Signature · 22.6% SNAP (85th pct in NC)
Columbus County, NC
Columbus County stands out on SNAP (22.6%, +10.5 pts vs U.S.) with 8.2% low-access from USDA FARA 2019.
- 8.2%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 22.6%
- on SNAP
- 50K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Columbus County, NC
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-MODERATE 8.2% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -13.9 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 22.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 8% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Transylvania County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Columbus County lands in the lower national band (8.2%, #2,626 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,626
- national by low-access %
- #75
- in NC
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 22.6% SNAP (85th pct in NC) (+10.5 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Columbus County compares nationally
Columbus County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.2% low-access share that beats 16% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,629).
Columbus County's lower-band USDA tier split
13 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Columbus County has 1 urban and 12 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.
Columbus 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
- Anson 8.4
Anson 8.4%
8.4 % low-access
- Transylvania 8.3
Transylvania 8.3%
8.3 % low-access
- Watauga 8.3
Watauga 8.3%
8.3 % low-access
- Columbus 8.2
Columbus 8.2%
8.2 % low-access
- Macon 8
Macon 8%
8 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 58,098 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,773 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.2%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,134 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 50,140 |
| Median Household Income | $49,442 |
| Poverty Rate | 18.2%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,531 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 22.6%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Columbus County
Columbus County has 80 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 30 locations (38% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 30
- circle k 2706994, jacksonville
- delco mart, delco
- fair bluff shop n save, fair bluff
- han-dee hugo's 1, rieglewood
- home run mart, lake waccamaw
- logan mart, chadbourn
- minuteman food mart 20, whiteville
- minuteman food mart 21, whiteville
- minuteman food mart 22, tabor city
- minuteman food mart 46, whiteville
- minuteman food mart 48, whiteville
- minuteman food mart 50, whiteville
- minuteman food mart 58, delco
- minuteman food mart 64, whiteville
- murphy usa 7733, whiteville
- nc 410 travel centre, chadbourn
- nakina shop n save, nakina
- quick mart, riegelwood
- sundo kwik shop-boardman, evergreen
- sam's pit stop #60, bolton
- sam's pit stop 61, chadbourn
- sam's pit stop 64, hallsboro
- sam's pit stop, inc. 62, lake waccamaw
- sam's pit stop, inc. 67, whiteville
- sams pit stop 63, whiteville
- service plus 1, whiteville
- sidney service mart, clarendon
- sun-do whiteville travel plaza, whiteville
- the millie mart, whiteville
- williams country kitchen, whiteville
Combination Grocery/Other · 27
- cvs pharmacy 7570, whiteville
- dollar general 18407, whiteville
- dollar general 4906, tabor city
- dollar general 4942, chadbourn
- dollar general 6017, whiteville
- dollar general 6530, delco
- dollar general 9150, lake waccamaw
- dollar general 17617, whiteville
- dollar general 18773, whiteville
- dollar general 20600, fair bluff
- dollar general 22881, evergreen
- dollar general 23314, tabor city
- dollar general 23400, whiteville
- dollar general 23686, tabor city
- dollar general 24351, bolton
- dollar general 24975, cerro gordo
- dollar general 25228, hallsboro
- dollar tree 409, whiteville
- family dollar store 4237, whiteville
- family dollar 12184, cerro gordo
- family dollar 827, chadbourn
- family dollar store 71, tabor city
- family dollar store 7759, riegelwood
- ray's seafood & produce, llc, whiteville
- river town market, fair bluff
- roses 608, whiteville
- walgreens 09898, whiteville
Supermarket · 10
- food lion 1073, chadbourn
- food lion 1606, whiteville
- food lion 1694, tabor city
- food lion 2526, whiteville
- fresh foods 11, clarkton
- fresh foods 14, chadbourn
- hills food store #1 1, whiteville
- hills food store #18 18, whiteville
- hills food store #3 3, lake waccamaw
- tabor city iga 640, tabor city
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 3
- bellamy's produce & seafood, tabor city
- livingston creek farmers harvest and eatery llc, bolton
- robinson produce, whiteville
Small Grocery Store · 3
- pierce & co general store llc, hallsboro
- sagrado corazon tienda mexicana, delco
- tienda latina la bendicion, whiteville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- bullard's meats, cerro gordo
- nieman market #001, whiteville
Seafood Specialty · 2
- hall seafood, whiteville
- yahyah seafood llc, chadbourn
Large Grocery Store · 1
- fowler's supermarket, tabor city
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- bargain snatchers, whiteville
Super Store · 1
- walmart s/c 1268, whiteville
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 Columbus County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Counties near Columbus County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Columbus County (22.6%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside North Carolina.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NC (8.2% here).
- Indiana County, PA · 8.2% low-access
- Indiana County, PA · 8.2% low-access
- Johnson County, TN · 8.2% low-access
- Johnson County, TN · 8.2% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (22.6% here).
- Scioto County, OH · 22.6% SNAP
- Scioto County, OH · 22.6% SNAP
- Petersburg city, VA · 22.6% SNAP
- Petersburg city, VA · 22.6% 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.
Columbus County inside a lower low-access state context
Columbus 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 Columbus County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37047. 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.