Signature · 1 LILA tracts (25% of tracts)

Wilkes County, GA

Wilkes County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 1 LILA tracts (25% of the book) alongside 14.3% low-access.

14.3%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
17.6%
on SNAP
10K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 GA

USDA FARA access plate

County Wilkes County, GA

LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE

  • LA-MODERATE 14.3% low-access
  • BELOW-NATIONAL -7.8 pts vs US
  • LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
  • SNAP-HEAVY 17.6% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 6.2% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-DENSE 25% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Seminole County ( -0.3 pts)

Lower-band low-access

Wilkes County lands in the lower national band (14.3%, #2,175 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.

#2,175
national by low-access %
#96
in GA
2
low-access tracts
721
food-desert residents

Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.

Signature read: 1 LILA tracts (25% of tracts) .

How Wilkes County compares nationally

Wilkes County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.3% low-access share that beats 31% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,175).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Wilkes County's lower-band USDA tier split

4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Wilkes County, GA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 2 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 4 tracts evaluated. 2 tracts adequate (50.0%) 1 tracts limited (25.0%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (25.0%) Adequate 50% Limited 25% Severe 25% Food-access tier distribution: Wilkes County, GA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Wilkes County has 0 urban and 4 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.

Wilkes County vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in Georgia, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Wilkes County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts4
Atlas Population (2010 basis)10,593
Low-Access Tracts2
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population1,510
Low-Access Share14.3%below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population721

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Wilkes County
IndicatorValue
Population9,549
Median Household Income$52,043
Poverty Rate17.8%above the national average
SNAP Households726
SNAP Participation Rate17.6%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.2%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.3%

SNAP retailers in Wilkes County

Wilkes County has 17 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 9 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 9

  • golden pantry food stores 1050, washington
  • golden pantry food stores 1081, washington
  • kwik stop, washington
  • rayle food mart, rayle
  • red roof mini mart, washington
  • royal food mart, washington
  • the pumping station #11 11, washington
  • tignall food mart, tignall
  • to go mart, washington

Combination Grocery/Other · 6

  • cvs pharmacy 4518, washington
  • dollar general 18522, rayle
  • dollar general 19531, washington
  • dollar general 8611, tignall
  • dollar general 23383, washington
  • family dollar store 240, washington

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • t & m foods, washington

Supermarket · 1

  • ingles markets 429, washington

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).

Other Counties in Georgia

One of 158 counties in Georgia, 6 are shown here.

Compare Wilkes County vs Appling County → · All Georgia counties →

Wilkes County inside a lower low-access state context

Wilkes County sits inside Georgia (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

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 Wilkes County, GA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 13317. 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.