County food-access profile · North Carolina
Caldwell County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Caldwell 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).
- 35.1%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 14.3%
- on SNAP
- 81K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
35.1% of Caldwell County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- 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 Caldwell County's low-access share at 35.1%, above the national share. 9 of the county's 17 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 29,142 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 12,760 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 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: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 17 census tracts in Caldwell County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Caldwell County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Caldwell
Caldwell County, NC
35.1 % 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 | 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% |
About 14.3% of Caldwell County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 35.1% 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 4,717 households here.
- 4.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Caldwell County
above the national share
6 of Caldwell County's 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 35.3% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.
An estimated 29,142 residents, roughly 35.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 12,760 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (47.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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 retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Caldwell County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Caldwell 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 Caldwell County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Caldwell County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Caldwell County? ▼
Is Caldwell County a food desert? ▼
What share of Caldwell 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.