low-access
- Cherokee County, SC · 11.5% low-access
- Harrison County, TX · 11.5% low-access
- Salt Lake County, UT · 11.5% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MS (7.2% here).
- Pennington County, MN · 7.2% SNAP
- Anoka County, MN · 7.2% SNAP
- Queen Anne's County, MD · 7.2% SNAP
- Kenton County, KY · 7.2% 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.
Mississippi among East South Central states
Mississippi ranks 2nd of 4 East South Central states by population-weighted low-access (26.4%). Union County, at 11.5%, runs 14.9 pts below the Mississippi rate.
- Tennessee 27.2%
- Mississippi 26.4%
- Alabama 24.5%
- Kentucky 19.8%
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 Union County, MS are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 28145. 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.