County food-access profile · North Carolina
Carteret County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Carteret 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).
- 33.2%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 9.0%
- on SNAP
- 69K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
33.2% of Carteret County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 36 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 17
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 3.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.1%
- 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 Carteret County's low-access share at 33.2%, above the national share. 17 of the county's 36 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 22,058 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,120 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 Carteret County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Carteret County's 33.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 77% of them and ranked #728 most-affected nationwide.
Carteret County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 36 census tracts in Carteret County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Carteret County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Carteret
Carteret County, NC
33.2 % 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 | 36 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 66,469 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 17 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 22,058 |
| Low-Access Share | 33.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,120 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 69,148 |
| Median Household Income | $72,322 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.1%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,886 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.7% |
About 9.0% of Carteret County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 33.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,886 households here.
- 3.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Carteret County
above the national share
2 of Carteret County's 36 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 5.6% of all its tracts.
A further 15 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 17.
An estimated 22,058 residents, roughly 33.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,120 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 19 tracts (52.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Carteret County
Carteret County has 70 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 28 locations (40% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 28
- big lots 3226, morehead city
- cvs pharmacy 4390, morehead city
- cvs pharmacy 7024, emerald isle
- cvs pharmacy 7381, beaufort
- cvs/pharmacy 11348, newport
- dollar general 10234, beaufort
- dollar general 14250, emerald isle
- dollar general 4849, beaufort
- dollar general 9668, newport
- dollar tree 2170, morehead city
- dollartree 8086, morehead city
- dollaartree 7086, beaufort
- dollar general 10173, newport
- dollar general 11802, newport
- dollar general 12917, morehead city
- dollar general 17723, newport
- dollar general 19664, salter path
- dollar general 20043, beaufort
- dollar general 20070, harkers island
- dollar general 20139, newport
- dollar general 30292, swansboro
- dollar general 30901, beaufort
- dollar general store 16857, atlantic beach
- dollar general store 17043, sea level
- roses 1850, beaufort
- walgreen 10434, morehead city
- walgreens 10431, cape carteret
- walgreens 11895, morehead city
Convenience Store · 23
- circle k 2720918, atlantic beach
- circle k 2723157, cape carteret
- circle k 2723473, morehead city
- cross road mini mart, beaufort
- gil's market, newport
- handy house 10 110, davis
- handy house 2 102, smyrna
- handy mart 4705, morehead city
- handy mart 4728, newport
- handy mart 4730, cape carteret
- handy mart 4732, morehead city
- handy mart 4763, newport
- jim dandy #12 212, newport
- jim dandy convenience store 201, morehead city
- jim dandy food store no. 8 208, morehead city
- korner store, marshallberg
- murphy usa 6768, morehead city
- seaside stop n shop, harkers island
- speedway 7908, morehead city
- speedway 7946, newport
- speedway 7953, emerald isle
- speedway 8268, newport
- speedway 8271, beaufort
Supermarket · 9
- food lion 1251, beaufort
- food lion 2601, morehead city
- food lion 2628, atlantic beach
- food lion 491, emerald isle
- food lion 1396, newport
- lowes food store 214, morehead city
- piggly wiggly 48, beaufort
- publix 1623, emerald isle
- town & country iga, newport
Super Store · 4
- harris teeter 265, morehead city
- lidl 1089, morehead city
- walmart neighborhood market 7098, newport
- walmart supercenter 1355, morehead city
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- parker enterprises of carteret county, harkers island
- salty catch seafood company, llc, beaufort
- the market at cedar point, cedar point
Seafood Specialty · 3
- blue ocean market, morehead city
- cap'n willis seafood market inc., emerald isle
- rose seafood, beaufort
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Carteret County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Carteret 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 Carteret County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Carteret County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Carteret County? ▼
Is Carteret County a food desert? ▼
What share of Carteret 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.