Signature · 1.9% low-access (5th pct)
Van Buren County, TN
Van Buren County lands in the lower national band on low-access (1.9%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 1.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 18.6%
- on SNAP
- 6K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Van Buren County, TN
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 1.9% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -20.2 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 18.6% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 8.1% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Houston County (+ 0.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Van Buren County lands in the lower national band (1.9%, #2,968 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,968
- national by low-access %
- #85
- in TN
- 0
- low-access tracts
- 49
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 1.9% low-access (5th pct) (-20.2 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Van Buren County compares nationally
Food access in Van Buren County compares favorably nationally: its 1.9% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 5% of them (rank #2,968).
Van Buren County's lower-band USDA tier split
2 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 2 of Van Buren 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.
Van Buren County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Tennessee, not a full county-board reprint
- Montgomery
Montgomery 47%
47 % low-access
- Cannon 2.3
Cannon 2.3%
2.3 % low-access
- Van Buren 1.9
Van Buren 1.9%
1.9 % low-access
- Houston 1.9
Houston 1.9%
1.9 % low-access
- Union 1.9
Union 1.9%
1.9 % low-access
- Hancock 1.1
Hancock 1.1%
1.1 % low-access
- Grainger 0
Grainger 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 2 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 5,548 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 0 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 107 |
| Low-Access Share | 1.9%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 49 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 6,437 |
| Median Household Income | $54,931 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.1%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 479 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 18.6%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.1%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
SNAP retailers in Van Buren County
Van Buren County has 7 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 3 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
2 towns share the 7 authorized stores; Spencer holds 86% of them. 1 of the 2 towns has no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Pikeville.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Spencer | 6 | 1 |
| Pikeville | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 3
- fall creek falls market, pikeville
- peacock express 3, spencer
- robinsons chevron, spencer
Combination Grocery/Other · 2
- dollar general 10556, spencer
- family dollar 13109, spencer
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- a&h custom meat and processing, spencer
Supermarket · 1
- save a lot spencer, spencer
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Tennessee
One of 94 counties in Tennessee, 6 are shown here.
Compare Van Buren County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Tennessee among East South Central states
Tennessee ranks 1st of 4 East South Central states by population-weighted low-access (27.2%). Van Buren County, at 1.9%, runs 25.3 pts below the Tennessee 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 Van Buren County, TN are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 47175. 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.