County food-access profile · North Carolina
Forsyth County, NC
Forsyth County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 40.9%
- low-access pop.
- 23
- food-desert tracts
- 13.9%
- on SNAP
- 390K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
40.9% of Forsyth County residents live in a low-access area, and 23 of its 93 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 63
- low-access tracts
- 50K
- food-desert residents
- 6.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.5%
- 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).
Forsyth County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 40.9% is well above the national share. 63 of the county's 93 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 143,383 people. 23 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 49,909 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 Forsyth County compares nationally
Forsyth County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 40.9% low-access share outpaces 88% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #370 most-affected nationwide.
Forsyth County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 93 census tracts in Forsyth County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Forsyth County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Forsyth
Forsyth County, NC
40.9 % 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 | 93 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 350,670 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 63 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 23 |
| Low-Access Population | 143,383 |
| Low-Access Share | 40.9%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 49,909 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 389,977 |
| Median Household Income | $67,165 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.5%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 22,305 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.7% |
About 13.9% of Forsyth County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 40.9% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 22,305 households here.
- 6.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 23 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 Forsyth County
well above the national share
23 of Forsyth County's 93 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 24.7% of all its tracts.
A further 40 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 63.
An estimated 143,383 residents, roughly 40.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 49,909 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 30 tracts (32.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Forsyth County
Forsyth County has 342 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 159 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 159
- 14th street mini mart, winston salem
- 311 super stop llc, winston salem
- 67 gas for less, pfafftown
- 7-eleven 36068a 36068a, kernersville
- academy grocery, winston salem
- adams market, winston salem
- akron market 201, winston salem
- akron mart, winston salem
- b & s super mart, winston salem
- boca de rio inc / fairway one stop 4, winston salem
- boulos 2 inc dba akron shell 202, winston salem
- brewer family fare 405, winston salem
- brother food mart llc, winston salem
- buy & go 2, winston salem
- by lo citgo 3, winston salem
- chief's pick a pack, kernersville
- circle k 1519, winston salem
- circle k 1539, lewisville
- circle k 2701495, clemmons
- circle k 2704358, winston salem
- circle k 2706477, kernersville
- circle k 2720795, kernersville
- circle k 2723160, clemmons
- circle k 2723188, rural hall
- circle k 2723205, winston salem
- clemmons bp, clemmons
- dana & tjs country grocery, winston salem
- dos hermanos mexican store, winston salem
- e stop, lewisville
- el jacal 2 minimarket inc, winston salem
- el pariente tienda hispana, winston salem
- el taino, winston salem
- exprezit, kernersville
- fairway 9 n/a, winston salem
- fairway one stop, winston salem
- fairway one stop #7, winston salem
- fairway one stop 5, winston salem
- first street mart, winston salem
- fjt nc inc, winston salem
- flowers bakery outlet 479, winston salem
- gas n go, winston salem
- glenn deli & grocery, winston salem
- gr mart tobacco & vape, winston salem
- great american store, winston salem
- guru convenience store, winston salem
- hop in, winston salem
- hop in, winston salem
- horneytown country store, high point
- hospital family fare 290, winston salem
- j & b food mart inc, winston salem
- j and j food mart, winston salem
- jays mart, winston salem
- jb's food mart, winston salem
- joe's kwik mart 6014, kernersville
- jonestown family fare 314, winston salem
- jonestown shell, winston salem
- kay mart 2, winston salem
- kernersville family fare 318, kernersville
- kesh mart 1, belews creek
- konnoak shell, winston salem
- kristy food mart, winston salem
- la perlita, winston salem
- la tili supermarket inc, winston salem
- liberty plus convenience store, winston salem
- liberty street citgo, winston salem
- liberty street grocery, winston salem
- link grocery, winston salem
- love's travel stop 883, rural hall
- lovely food mart, winston salem
- low price mart, kernersville
- marymar supermarket, winston salem
- mlc discount store, winston salem
- murphy express 8814, winston salem
- murphy usa 7420, winston-salem
- neighborhood grocery store, winston salem
- nick food mart, germanton
- northpoint family fare 355, winston salem
- northwest discount, winston salem
- om mini mart, winston salem
- parkway express, winston salem
- parkway family fare 370, winston salem
- parkway shell, winston salem
- peters creek bp, winston salem
- petro 66, kernersville
- pik & go, rural hall
- pineview self service, winston salem
- pop hop mercado, winston salem
- quality mark 29 1063, winston salem
- quality mart, winston salem
- quality mart # 54 1754, winston salem
- quality mart #33 1082, kernersville
- quality mart #53 1753, winston salem
- quality mart #55 1755, rural hall
- quality mart #56 1756, winston salem
- quality mart #57 1757, winston salem
- quality mart #58 1758, winston salem
- quality mart #59 1759, pfafftown
- quality mart #60 1760, lewisville
- quality mart 18, winston salem
- quality mart 32 1064, kernersville
- quality mart 37 1093, winston salem
- quality mart 38 1095, winston salem
- quality mart 39 1096, winston salem
- quality mart 41 1141, kernersville
- quality mart 46 1146, kernersville
- quality mart 61, walkertown
- quick one stop, kernersville
- reynolda family fare 398, winston salem
- robinhood family fare 400, winston salem
- s&k food mart, winston salem
- salem mart, winston salem
- sam's gas n grill, rural hall
- sam's mart 112, winston salem
- sav way, winston salem
- sheetz 355, walkertown
- sheetz 411, arcadia
- sheetz 436, kernersville
- sheetz 453, winston salem
- sheetz 512, kernersville
- sheetz 568, winston salem
- sheetz 578, kernersville
- sheetz 633, winston salem
- sheetz 641, winston salem
- sheetz 871, winston salem
- snak's, winston salem
- speedway 6925, winston salem
- speedway 6926, winston salem
- speedway 6927, winston salem
- speedway 6929, winston salem
- speedway 6930, winston salem
- speedway 6931, winston salem
- speedway 6932, winston salem
- speedway 6933, winston salem
- speedway 6935, winston salem
- speedway 6936, winston salem
- speedway 6937, winston salem
- speedway 6938, clemmons
- speedway 6941, kernersville
- speedway 8200, winston salem
- speedway 8201, winston salem
- speedway 8202, winston salem
- speedway 8203, winston salem
- stop and save mart inc, clemmons
- sungate mini mart, winston salem
- three boys no, winston salem
- three brothers by-lo, winston salem
- three corner food mart, winston salem
- tickled pink convenience store 1, winston salem
- tripstop, winston salem
- union cross bp, kernersville
- waughtown market, winston salem
- wake mart exxon, winston salem
- waughtown grocery, winston salem
- what a convenience, winston salem
- winston food mart inc, winston salem
- xeeie inc, winston salem
- z & zee corner llc, winston salem
- zee mart, winston salem
- zee mart #3, winston salem
Combination Grocery/Other · 78
- cvs 1218, walkertown
- cvs 5595, winston salem
- cvs pharmacy 1944, winston salem
- cvs pharmacy 3516, winston salem
- cvs pharmacy 3574, winston salem
- cvs pharmacy 4253, clemmons
- cvs pharmacy 5540, winston salem
- cvs pharmacy 7030, winston salem
- cvs pharmacy 7584, winston salem
- cvs pharmacy 7681, winston salem
- cvs pharmacy 3518, winston salem
- cvs pharmacy 3643, kernersville
- cvs pharmacy 3812, winston salem
- cvs pharmacy 3832, kernersville
- cvs pharmacy 7026, clemmons
- dollar general 14072, winston salem
- dollar general 14226, winston salem
- dollar general 18435, belews creek
- dollar general 2962, winston salem
- dollar general 3240, winston salem
- dollar general 3585, winston salem
- dollar general 4019, winston salem
- dollar general 7020, kernersville
- dollar general 8550, pfafftown
- dollar general 9499, clemmons
- dollar tree 1897, winston salem
- dollartree 10455, winston salem
- dollartree 10468, kernersville
- dollartree 9284, kernersville
- dollar general 12654, winston salem
- dollar general 12966, winston salem
- dollar general 16511, tobaccoville
- dollar general 18066, winston salem
- dollar general 20342, winston salem
- dollar general 20429, winston salem
- dollar general 21247, winston salem
- dollar general 23896, winston salem
- dollar general 31051, winston salem
- dollar general 3404, walkertown
- dollar general store 17188, kernersville
- dollar tree 0212, winston salem
- dollar tree 1115, winston salem
- dollar tree 2142, winston salem
- dollar tree 2707, kernersville
- dollar tree 2779, clemmons
- dollar tree 2842, walkertown
- dollar tree 5377, winston salem
- dollar tree 7055, winston salem
- dollar tree 7329, winston salem
- dollar tree 821, winston salem
- dollar tree 996, winston salem
- el jarocho, winston salem
- family dollar store 6552, winston salem
- family dollar 11551, winston salem
- family dollar 12364, walkertown
- family dollar 142, winston salem
- family dollar 3531, winston salem
- family dollar 4921, winston salem
- family dollar 533, winston salem
- family dollar 7840, winston salem
- family dollar store 11242, winston salem
- family dollar store 3857, winston salem
- family dollar store 6975, winston salem
- family dollar store 7340, winston salem
- family dollar store 7507, rural hall
- kachin asian market llc, winston salem
- rose's express 1473, winston salem
- walgreen 07397, winston salem
- walgreen 09191, winston salem
- walgreens 01253, kernersville
- walgreens 06690, winston salem
- walgreens 07647, winston salem
- walgreens 09558, clemmons
- walgreens 10089, winston salem
- walgreens 11202, winston salem
- walgreens 11312, clemmons
- walgreens 12562, walkertown
- walgreens 17618, rural hall
Medium Grocery Store · 6
- carniceria el rincon latino llc, winston salem
- guru market, winston salem
- halal meat market & grocery, winston salem
- la mejor bakery inc., kernersville
- la palmera, winston salem
- la victoria, winston salem
Farmers' Market · 3
- old salem cobblestone farmers market, winston salem
- pure & just sustainable 1, winston salem
- winston-salem fairgrounds farmers market, winston salem
Large Grocery Store · 2
- cya groceries llc, winston salem
- los primos meat market inc retail, winston salem
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- blessed foods llc, winston salem
- ogburn station meat market inc, winston salem
Showing 250 of 342 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Forsyth County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Forsyth 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 Forsyth County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Forsyth County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Forsyth County? ▼
Is Forsyth County a food desert? ▼
What share of Forsyth 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.