County food-access profile · Tennessee
Williamson County, TN
Williamson County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 43.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 1.9%
- on SNAP
- 260K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
43.9% of Williamson County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 24
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 2.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 4.6%
- 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).
Williamson County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 43.9% is well above the national share. 24 of the county's 37 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 80,424 people. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Williamson County compares nationally
Williamson County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 43.9% low-access share outpaces 90% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #302 most-affected nationwide.
Williamson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 37 census tracts in Williamson County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Williamson County vs. other Tennessee counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Tennessee
- Williamson
Williamson County, TN
43.9 % low-access
- Anderson 10.9
Anderson County, TN
10.9 % low-access
- Bedford
Bedford County, TN
23 % low-access
- Benton 12.6
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 | 37 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 183,182 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 24 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 80,424 |
| Low-Access Share | 43.9%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,109 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 260,351 |
| Median Household Income | $135,594 |
| Poverty Rate | 4.6%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,728 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 1.9%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 2.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.3% |
About 1.9% of Williamson County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 43.9% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 1.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,728 households here.
- 2.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $135,594 with a 4.6% poverty rate.
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 Williamson County
well above the national share
A further 24 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 24.
An estimated 80,424 residents, roughly 43.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,109 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 13 tracts (35.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Williamson County
Williamson County has 106 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 44 locations (42% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 44
- cvs pharmacy 386, thompsons station
- cvs pharmacy 6394, brentwood
- cvs pharmacy 6399, franklin
- cvs pharmacy 6415, franklin
- cvs pharmacy 7099, franklin
- dollar general 10700, spring hill
- dollar general 3230, fairview
- dollar general 3694, nolensville
- dollar general 4678, franklin
- dollar general 20330, fairview
- dollar general 30423, franklin
- dollar tree 3065, brentwood
- dollar tree 5370, franklin
- dollar tree 8445, fairview
- sudden service 6124, franklin
- sudden service 6613, brentwood
- sudden service 6617, brentwood
- sudden service 7209, franklin
- sudden service 8816, franklin
- twice daily 6181, franklin
- twice daily 6190, franklin
- twice daily 6606, brentwood
- twice daily 6621, franklin
- twice daily 6623, franklin
- twice daily 6650, brentwood
- twice daily 7123, brentwood
- twice daily 7216, nolensville
- twice daily 7716, brentwood
- twice daily 8090, brentwood
- twice daily 8815, franklin
- twice daily 8849, franklin
- twice daily 8859, franklin
- twice daily 8879, spring hill
- twice daily/white bison # 6140 6140, arrington
- twice daily/white bison 6180, franklin
- walgreens 04903, franklin
- walgreens 10191, brentwood
- walgreens 12273, spring hill
- walgreens 4695, franklin
- walgreens 4710, franklin
- walgreens 6105, franklin
- walgreens 6409, brentwood
- walgreens 7494, franklin
- walgreens 7518, franklin
Convenience Store · 24
- bethesda market, college grove
- buy the way, franklin
- circle k 4703907, franklin
- circle k 4703908, brentwood
- circle k 4703910, franklin
- circle k 4703914, franklin
- circle k 4703920, brentwood
- circle k 4703921, franklin
- circle k 4703925, fairview
- circle k 4703692, arrington
- country market & deli, college grove
- jewells market 1, franklin
- mapco express, inc. 3303, franklin
- mapco express, inc. 3326, franklin
- mapco express, inc. 3409, brentwood
- max's 165, franklin
- murphy express 8700, spring hill
- nolensville exxon, nolensville
- pilot travel center 720, fairview
- rapid pak market, arrington
- serv n go 7, thompsons station
- serv-n-go 8, franklin
- tienda la villa, spring hill
- tigermart 41067h, franklin
Supermarket · 17
- aldi 70003, brentwood
- aldi 78022 78022, franklin
- aldi 70050, brentwood
- gordon food service store mp139, brentwood
- h g hill food store, fairview
- publix 0142, brentwood
- publix 0160, franklin
- publix 0176, franklin
- publix 1021, brentwood
- publix 1031, franklin
- publix 1057, nashville
- publix 1360, fairview
- publix 1529, franklin
- publix tennessee, llc 2009, nolensville
- sprouts farmers market 580, franklin
- the fresh market 058, brentwood
- trader joe's franklin 792, franklin
Super Store · 16
- costco wholesale 0386, brentwood
- kroger 00589, brentwood
- kroger 0570, franklin
- kroger 576, franklin
- kroger co 526, franklin
- kroger 0588, thompsons station
- kroger 568, franklin
- kroger 592, franklin
- kroger 596, brentwood
- sam's club 6249, franklin
- target store t-1983, brentwood
- target store 1963, franklin
- target store t-695, franklin
- walmart supercenter 272, franklin
- walmart supercenter 3137, fairview
- whole foods market 10321, franklin
Bakery Specialty · 2
- papa murphy's pizza tn011, spring hill
- papa murphy's pizza tn019, franklin
Farmers' Market · 2
- franklin farmers market, franklin
- nolensville farmers market, nolensville
Small Grocery Store · 1
- los primos taqueria and market, franklin
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Tennessee
Compare Williamson County vs Anderson County → · All Tennessee counties →
Food access nationally, Tennessee in context
Williamson 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 Williamson County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Williamson County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Williamson County? ▼
Is Williamson County a food desert? ▼
What share of Williamson 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.