Signature · 6 LILA tracts (35.3% of tracts)
Caldwell County, NC
Caldwell County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 6 LILA tracts (35.3% of the book) alongside 35.1% low-access.
- 35.1%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 14.3%
- on SNAP
- 81K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Caldwell County, NC
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 35.1% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +13.0 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 6 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 35% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Chowan County (+ 0.0 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Caldwell County sits in the upper national band (35.1%, #586 of 3,079) with 6 LILA tracts.
- #586
- national by low-access %
- #7
- in NC
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 6 LILA tracts (35.3% of tracts) .
How Caldwell County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Caldwell County's 35.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 81% of them and ranked #589 most-affected nationwide.
Caldwell County's elevated USDA tier split
17 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 6 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Caldwell County has 9 urban and 8 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Caldwell County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in North Carolina, not a full county-board reprint
- Hyde
Hyde 60.5%
60.5 % low-access
- Dare
Dare 35.6%
35.6 % low-access
- Caldwell
Caldwell 35.1%
35.1 % low-access
- Chowan
Chowan 35.1%
35.1 % low-access
- Craven
Craven 34.4%
34.4 % low-access
- Carteret
Carteret 33.2%
33.2 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 83,029 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 29,142 |
| Low-Access Share | 35.1%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 12,760 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 80,536 |
| Median Household Income | $56,425 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.4%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,717 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
Thick SNAP store book in Caldwell County
Caldwell County has 81 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 46 locations (57% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 46
- cajah mountain kwick mart, hudson
- collettsville geneneral store, collettsville
- corner market, lenoir
- cubbard express 11, lenoir
- discount foods of lenoir, lenoir
- ellies crossroad market, lenoir
- ez stop, lenoir
- fastop markets 301, lenoir
- gamewell superette, lenoir
- green pantry, lenoir
- han-dee hugos 263, lenoir
- hudson superette, hudson
- jack b quick #2 2, granite falls
- jack b quick 5, granite falls
- jack b quick 8, lenoir
- jason mart#2, lenoir
- jasonmart, lenoir
- khushi food mart, lenoir
- market basket 21, granite falls
- market basket 23, granite falls
- market basket 24, hudson
- market basket 25, granite falls
- market basket 26, hudson
- murphy express 8504, granite falls
- murphy usa 7538, lenoir
- oak hill superette, lenoir
- p d grocery 1, granite falls
- pappys market, granite falls
- run in 136, lenoir
- run in 271, lenoir
- run in 272, lenoir
- run in 273, lenoir
- run in 274, lenoir
- run in 275, lenoir
- run in 276, granite falls
- sarjudas, llc, lenoir
- save n more, lenoir
- savemore, lenoir
- scotchman 3726, hudson
- sheetz 814, granite falls
- shop & save, lenoir
- shop n save, lenoir
- speedway 7961, granite falls
- speedway 7972, lenoir
- the ole store 1, rhodhiss
- yadkin valley grocery, lenoir
Combination Grocery/Other · 21
- cvs pharmacy 4379, lenoir
- cvs pharmacy 7535, hudson
- dollar general 18414, granite falls
- dollar general 18804, lenoir
- dollar general 2875, lenoir
- dollar general 3889, lenoir
- dollar general 4610, hudson
- dollar general 7282, lenoir
- dollar general 10089, lenoir
- dollar general 11973, granite falls
- dollar general 12685, lenoir
- dollar general 16220, lenoir
- dollar general 23792, lenoir
- dollar tree 2171, lenoir
- dollar tree 3741, granite falls
- family dollar 555, granite falls
- family dollar 6309, hudson
- family dollar 9, lenoir
- the bargain bin, lenoir
- walgreens 12780, hudson
- walgreens 12781, lenoir
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 66004, lenoir
- food lion 1594, lenoir
- food lion 357, hudson
- food lion 89, lenoir
- fairvalue granite falls 853, granite falls
- fairvalue lenoir 852, lenoir
- ingles markets 121, granite falls
Super Store · 3
- walmart neighborhood market 7296, hudson
- walmart supercenter 1064, lenoir
- walmart supercenter 4410, granite falls
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- banana box discount groceries, llc 4, lenoir
- fabio's deli & grocery llc, lenoir
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- farm fresh produce, lenoir
Small Grocery Store · 1
- margarita's cells, lenoir
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 Caldwell County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Counties near Caldwell County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Caldwell 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 (35.1% here).
- Licking County, OH · 35.1% low-access
- Licking County, OH · 35.1% low-access
- Warren County, NJ · 35.1% low-access
- Warren County, NJ · 35.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (14.3% here).
- Fayette County, OH · 14.3% SNAP
- Fayette County, OH · 14.3% SNAP
- Somerset County, PA · 14.3% SNAP
- Somerset County, PA · 14.3% 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.
Caldwell County inside a higher low-access state context
Caldwell County sits inside North Carolina (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Caldwell County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37027. 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.