County food-access profile · North Carolina
Harnett County, NC
Harnett County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 17.9%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 15.2%
- on SNAP
- 139K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
17.9% of Harnett County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 27 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 3.9%
- 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).
Harnett County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 17.9% per the USDA Atlas. 8 of the county's 27 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 20,555 residents who live far from a supermarket. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,530 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 Harnett County compares nationally
Harnett County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.9% low-access share that beats 40% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,873).
Harnett County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 27 census tracts in Harnett County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Harnett County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Harnett
Harnett County, NC
17.9 % 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 | 27 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 114,678 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 20,555 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.9%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,530 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 139,150 |
| Median Household Income | $71,287 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.7%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,587 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.2%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.2% |
About 15.2% of Harnett County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 17.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,587 households here.
- 3.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Harnett County
near the national share
4 of Harnett County's 27 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.8% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.
An estimated 20,555 residents, roughly 17.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,530 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 19 tracts (70.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Harnett County
Harnett County has 97 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 42 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 42
- 12638 nc 42 llc, holly springs
- 365 fast mart #127, erwin
- angier food mart, angier
- chill stop valero 1, dunn
- circle k 2707320, dunn
- circle k 2720406, lillington
- circle k 2723053, lillington
- circle k 2723121, angier
- circle k 2723123, dunn
- circle k 2723868, sanford
- circle k 2723998, cameron
- country food mart, lillington
- eagles nest convenience store 1, broadway
- erwin mart, erwin
- fairground express, dunn
- family market of dunn, dunn
- johnston county mart inc, angier
- liberty mart inc, dunn
- linden oaks 115, cameron
- minuteman food mart 34, lillington
- murphy express 8837, cameron
- murphy usa 6713, erwin
- pmg ss 42, lillington
- pic quick 1, angier
- plaza family fare 380, dunn
- pmg ss #33 #33, buies creek
- presto bass llc, dunn
- refuel 1152, cameron
- sarira inc, lillington
- sheetz 645, lillington
- sheetz 716, cameron
- shop-n-go food store, dunn
- short stop #8 08, spring lake
- short stop 9 09, dunn
- speedway 7930, lillington
- speedway 7932, coats
- speedway 7980, dunn
- speedway 7981, dunn
- speedway 8232, angier
- t mart, dunn
- triton quick mart, erwin
- z stop n shop 1, linden
Combination Grocery/Other · 31
- cvs pharmacy 7500, dunn
- cvs pharmacy 7597, lillington
- cvs pharmacy 10157, cameron
- dollar general 10924, cameron
- dollar general 11032, dunn
- dollar general 1442, lillington
- dollar general 3198, angier
- dollar general 3217, lillington
- dollar general 3645, dunn
- dollar general 8829, coats
- dollar general 9447, erwin
- dollar general 11571, spring lake
- dollar general 13155, bunnlevel
- dollar general 13670, sanford
- dollar general 15923, fuquay varina
- dollar general 16954, sanford
- dollar general 20165, fuquay varina
- dollar general 20312, lillington
- dollar general 23680, lillington
- dollar general 23725, lillington
- dollar general 30372, dunn
- dollar tree 1098, erwin
- dollar tree 6040, cameron
- dollar tree 6479, lillington
- dollar tree 6934, sanford
- family dollar 11936, lillington
- family dollar 6049, dunn
- family dollar 6389, spring lake
- family dollar store 940, angier
- walgreens 12895, dunn
- walgreens 16135, angier
Super Store · 7
- charlie c's iga 855, angier
- charlie c's iga 860, lillington
- charlie c's iga 865, dunn
- charlie c's iga 875, dunn
- charlie c's iga 885, erwin
- walmart supercenter 1237, erwin
- walmart supercenter 6958, cameron
Supermarket · 7
- charlie c's iga 880, coats
- food lion 1237, cameron
- food lion 1344, lillington
- food lion 1622, angier
- food lion 2594, spring lake
- food lion 2607, dunn
- food lion 595, lillington
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- carolina butcher shop, angier
- mclamb meats, dunn
- the organic butcher shop, dunn
Small Grocery Store · 3
- angier meat market, angier
- tortilleria la favorita, dunn
- tortilleria leon, grocery & more inc, erwin
Large Grocery Store · 2
- international food market, angier
- jmg foods, llc, dunn
Seafood Specialty · 2
- fish & beyond, lillington
- seaview crab company spout springs, cameron
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Harnett County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Harnett 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 Harnett County has low food access? ▼
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What is the poverty rate in Harnett County? ▼
Is Harnett County a food desert? ▼
What share of Harnett 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.