County food-access profile · New Hampshire
Carroll County, NH
Most of Carroll County sits within reach of a supermarket, better than most U.S. counties. This profile covers who, if anyone, qualifies as a food desert here, plus the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 1.5%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 5.0%
- on SNAP
- 52K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
1.5% of Carroll County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 216
- food-desert residents
- 3.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.6%
- 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).
By the USDA's measure, Carroll County fares better than most: just 1.5% of residents live in a low-access tract, below the national share. Still, 1 of the county's 11 tracts meet that threshold, covering about 734 people who live far from a supermarket, and 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 216 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 Carroll County compares nationally
Food access in Carroll County compares favorably nationally: its 1.5% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 5% of them (rank #2,989).
Carroll County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 11 census tracts in Carroll County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Carroll County vs. other New Hampshire counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in New Hampshire
- Carroll 1.5
Carroll County, NH
1.5 % low-access
- Belknap 11.4
Belknap County, NH
11.4 % low-access
- Cheshire
Cheshire County, NH
19.3 % low-access
- Coos
Coos County, NH
16.9 % low-access
- Grafton 10.5
Grafton County, NH
10.5 % low-access
- Hillsborough
Hillsborough County, NH
32.3 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 11 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 47,818 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 734 |
| Low-Access Share | 1.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 216 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 51,804 |
| Median Household Income | $86,463 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.6%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,091 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.0%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.3% |
About 5.0% of Carroll County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 1.5% of residents are low-access, below the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,091 households here.
- 3.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Carroll County
below the national share
1 of Carroll County's 11 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 9.1% of all its tracts.
An estimated 734 residents, roughly 1.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 216 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 10 tracts (90.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Carroll County
Carroll County has 44 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 20 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 20
- 7-eleven, inc. 32506j, wolfeboro
- big apple 1044, north conway
- big apple 1094, ossipee
- cumberland farms 5428, conway
- circle k 4707210, glen
- circle k 4707213, ossipee
- circle k 4707216, sanbornville
- circle k 4707219, conway
- circle k 4707237, conway
- country goods & groceries, east wakefield
- energy north 2230, moultonborough
- freedom discount bev n/a, freedom
- global montello group sanbornville 0605, sanbornville
- local grocer, north conway
- m&v 1, west ossipee
- mobil mart, north conway
- ossipee food market, center ossipee
- quick marts, chocorua
- state line store/citgo, center conway
- valley food & beverages, north conway
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- cvs pharmacy 650, north conway
- dollar general 14968, moultonborough
- dollar general 15394, tamworth
- dollar general store 17352, center ossipee
- dollar tree 3824, north conway
- family dollar 8249, ossipee
- ocean state job lot 403, ossipee
- ocean state job lot 418, north conway
- walgreens 10609, north conway
- walgreens 19912, ossipee
Super Store · 6
- grants shop and save #188, glen
- hannaford food & drug 8352, north conway
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8159, center ossipee
- hunter's shop 'n save llc, wolfeboro
- market basket 94, north conway
- walmart supercenter 2140, north conway
Farmers' Market · 3
- mt. washington valley farmers' market, north conway
- tamworth farmers' market, tamworth
- wolfeboro area farmers market, wolfeboro
Supermarket · 3
- harvest market 10808, wolfeboro
- lovell lake food center, sanbornville
- shaw's supermarket 2403, center conway
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- veno's specialty foods & meats, north conway
- wolfeboro community food cooperative, wolfeboro
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in New Hampshire
Compare Carroll County vs Belknap County → · All New Hampshire counties →
Food access nationally, New Hampshire in context
Carroll County sits inside New Hampshire (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 Carroll County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Carroll County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Carroll County? ▼
Is Carroll County a food desert? ▼
What share of Carroll 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.