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 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).
Wilkes County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
All 4 of Wilkes 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.
Wilkes County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Georgia, not a full county-board reprint
- Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee 97.7%
97.7 % low-access
- Burke 15
Burke 15%
15 % low-access
- Wilkes 14.3
Wilkes 14.3%
14.3 % low-access
- Seminole 14
Seminole 14%
14 % low-access
- Calhoun 13.8
Calhoun 13.8%
13.8 % low-access
- Tattnall 13.4
Tattnall 13.4%
13.4 % low-access
- Dade 0
Dade 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 10,593 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,510 |
| Low-Access Share | 14.3%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 721 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 9,549 |
| Median Household Income | $52,043 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 726 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.6%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
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.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 17 authorized stores; Washington holds 76% of them. 2 of the 3 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Rayle, Tignall.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 13 | 2 |
| Rayle | 2 | none |
| Tignall | 2 | none |
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 →
Georgia among South Atlantic states
Georgia ranks 1st of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (30.9%). Wilkes County, at 14.3%, runs 16.6 pts below the Georgia rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
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 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.