Signature · 6 LILA tracts (42.9% of tracts)
Edgecombe County, NC
Edgecombe County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 6 LILA tracts (42.9% of the book) alongside 17.6% low-access.
- 17.6%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 23.6%
- on SNAP
- 49K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Edgecombe County, NC
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 17.6% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -4.5 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 6 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 23.6% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 10.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 43% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Nash County (+ 0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Edgecombe County ranks #1,898 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #50 of 100 counties in NC (17.6% low-access; 6 food-desert tracts).
- #1,898
- national by low-access %
- #50
- in NC
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 6 LILA tracts (42.9% of tracts) .
How Edgecombe County compares nationally
Edgecombe County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.6% low-access share that beats 39% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,907).
Edgecombe County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
14 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 6 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Edgecombe County has 6 urban and 8 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.
Edgecombe County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in North Carolina, not a full county-board reprint
- Hyde
Hyde 60.5%
60.5 % low-access
- Harnett 17.9
Harnett 17.9%
17.9 % low-access
- Pasquotank 17.8
Pasquotank 17.8%
17.8 % low-access
- Nash 17.7
Nash 17.7%
17.7 % low-access
- Rockingham 17.7
Rockingham 17.7%
17.7 % low-access
- Edgecombe 17.6
Edgecombe 17.6%
17.6 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 14 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 56,552 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,938 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.6%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,406 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 48,736 |
| Median Household Income | $51,265 |
| Poverty Rate | 21.7%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,642 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 23.6%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 10.0%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
Thick SNAP store book in Edgecombe County
Edgecombe County has 63 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 29 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 29
- 7 to 11, tarboro
- bi rite market 5 llc, battleboro
- big jim express, tarboro
- bridge food mart inc, rocky mount
- brown's grocery, tarboro
- c&s food mart inc, tarboro
- conetoe mart & grill, conetoe
- downtown supermarket llc, rocky mount
- duck thru food store 57, pinetops
- ep mart 18, tarboro
- ep mart #2, rocky mount
- ep mart 15, tarboro
- fuel doc #2, rocky mount
- fuel doc #3, rocky mount
- gns express mart, rocky mount
- mega supermarket, rocky mount
- midway grocery, rocky mount
- murphy express 8505, tarboro
- neighborhood grocery, rocky mount
- one stop shop, rocky mount
- pinestop, pinetops
- quality mart 45 1145, pinetops
- raceway 848, tarboro
- sabaa grocery and grill, rocky mount
- setgo convenience & grill none, tarboro
- speedway 8264, rocky mount
- speedway 8658, tarboro
- speedway 8663, tarboro
- st mary station inc, tarboro
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- dollar general 18314, rocky mount
- dollar general 1914, tarboro
- dollar general 4899, pinetops
- dollartree 9304, tarboro
- dollar general 12909, rocky mount
- dollar general 18399, princeville
- dollar general 19902, tarboro
- dollar general 22216, rocky mount
- dollar general 30688, rocky mount
- dollar general 31159, macclesfield
- dollar general 4580, tarboro
- dollar tree 1982, tarboro
- dollar tree 5221, rocky mount
- family dollar store 1611, rocky mount
- family dollar store 5770, rocky mount
- roses 537, rocky mount
- walgreens 15475, tarboro
Supermarket · 7
- carlie c's iga 745, tarboro
- food lion 1394, tarboro
- food lion 1501, tarboro
- food lion 1659, battleboro
- food lion 261, rocky mount
- food lion 619, rocky mount
- piggly wiggly 85, pinetops
Small Grocery Store · 3
- big mikes xpress, rocky mount
- gueros butcher shop, tarboro
- la esquina latina tarboro, tarboro
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- los primos meat market, tarboro
- macclesfield grocery, macclesfield
Farmers' Market · 1
- milkbone meats, rocky mount
Large Grocery Store · 1
- the family supermarket, rocky mount
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- big bones meat market, princeville
Seafood Specialty · 1
- main street fish market, tarboro
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 2730, tarboro
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 Edgecombe County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Nationwide peers for Edgecombe County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Edgecombe 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 (17.6% here).
- Cortland County, NY · 17.6% low-access
- Cortland County, NY · 17.6% low-access
- Waller County, TX · 17.6% low-access
- Waller County, TX · 17.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (23.6% here).
- Cibola County, NM · 23.6% SNAP
- Cibola County, NM · 23.6% SNAP
- Frio County, TX · 23.6% SNAP
- Frio County, TX · 23.6% 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.
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Edgecombe 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 Edgecombe County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37065. 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.