County food-access profile · North Carolina
Granville County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Granville 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).
- 23.1%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 13.9%
- on SNAP
- 61K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
23.1% of Granville County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 3.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.2%
- 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 Granville County's low-access share at 23.1%, above the national share. 6 of the county's 13 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 13,813 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,068 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 Granville County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Granville County's 23.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 54% of them and ranked #1,444 most-affected nationwide.
Granville County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 13 census tracts in Granville County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Granville County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Granville
Granville County, NC
23.1 % 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 | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 59,916 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 13,813 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.1%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,068 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 60,877 |
| Median Household Income | $71,111 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.2%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,131 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 7.1% |
About 13.9% of Granville County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 23.1% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,131 households here.
- 3.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Granville County
above the national share
3 of Granville County's 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 23.1% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 13,813 residents, roughly 23.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,068 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 7 tracts (53.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Granville County
Granville County has 56 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 30 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 30
- antioch food mart inc, oxford
- berea food mart llc, oxford
- butner family fare 150, butner
- butner food mart, butner
- corner grocery, creedmoor
- country store, oxford
- country store, franklinton
- creedmoor family fare 200, creedmoor
- creedmoor food store, creedmoor
- crossroads grocery, creedmoor
- danny's store 3, oxford
- flash market 17371, creedmoor
- granville food mart inc., oxford
- jacks best buy, butner
- may store, franklinton
- murphy express 8574, oxford
- oxford food mart inc, oxford
- refuel 119, oxford
- shell food mart inc., oxford
- smart stop mini mart, butner
- speed mart, oxford
- speedway 8228, creedmoor
- speedway 8281, oxford
- stem mini mart, stem
- stenoura, oxford
- stenoura 3, oxford
- t m food mart 2, oxford
- united corners food mart, oxford
- waseem grocery, oxford
- winners mart #2, oxford
Combination Grocery/Other · 21
- cvs pharmacy 1246, creedmoor
- cvs pharmacy 3985, oxford
- dollar general 14599, stem
- dollar general 582, creedmoor
- dollar general 10248, stovall
- dollar general 10443, butner
- dollar general 15363, oxford
- dollar general 15695, franklinton
- dollar general 16764, creedmoor
- dollar general 23078, oxford
- dollar general 23358, oxford
- dollar general 23621, franklinton
- dollar general store 16541, oxford
- dollar tree 2273, creedmoor
- dollar tree 2940, oxford
- family dollar 13206, stovall
- family dollar 304, oxford
- family dollar store 6691, creedmoor
- rose's 526, oxford
- walgreens 11370, creedmoor
- walgreens 12630, oxford
Supermarket · 4
- food lion 1253, oxford
- food lion 143, oxford
- food lion 223, creedmoor
- food lion 2624, creedmoor
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 1579, oxford
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Granville County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Granville 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 Granville County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Granville County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Granville County? ▼
Is Granville County a food desert? ▼
What share of Granville 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.