County food-access profile · North Carolina
Cleveland County, NC
Cleveland County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 13.8%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 21.3%
- on SNAP
- 101K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
13.8% of Cleveland County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 5.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.6%
- 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).
Cleveland County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 13.8% per the USDA Atlas. 8 of the county's 22 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 13,518 residents who live far from a supermarket. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,938 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 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: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 22 census tracts in Cleveland County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Cleveland County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Cleveland
Cleveland County, NC
13.8 % 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 | 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 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| 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% |
About 21.3% of Cleveland County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 13.8% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 21.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 8,280 households here.
- 5.0% 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 Cleveland County
near the national share
6 of Cleveland County's 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 27.3% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 13,518 residents, roughly 13.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,938 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 14 tracts (63.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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 retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Cleveland County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Cleveland 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 Cleveland County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Cleveland County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Cleveland County? ▼
Is Cleveland County a food desert? ▼
What share of Cleveland 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.