County food-access profile · Tennessee
Washington County, TN
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Washington 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).
- 26.2%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 8.6%
- on SNAP
- 136K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
26.2% of Washington County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 11K
- food-desert residents
- 5.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.5%
- 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 Washington County's low-access share at 26.2%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 23 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 32,192 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 11,478 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 Washington County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Washington County's 26.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 62% of them and ranked #1,203 most-affected nationwide.
Washington County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 23 census tracts in Washington County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Washington County vs. other Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Washington
Washington County, TN
26.2 % 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 | 23 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 122,979 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 32,192 |
| Low-Access Share | 26.2%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 11,478 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 136,261 |
| Median Household Income | $62,809 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.5%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,886 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.5% |
About 8.6% of Washington County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 26.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,886 households here.
- 5.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Washington County
above the national share
5 of Washington County's 23 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 21.7% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 32,192 residents, roughly 26.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 11,478 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (52.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Washington County
Washington County has 126 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 56 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 56
- all mart no, johnson city
- bays mart 21, johnson city
- by-low market #1 1, johnson city
- crockett corner, jonesborough
- crossroad county store, jonesborough
- d mart, johnson city
- discount grocery & tobacco, johnson city
- flowers bakery outlet 518, johnson city
- gracewell mart, johnson city
- ian's market # 145, johnson city
- johnnys market & deli #3, limestone
- kenjo 44, johnson city
- kenjo market 51, johnson city
- lakeview convenience store, johnson city
- lee's food mart 28, jonesborough
- lucky market, johnson city
- mr zip 516, johnson city
- munchies country store 1, fall branch
- murphy usa 5822, johnson city
- murphy usa 7425, johnson city
- quick stop market, johnson city
- quick stop market 49, jonesborough
- quickstop market, johnson city
- r j market n/a, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6047, johnson city
- roadrunner 6014, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6003, jonesborough
- roadrunner market 6005, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6007, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6011, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6012, chuckey
- roadrunner market 6015, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6018, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6023, jonesborough
- roadrunner market 6024, jonesborough
- roadrunner market 6031, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6032, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6033, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6037, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6039, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6042, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6043, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6055, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6061, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6069, johnson city
- roadrunner market 6070, johnson city
- scotchman 3407, johnson city
- scotchman 3411, johnson city
- scotchman 3422, johnson city
- scotchman 3427, johnson city
- scotchman 3465, johnson city
- sd speedmart, chuckey
- state of franklin exxon, johnson city
- the one market, jonesborough
- verahi inc 4, johnson city
- weigels 1099, jonesborough
Combination Grocery/Other · 38
- alatua african market, johnson city
- cvs pharmacy 5636, johnson city
- cvs pharmacy 7235, johnson city
- dollar general 106, johnson city
- dollar general 14532, johnson city
- dollar general 23762, johnson city
- dollar general 2914, johnson city
- dollar general 3394, jonesborough
- dollartree 10091, johnson city
- dollartree 9876, johnson city
- dollar general 10299, fall branch
- dollar general 11767, chuckey
- dollar general 13352, jonesborough
- dollar general 15176, johnson city
- dollar general 16315, telford
- dollar general 20852, gray
- dollar general 21201, jonesborough
- dollar general 21724, johnson city
- dollar general 23420, fall branch
- dollar general 23695, jonesborough
- dollar general 23855, johnson city
- dollar general 30724, johnson city
- dollar general 30813, limestone
- dollar general 31208, johnson city
- dollar tree 2843, johnson city
- dollar tree 3539, johnson city
- dollar tree 6392, johnson city
- dollar tree 7373, jonesborough
- family dollar 372, johnson city
- family dollar 6229, johnson city
- walgreen 07285, johnson city
- walgreens 6256, johnson city
- walgreens 09459, piney flats
- walgreens 10918, johnson city
- walgreens 11113, gray
- walgreens 12373, johnson city
- walgreens 13660, jonesborough
- walgreens 13891, johnson city
Supermarket · 15
- aldi 66156, johnson city
- aldi sby 66, johnson city
- earth fare 410, johnson city
- food city 601, johnson city
- food city 640, jonesborough
- food city 641, johnson city
- food city 670, gray
- food lion 0218, johnson city
- food city 629, johnson city
- grocery outlet 39, johnson city
- ingles markets 372, johnson city
- ingles markets 398, jonesborough
- price less foods 486, johnson city
- publix tennessee, llc 1633, johnson city
- the fresh market 132, johnson city
Super Store · 6
- kroger #00261 r-261, johnson city
- kroger limited partnership 1 367, johnson city
- sam's club 8222, johnson city
- target store 756, johnson city
- walmart 1080, johnson city
- walmart supercenter 3829, johnson city
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- h&h market 2, johnson city
- natural foods market, inc, johnson city
- spice world, johnson city
- the stockpot, inc., johnson city
Farmers' Market · 3
- boone street market 1, jonesborough
- johnson city farmers market, johnson city
- jonesborough farmers market, jonesborough
Small Grocery Store · 3
- el venado tienda guatemalteca, johnson city
- the kimchi market, johnson city
- tortilleria familar el arriero, johnson city
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- hamilton meats inc, johnson city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Washington County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Washington 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
What share of Washington County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Washington County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Washington County? ▼
Is Washington County a food desert? ▼
What share of Washington 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.