County food-access profile · North Carolina
Craven County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Craven 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).
- 34.4%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 14.0%
- on SNAP
- 103K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
34.4% of Craven County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 21 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 6.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.7%
- 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 Craven County's low-access share at 34.4%, above the national share. 9 of the county's 21 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 35,562 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,000 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 Craven County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Craven County's 34.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 79% of them and ranked #646 most-affected nationwide.
Craven County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 21 census tracts in Craven County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Craven County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Craven
Craven County, NC
34.4 % 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 | 21 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 103,505 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 35,562 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,000 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 102,612 |
| Median Household Income | $65,873 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.7%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,015 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.0%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.4% |
About 14.0% of Craven County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 34.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 14.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,015 households here.
- 6.3% 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 Craven County
above the national share
2 of Craven County's 21 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 9.5% of all its tracts.
A further 7 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.
An estimated 35,562 residents, roughly 34.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,000 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (57.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Craven County
Craven County has 103 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 44 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 44
- 5 point mini mart #2 2, new bern
- beech grove fuel market 4, new bern
- bridgeton fuel market 16, new bern
- broad mini mart, new bern
- burleys, new bern
- carolina pines fuel market 3, new bern
- circle k 2706790, new bern
- circle k 2720934, new bern
- circle k 2723174, havelock
- duck thru food store 33, vanceboro
- east 70 fuel market 8, new bern
- east havelock fuel market 13, havelock
- fairfield fuel market 7, new bern
- five points food mart, new bern
- five points mini mart #1 #1, new bern
- glenburnie family fare 264, new bern
- handy mart 4714, new bern
- handy mart 4725, new bern
- jasper mini mart, cove city
- jim dandy food store 202, havelock
- maruti sankalp inc, havelock
- merchants grocery 17, new bern
- mills drive thru inc 2522441633, vanceboro
- monette's grocery, new bern
- murphy usa 7611, havelock
- pops 801, new bern
- pops 804, east dover
- pops 806, ernul
- riverbend fuel market 15, new bern
- riverdale fuel market 2, new bern
- royal farms 467, new bern
- speedway 7905, vanceboro
- speedway 8214, new bern
- speedway 8246, havelock
- speedway 8274, bridgeton
- speedway 8275, new bern
- speedway 8277, new bern
- speedway 8282, new bern
- speedy mart n/a, new bern
- super stop, new bern
- tienda hispana lupita, new bern
- trent fuel market 5, new bern
- twin rivers fuel market 12, new bern
- west havelock fuel market 14, havelock
Combination Grocery/Other · 31
- al kareem, morrisville
- armstrong grocery, new bern
- cvs pharmacy 5597, new bern
- cvs pharmacy 7344, havelock
- dollar general 10919, new bern
- dollar general 2794, havelock
- dollar general 4332, vanceboro
- dollar general 4886, havelock
- dollar general 8872, new bern
- dollar general 9525, bridgeton
- dollar tree 4047, havelock
- dollartree 9524, new bern
- dollar general 12837, new bern
- dollar general 14666, new bern
- dollar general 15907, havelock
- dollar general 20947, vanceboro
- dollar general 21188, new bern
- dollar general 21583, cove city
- dollar general 21737, new bern
- dollar general 22232, new bern
- dollar general 25173, new bern
- dollar tree 5479, new bern
- dollar tree 85, new bern
- family dollar 10549, havelock
- family dollar 12119, dover
- family dollar store 56, new bern
- family dollar store 7066, new bern
- family dollar store 7168, vanceboro
- roses 525, new bern
- walgreens 02222, new bern
- walgreens 11534, havelock
Supermarket · 8
- aldi 80033, new bern
- food lion 1368, new bern
- food lion 2108, vanceboro
- food lion 2556, new bern
- food lion 279, havelock
- food lion 817, new bern
- food lion 825, new bern
- publix 1533, new bern
Super Store · 7
- harris teeter 139, new bern
- harris teeter 421, new bern
- piggly wiggly 28, new bern
- target store t-1015, new bern
- walmart 1300, new bern
- walmart neighborhood market 7218, new bern
- walmart supercenter 3825, havelock
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- g bless karenni asian market, new bern
- hpaung family asian mart 1, new bern
- klo htoo asian market, new bern
Small Grocery Store · 3
- grace asian market, llc, new bern
- nc oriental market, new bern
- new bern mexican bakery, new bern
Farmers' Market · 2
- havelock farmers market, havelock
- new bern craven county area farmers market, inc., new bern
Seafood Specialty · 2
- b & j seafood outlet, new bern
- front street fish company, new bern
Large Grocery Store · 1
- kite's red & white, vanceboro
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- bridgeton poultry, new bern
Military Commissary · 1
- cherry point mcas commissary 2903, cherry point
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Craven County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Craven 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 Craven County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Craven County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Craven County? ▼
Is Craven County a food desert? ▼
What share of Craven 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.