County food-access profile · North Carolina
Burke County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Burke 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).
- 24.9%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 14.3%
- on SNAP
- 88K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
24.9% of Burke County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 4.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.6%
- 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).
USDA data puts Burke County's low-access share at 24.9%, above the national share. 7 of the county's 18 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 22,646 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,096 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 Burke County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Burke County's 24.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 58% of them and ranked #1,304 most-affected nationwide.
Burke County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 18 census tracts in Burke County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Burke County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Burke
Burke County, NC
24.9 % low-access
- 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
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 18 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 90,912 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 22,646 |
| Low-Access Share | 24.9%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,096 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 87,795 |
| Median Household Income | $58,592 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.6%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,202 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.1% |
About 14.3% of Burke County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 24.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 14.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,202 households here.
- 4.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Burke County
above the national share
3 of Burke County's 18 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 16.7% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 22,646 residents, roughly 24.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,096 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (61.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Burke County
Burke County has 96 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 48 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 48
- b & s variety, morganton
- brendletown grocery, morganton
- bypass beverage, morganton
- c&w convenience store, morganton
- citgo food mart, morganton
- carbon city quick mart inc., morganton
- chapin store, morganton
- country crossroads, morganton
- country market, morganton
- cubbard express 14, connelly springs
- cubbard express 3, hildebran
- discount beverage, morganton
- discount foods, rutherford college
- drexel quick mart, drexel
- family food mart, rutherford college
- fast stop, valdese
- flowers bakery outlet 765, morganton
- gate service station 401, morganton
- hildebran shell, hildebran
- hillbilly grocery, morganton
- jack b quick 10, morganton
- jack b quick 11, morganton
- jack b quick 6, valdese
- jerrys neighbourhood store, morganton
- knob superette, connelly springs
- kountry market, morganton
- midway mart, morganton
- minit saver market, morganton
- murphy express 8719, morganton
- nouria 1007 jamestown road 252, morganton
- oakhill grocery, morganton
- pit stop, morganton
- quality mart 22 1715, morganton
- rincon hispano, morganton
- royal mart 1, morganton
- run in 114, hildebran
- salem express, morganton
- sheetz 819, morganton
- shop & save 2 1, morganton
- shop n save, morganton
- shop n save, morganton
- shop and save, morganton
- speedway 7962, morganton
- speedway 7964, morganton
- super estrella, morganton
- super tienda maya, morganton
- thrifty mart, morganton
- zion convenience, morganton
Combination Grocery/Other · 28
- big lots 3188, morganton
- cvs pharmacy 3120, rutherford college
- cvs pharmacy 6401, morganton
- cvs pharmacy 7322, hildebran
- dollar general 0362, morganton
- dollar general 14620, morganton
- dollar general 18145, morganton
- dollar general 1926, valdese
- dollar general 7159, morganton
- dollar general 8004, morganton
- dollar general 8924, connelly springs
- dollar tree 888, morganton
- dollartree 6995, valdese
- dollar general 11174, morganton
- dollar general 11394, hildebran
- dollar general 12973, glen alpine
- dollar general 15518, morganton
- dollar general 15866, connelly springs
- dollar general 20019, connelly springs
- dollar general 23541, morganton
- dollar general 30123, nebo
- dollar general 31518, morganton
- dollar general store 16608, morganton
- dollar tree 6799, hildebran
- family dollar 9029, morganton
- mi pais my country inc., morganton
- walgreens 19006, morganton
- xieng khouang, valdese
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 77003 77003, morganton
- food lion 125, morganton
- food lion 1534, morganton
- food lion 2250, morganton
- food lion 2651, hildebran
- food lion 454, valdese
- food lion 865, morganton
Small Grocery Store · 6
- abarroteria zaculeu 2, morganton
- bingo food mart, morganton
- el barrio, morganton
- la esperanza 2 llc, morganton
- panaderia la guatemalteca, morganton
- this and that variety, rutherford college
Super Store · 2
- walmart neighborhood market 7304, morganton
- walmart supercenter 1060, morganton
Farmers' Market · 1
- morganton farmers market, morganton
Large Grocery Store · 1
- food matters markets inc, morganton
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- case farm fresh market, morganton
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- banana box grocery 3, valdese
Seafood Specialty · 1
- fisherman's catch, morganton
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Burke County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Burke 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 Burke County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Burke County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Burke County? ▼
Is Burke County a food desert? ▼
What share of Burke 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.