Signature · 6 LILA tracts (27.3% of tracts)
Cleveland County, NC
Cleveland County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 6 LILA tracts (27.3% of the book) alongside 13.8% low-access.
- 13.8%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 21.3%
- on SNAP
- 101K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Cleveland County, NC
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 13.8% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -8.3 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 6 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 21.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 27% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Stokes County ( -0.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Cleveland County lands in the lower national band (13.8%, #2,216 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,216
- national by low-access %
- #54
- in NC
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 6 LILA tracts (27.3% of tracts) .
How Cleveland County compares nationally
Cleveland County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.8% low-access share that beats 29% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,218).
Cleveland County's lower-band USDA tier split
22 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 6 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Cleveland County has 9 urban and 13 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.
Cleveland County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in North Carolina, not a full county-board reprint
- Hyde
Hyde 60.5%
60.5 % low-access
- Rutherford 14.5
Rutherford 14.5%
14.5 % low-access
- Bladen 14.4
Bladen 14.4%
14.4 % low-access
- Cleveland 13.8
Cleveland 13.8%
13.8 % low-access
- Stokes 13.6
Stokes 13.6%
13.6 % low-access
- Madison 13.1
Madison 13.1%
13.1 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 22 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 98,078 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 13,518 |
| Low-Access Share | 13.8%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,938 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 100,991 |
| Median Household Income | $58,534 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.6%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 8,280 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 21.3%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.9% |
Thick SNAP store book in Cleveland County
Cleveland County has 137 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 69 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 69
- 18 north convenience & cafe, lawndale
- 3 points market & grill, kings mountain
- 7-eleven 36997h, shelby
- alexa mini market, shelby
- amiya express, inc., kings mountain
- bjs quick stop, shelby
- bradshaws food mart, shelby
- burns mini mart, lawndale
- curve view quick shop, shelby
- carolina mart 1, shelby
- carolina mart 2, shelby
- carolina mart 3, shelby
- cheepers drive thru store, lawndale
- circle k 272395, shelby
- circle k 2723970, kings mountain
- countryside stop & shop llc dba dennis 3, kings mountain
- crest quick stop, shelby
- crossroads mini mart, shelby
- curve view express food mart 2, shelby
- debs mini mart 7, mooresboro
- debs mini mart 8, shelby
- dev ashish 2017 llc, kings mountain
- dhiya food mart, shelby
- earl's short stop, mooresboro
- eastside kwik stop, shelby
- esha food mart, shelby
- fastop markets 303, shelby
- gunny's, grover
- harry's quick shop, shelby
- jai ma padmavati llc, shelby
- kings food store, kings mountain
- key largo, mooresboro
- khodal mini mart, shelby
- linwood family mart, kings mountain
- lucky mart, kings mountain
- m&m food mart, shelby
- mikes food store, shelby
- mountain market, kings mountain
- mountain view grocery, casar
- murphy express 8914, shelby
- number three handy mart, grover
- one stop mart, shelby
- one stop shop # 2, shelby
- one stop shop # 5, shelby
- one stop shop 4, shelby
- pit rd drive thru, lawndale
- polkville community mart, shelby
- quick shop, shelby
- raceway 7007, shelby
- rick's ole country store 1, kings mountain
- rumman mini mart llc, shelby
- save more, shelby
- scotchman 3701, shelby
- scotchman 3707, shelby
- scotchman 3725, kings mountain
- shop & save, shelby
- shop & save, lawndale
- short stop nc inc, shelby
- southern store 109, shelby
- southern store 2, shelby
- sunset food mart, shelby
- super daves quick stop, shelby
- swifty's, shelby
- the convenient store, shelby
- tobacco barn, kings mountain
- v go 27, kings mountain
- vape & brew, shelby
- village pantry, shelby
- waco stop n shop, waco
Combination Grocery/Other · 44
- big lots 3195, shelby
- cvs pharmacy 4202, shelby
- cvs pharmacy 6407, kings mountain
- cvs pharmacy 7057, boiling springs
- cvs pharmacy 6405, shelby
- dollar general 18461, kings mountain
- dollar general 19497, kings mountain
- dollar general 1971, kings mountain
- dollar general 2534, shelby
- dollar general 6812, shelby
- dollar general 7613, kings mountain
- dollar general 8750, shelby
- dollar general 8919, shelby
- dollar general 9287, shelby
- dollartree 10462, shelby
- dollartree 9677, shelby
- dollar general 10086, grover
- dollar general 10117, lawndale
- dollar general 11243, shelby
- dollar general 12286, shelby
- dollar general 12813, shelby
- dollar general 13387, kings mountain
- dollar general 13852, mooresboro
- dollar general 15846, grover
- dollar general 16412, casar
- dollar general 16813, shelby
- dollar general 20323, shelby
- dollar general 20482, kings mountain
- dollar general 24480, lawndale
- dollar general 25770, shelby
- dollar general 30098, shelby
- dollar tree 2107, kings mountain
- dollar tree 506, shelby
- dollar tree 5142, shelby
- dollar tree 6697, boiling springs
- family dollar store 269, kings mountain
- family dollar 10814, patterson springs
- family dollar 10903, shelby
- family dollar 13306, shelby
- family dollar 3331, shelby
- family dollar store 5519, shelby
- walgreen 09562, shelby
- walgreens 10891, shelby
- walgreens 15110, kings mountain
Supermarket · 11
- aldi 66096, shelby
- food lion 230, kings mtn
- food lion 235, shelby
- food lion 2654, kings mountain
- food lion 707, shelby
- ingles markets 117, boiling springs
- ingles markets 118, shelby
- ingles markets 119, shelby
- ingles markets 12, shelby
- ingles markets 147, kings mountain
- ingles markets 112, shelby
Farmers' Market · 3
- foothills farmers market, shelby
- kings mountain satellite market, kings mountain
- p&m farmers market, kingstown
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- ora supermarket, shelby
- shelby meat & discount grocery, shelby
- stagecoach market & grill, lawndale
Small Grocery Store · 2
- ldp farms general store inc., lawndale
- tom's family mart, kings mountain
Super Store · 2
- walmart 1034, shelby
- walmart neighborhood market 7146, kings mountain
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- hamrick's produce, shelby
Large Grocery Store · 1
- hometown market, polkville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- south mountain farms, lawndale
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 Cleveland County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Counties near Cleveland County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Cleveland 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 (13.8% here).
- Campbell County, TN · 13.8% low-access
- Campbell County, TN · 13.8% low-access
- Cass County, MN · 13.8% low-access
- Cass County, MN · 13.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (21.3% here).
- McCurtain County, OK · 21.3% SNAP
- McCurtain County, OK · 21.3% SNAP
- Lewis County, WV · 21.3% SNAP
- Lewis County, WV · 21.3% 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.
Cleveland County inside a lower low-access state context
Cleveland 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 Cleveland County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37045. 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.