Signature · 3 LILA tracts (50% of tracts)
Bladen County, NC
Bladen County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 3 LILA tracts (50% of the book) alongside 14.4% low-access.
- 14.4%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 26.2%
- on SNAP
- 30K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Bladen County, NC
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 14.4% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -7.7 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 26.2% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 50% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Rutherford County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Bladen County lands in the lower national band (14.4%, #2,159 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,159
- national by low-access %
- #53
- in NC
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 3 LILA tracts (50% of tracts) .
How Bladen County compares nationally
Bladen County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.4% low-access share that beats 31% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,159).
Bladen County's lower-band USDA tier split
6 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
Bladen County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (5 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Bladen County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in North Carolina, not a full county-board reprint
- Hyde
Hyde 60.5%
60.5 % low-access
- Rutherford 14.5
Rutherford 14.5%
14.5 % low-access
- Bladen 14.4
Bladen 14.4%
14.4 % low-access
- Cleveland 13.8
Cleveland 13.8%
13.8 % low-access
- Stokes 13.6
Stokes 13.6%
13.6 % low-access
- Madison 13.1
Madison 13.1%
13.1 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 35,190 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 5,063 |
| Low-Access Share | 14.4%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,552 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 29,566 |
| Median Household Income | $42,422 |
| Poverty Rate | 22.0%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,093 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 26.2%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.8%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Bladen County
Bladen County has 41 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 16 locations (39% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Where the store book sits, by town
10 towns share the 41 authorized stores; Elizabethtown holds 41% of them. 6 of the 10 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Tar Heel, Clarkton, Council, Kelly, White Oak, Whitelake.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabethtown | 17 | 4 |
| Bladenboro | 10 | 1 |
| Tar Heel | 4 | none |
| Clarkton | 3 | none |
| Dublin | 2 | 1 |
| Council | 1 | none |
| Kelly | 1 | none |
| Riegelwood | 1 | 1 |
| White Oak | 1 | none |
| Whitelake | 1 | none |
Combination Grocery/Other · 16
- cvs pharmacy 5508, elizabethtown
- dollar general 11168, dublin
- dollar general 1806, elizabethtown
- dollar general 20675, bladenboro
- dollar general 6681, elizabethtown
- dollar general 8112, clarkton
- dollar general 17212, elizabethtown
- dollar general 25561, bladenboro
- dollar general 30733, bladenboro
- dollar general 30862, elizabethtown
- dollar general store 16642, tar heel
- dollar tree 3659, elizabethtown
- family dollar 10953, clarkton
- family dollar 13865, tar heel
- family dollar store 7535, bladenboro
- walgreens 15273, elizabethtown
Convenience Store · 15
- 41 grocery & grill, bladenboro
- food plus, bladenboro
- food plus 4, council
- han-dee hugo's 5, bladenboro
- happy mart, elizabethtown
- kaid mini mart, white oak
- kelly general store, kelly
- minuteman food mart 16, elizabethtown
- minuteman food mart 17, elizabethtown
- minuteman food mart 18, tar heel
- minuteman food mart 32, elizabethtown
- minuteman food mart 49, clarkton
- pramukh yogi corporation, bladenboro
- scotchman 3005, whitelake
- u -stop market, tar heel
Supermarket · 4
- food lion 2618, elizabethtown
- fresh foods 8, elizabethtown
- fresh foods 9, bladenboro
- piggly wiggly 55, riegelwood
Small Grocery Store · 2
- goldston's lake store, elizabethtown
- la fuerte, bladenboro
Large Grocery Store · 1
- jesse o inman and sons enterprise inc, dublin
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- tienda mexicana leon 1, elizabethtown
Seafood Specialty · 1
- variety seafood of etown, elizabethtown
Super Store · 1
- walmart store 1166, elizabethtown
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in North Carolina
One of 99 counties in North Carolina, 6 are shown here.
Compare Bladen County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Counties near Bladen County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Bladen County, both outside North Carolina so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NC (14.4% here).
- Chautauqua County, NY · 14.4% low-access
- Lincoln County, NE · 14.4% low-access
- Neosho County, KS · 14.4% low-access
- Montezuma County, CO · 14.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (26.2% here).
- Philadelphia County, PA · 26.2% SNAP
- Saline County, IL · 26.2% SNAP
- Early County, GA · 26.2% SNAP
- Yazoo County, MS · 26.0% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
North Carolina among South Atlantic states
North Carolina ranks 5th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (22.9%). Bladen County, at 14.4%, runs 8.5 pts below the North Carolina 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 Bladen County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37017. 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.