County food-access profile · North Carolina
Alamance County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Alamance 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).
- 25.0%
- low-access pop.
- 10
- food-desert tracts
- 13.6%
- on SNAP
- 177K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
25.0% of Alamance County residents live in a low-access area, and 10 of its 36 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 19
- low-access tracts
- 17K
- food-desert residents
- 4.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.4%
- 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 Alamance County's low-access share at 25.0%, above the national share. 19 of the county's 36 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 37,774 people. 10 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 16,794 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 Alamance County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Alamance County's 25.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 59% of them and ranked #1,296 most-affected nationwide.
Alamance County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 36 census tracts in Alamance County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Alamance County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Alamance
Alamance County, NC
25 % low-access
- Alexander
Alexander County, NC
20.4 % low-access
- Alleghany 4.3
Alleghany County, NC
4.3 % low-access
- Anson 8.4
Anson County, NC
8.4 % low-access
- Ashe
Ashe County, NC
22.2 % low-access
- Avery 0.3
Avery County, NC
0.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 36 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 151,131 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 19 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 10 |
| Low-Access Population | 37,774 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.0%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 16,794 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 176,893 |
| Median Household Income | $65,651 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.4%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 9,499 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.6%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.3% |
About 13.6% of Alamance County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 25.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 9,499 households here.
- 4.7% 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 Alamance County
above the national share
10 of Alamance County's 36 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 27.8% of all its tracts.
A further 9 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 19.
An estimated 37,774 residents, roughly 25.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 16,794 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 17 tracts (47.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Alamance County
Alamance County has 158 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 75 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 75
- 1 pit stop grab&go#14, elon
- 6 to 1 mini mart, graham
- 7-eleven #42107a 42107a, burlington
- b mart & grill, graham
- bellemont store, inc., burlington
- burlington family fare 145, burlington
- circle k 2720112, elon
- circle k 2720161, elon
- circle k 2720851, burlington
- circle k 2723791, graham
- dave's mini mart, burlington
- dimple harsh inc., burlington
- ez mart, burlington
- eagle food market, gibsonville
- fairway one stop 11, burlington
- fairway one stop 12, burlington
- fana pit stop inc, burlington
- flowers bakery outlet 473, burlington
- food mart, burlington
- friendship corner store, burlington
- graham family fare 266, graham
- graham grocery, graham
- grove park family fare 422, burlington
- h3m trading, burlington
- hk graham inc, graham
- hot spot mart, haw river
- i h food mart, burlington
- joe's shopwell mini mart, burlington
- k & j grill & grocery's, alamance
- kc quickie mart, graham
- kim's mart, burlington
- kwik 3 points grocery & grill 1, burlington
- kwik 5 points, burlington
- kwik way, burlington
- l and m mini mart, burlington
- love's travel stop 667, mebane
- m n m mart, burlington
- maple ave family fare 342, burlington
- murphy usa 7247, mebane
- murphy usa 7266, burlington
- north crest llc, elon
- om saaai inc., burlington
- petro mebane 329, mebane
- pilot travel center 57, mebane
- pilot travel center 682, graham
- pilot travel center 6955, haw river
- pops food mart, burlington
- quality mart 2, mebane
- quality mart 28 1075, graham
- quickmart 1, mebane
- ray's quick stop, snow camp
- rays food mart, mebane
- refuel 118, burlington
- rick's food mart n/a, burlington
- rite stop market, burlington
- sheetz 380, mebane
- sam's grocery & grill, mebane
- sams mini mart2, graham
- sandy cross citgo, burlington
- shak's inc, burlington
- sheetz 417, burlington
- sheetz 492, graham
- sheetz 592, burlington
- smart shop 20, burlington
- smart shop 7, mebane
- smokz n more, burlington
- snow camp raygo mart rm02, snow camp
- speedway 6956, mebane
- speedway 6958, burlington
- stop n' shop, graham
- the pop shoppe, mebane
- tommy's mini marts #1, mebane
- tommys mini mart, burlington
- v.mart, burlington
- whistle express, haw river
Combination Grocery/Other · 47
- burlington oriental market, burlington
- cvs pharmacy 2532, burlington
- cvs pharmacy 3853, burlington
- cvs pharmacy 4655, graham
- cvs pharmacy 7053, mebane
- cvs pharmacy 7559, burlington
- dollar general 10123, mebane
- dollar general 14168, burlington
- dollar general 18571, burlington
- dollar general 3444, burlington
- dollar general 7423, burlington
- dollar general 7855, burlington
- dollar general 8530, burlington
- dollar general 9302, burlington
- dollar tree 1866, burlington
- dollartree 9345, burlington
- dollar general 10626, graham
- dollar general 11418, graham
- dollar general 12044, graham
- dollar general 12264, graham
- dollar general 12359, mebane
- dollar general 14901, snow camp
- dollar general 15122, burlington
- dollar general 17591, graham
- dollar general 17651, graham
- dollar general 22481, elon
- dollar general 22558, burlington
- dollar general 23297, burlington
- dollar general 30823, burlington
- dollar general 30891, haw river
- dollar general 6970, elon
- dollar general store 17285, burlington
- dollar tree 3941, mebane
- dollar tree 9745, graham
- dollar tree 999, burlington
- family dollar 12603, burlington
- family dollar 7082, burlington
- family dollar 8217, graham
- family dollar 8588, elon
- family dollar store 10879, burlington
- family dollar store 9437, burlington
- jimmy's graham meat market llc. 0, burlington
- sweet rice asian market llc, burlington
- walgreens 09090, graham
- walgreens 11803, mebane
- walgreens 12045, burlington
- walgreens 17900, burlington
Supermarket · 16
- aldi 66073, burlington
- charlie c's iga 765, graham
- food lion 1078, burlington
- food lion 1200, burlington
- food lion 2113, haw river
- food lion 2590, mebane
- food lion 465, burlington
- food lion 591, graham
- food lion 699, burlington
- food lion 848, mebane
- food lion 894, burlington
- guzman's market, burlington
- lowe's food store 236, mebane
- lowes food store 228, burlington
- publix 1706, burlington
- steve's garden market and butchery, graham
Super Store · 7
- bj's membership club 357, burlington
- harris teeter 345, burlington
- lidl 1418, burlington
- target store t-2037, burlington
- walmart 1287, burlington
- walmart supercenter 3612, burlington
- walmart supercenter 5346, mebane
Medium Grocery Store · 6
- el gallo giro, burlington
- el tio inc 1, burlington
- kenyon's meat market, mebane
- plaza latina, graham
- tl guerrerense corp, burlington
- vemd la sierra, burlington
Farmers' Market · 3
- farm fresh in graham (ffig), graham
- farmers market at north park, burlington
- safe farmer's market, mebane
Small Grocery Store · 3
- hermanos carbajal inc 0, burlington
- safa market, burlington
- tienda mexicana don jesus, haw river
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- maria produce, burlington
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Alamance County vs Alexander County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Alamance County sits inside North 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 Alamance County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Alamance County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Alamance County? ▼
Is Alamance County a food desert? ▼
What share of Alamance 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.