County food-access profile · South Carolina
York County, SC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of York 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).
- 31.9%
- low-access pop.
- 10
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 294K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
31.9% of York County residents live in a low-access area, and 10 of its 46 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 27
- low-access tracts
- 19K
- food-desert residents
- 3.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.4%
- 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 York County's low-access share at 31.9%, above the national share. 27 of the county's 46 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 72,005 people. 10 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 19,283 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 York County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, York County's 31.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 74% of them and ranked #820 most-affected nationwide.
York County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 46 census tracts in York County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
York County vs. other South Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in South Carolina
- York
York County, SC
31.9 % low-access
- Abbeville
Abbeville County, SC
20.4 % low-access
- Aiken
Aiken County, SC
29.1 % low-access
- Allendale 2.3
Allendale County, SC
2.3 % low-access
- Anderson
Anderson County, SC
36.1 % low-access
- Bamberg
Bamberg County, SC
27.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 46 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 226,073 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 27 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 10 |
| Low-Access Population | 72,005 |
| Low-Access Share | 31.9%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 19,283 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 293,673 |
| Median Household Income | $89,095 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.4%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,393 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
About 6.5% of York County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 31.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,393 households here.
- 3.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 10 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 York County
above the national share
10 of York County's 46 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 17 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 27.
An estimated 72,005 residents, roughly 31.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 19,283 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 19 tracts (41.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in York County
York County has 184 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 12 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 90 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 90
- 365 convenience store, clover
- 7-eleven 35567j, rock hill
- 7-eleven 35574h, clover
- 7-eleven 38867a, fort mill
- 7-eleven 38868a, fort mill
- 7-eleven #38987a 38987a, clover
- 7-eleven 37147a, rock hill
- ace energy mart, rock hill
- adams grocery, rock hill
- arch mart llc, rock hill
- bless grocery, rock hill
- bobs superette, clover
- cnm convenience store, hickory grove
- china garden food mart, york
- circle k 1507, fort mill
- circle k 2701505, clover
- circle k 2706969, rock hill
- circle k 2723932, rock hill
- circle k 2723943, fort mill
- circle k 2723949, york
- circle k 2723952, rock hill
- circle k 2723953, rock hill
- circle k 2723968, clover
- circle k 2723987, tega cay
- circle k 5963, fort mill
- circle k 8401, rock hill
- circle k store 5116, fort mill
- circle m food shop 46, york
- corner stop 112, rock hill
- crossroad mart, rock hill
- crown, rock hill
- devansh gala, fort mill
- discount mart, rock hill
- dk corner store, rock hill
- elliott exxon, rock hill
- fairway fuel, fort mill
- flowers bakery outlet 481, rock hill
- garys place, clover
- gate service station 326, fort mill
- gee gees food store, rock hill
- grab n go 1, rock hill
- hot spot 2005, clover
- jakob food mart 1, clover
- k&t express 3, york
- lesslie food inc 1, rock hill
- little giant 5, rock hill
- little giant food store inc 2, rock hill
- local market 2, clover
- los reyes mexican store llc, york
- love' travel stops & country stores, inc 333, fort mill
- marts to go 5, rock hill
- mccrays convenience store #1, rock hill
- minimart no, york
- mondragon mexican store, clover
- murphy express 8515, clover
- murphy express 8589, rock hill
- murphy express 8698, york
- murphy usa 6749, rock hill
- mustang 1 llc, clover
- pilot travel center 4567, rock hill
- pilot travel center 714, rock hill
- pride quick stop, york
- quick food mart, rock hill
- quick stop, rock hill
- quiktrip 1060, fort mill
- quiktrip 1061, rock hill
- quiktrip 1062, fort mill
- quiktrip 1075, fort mill
- quiktrip 1077, fort mill
- quiktrip 1079, fort mill
- quiktrip 1091, rock hill
- quiktrip 1092, rock hill
- quiktrip 1098, rock hill
- quiktrip 1099, rock hill
- quiktrip 1057, clover
- roshni food mart, rock hill
- runx, fort mill
- speed express, mc connells
- saluda discount store, rock hill
- scotchman 3721, rock hill
- scotchman 3894, rock hill
- sk mini mart, rock hill
- springdale c, rock hill
- the village market, rock hill
- tienda la calentana, fort mill
- tienda latina, york
- willowbrook laundry services, rock hill
- winn express, sharon
- york mart, rock hill
- york quick stop llc, york
Combination Grocery/Other · 50
- cvs pharmacy 1571, fort mill
- cvs pharmacy 4287, fort mill
- cvs pharmacy 4288, rock hill
- cvs pharmacy 5550, clover
- cvs pharmacy 5679, rock hill
- cvs pharmacy 7036, clover
- cvs pharmacy 10787, fort mill
- cvs pharmacy 11450, rock hill
- cvs pharmacy 3809, rock hill
- dollar general 1759, rock hill
- dollar general 19406, rock hill
- dollar general 19454, mcconnells
- dollar general 2281, rock hill
- dollar general 4153, rock hill
- dollar general 4712, york
- dollar general 7094, clover
- dollar general 7168, rock hill
- dollar general 8065, york
- dollar general 8092, fort mill
- dollar tree 0230, rock hill
- dollartree 9809, york
- dollar general 10365, rock hill
- dollar general 11489, rock hill
- dollar general 12841, sharon
- dollar general 13478, catawba
- dollar general 13502, rock hill
- dollar general 15332, york
- dollar general 3931, rock hill
- dollar tree 2298, rock hill
- dollar tree 2426, fort mill
- dollar tree 3055, clover
- dollar tree 4062, rock hill
- dollar tree 5952, rock hill
- dollar tree 7342, lake wylie
- dollar tree 989, york
- family dollar 12, rock hill
- family dollar 1500, clover
- family dollar 159, york
- family dollar 4306, rock hill
- family dollar store 10722, rock hill
- family dollar store 3503, rock hill
- walgreens 10162, fort mill
- walgreens 10614, york
- walgreens 10838, clover
- walgreens 11210, rock hill
- walgreens 11968, fort mill
- walgreens 15274, rock hill
- walgreens 17020, rock hill
- walgreens 18350, fort mill
- walgreens 4842, rock hill
Supermarket · 21
- aldi 66079, rock hill
- aldi 66084, rock hill
- aldi 66103, fort mill
- earth fare 250, rock hill
- earth fare 257, fort mill
- food lion 1393, clover
- food lion 1580, rock hill
- food lion 1590, rock hill
- food lion 1680, fort mill
- food lion 232, rock hill
- food lion 2537, rock hill
- food lion 841, clover
- food lion 2155, rock hill
- food lion 2204, fort mill
- food lion 2830, york
- food lion 2843, york
- piggly wiggly 149, clover
- publix 1419, fort mill
- publix 1482, rock hill
- publix 1485, rock hill
- publix 1486, lake wylie
Super Store · 14
- harris teeter 082, fort mill
- harris teeter 149, rock hill
- harris teeter 370, fort mill
- harris teeter 475, fort mill
- lidl 1017, rock hill
- sam's club 6236, rock hill
- target store t-1371, rock hill
- walmart neighborhood market 3359, fort mill
- walmart neighborhood market 6962, rock hill
- walmart supercenter 5745, clover
- walmart supercenter 1144, york
- walmart supercenter 3733, tega cay
- walmart supercenter 4593, rock hill
- walmart supercenter 585, rock hill
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- bargain city, york
- saltwater markets 3, fort mill
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's sc012 sc012, rock hill
Delivery Route · 1
- gourmet meat & seafood, rock hill
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- h.o.p.e, rock hill
Large Grocery Store · 1
- southern magnolia trading, clover
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- g & w inc, hickory grove
Seafood Specialty · 1
- seafood market, rock hill
Small Grocery Store · 1
- dink's produce meat market, rock hill
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in South Carolina
Compare York County vs Abbeville County → · All South Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, South Carolina in context
York County sits inside South Carolina (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 York County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in York County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in York County? ▼
Is York County a food desert? ▼
What share of York 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.