County food-access profile · North Carolina
Haywood County, NC
Haywood 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.
- 9.5%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 13.5%
- on SNAP
- 63K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
9.5% of Haywood County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 4.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.1%
- 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).
Haywood County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.5% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 16 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 5,607 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,936 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 Haywood County compares nationally
Haywood County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.5% low-access share that beats 19% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,523).
Haywood County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 16 census tracts in Haywood County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Haywood County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Haywood 9.5
Haywood County, NC
9.5 % 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 | 16 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 59,036 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 5,607 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,936 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 62,662 |
| Median Household Income | $61,912 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.1%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,675 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.5%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
About 13.5% of Haywood County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 9.5% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,675 households here.
- 4.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Haywood County
near the national share
1 of Haywood County's 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 6.3% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 5,607 residents, roughly 9.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,936 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (68.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Haywood County
Haywood County has 43 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 16 locations (37% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 16
- cvs pharmacy 7521, waynesville
- dollar general 18276, waynesville
- dollar general 2009, waynesville
- dollar general 8605, canton
- dollartree plus 410, clyde
- dollar general 10381, waynesville
- dollar general 12247, canton
- dollar general 13533, clyde
- dollar general 15876, maggie valley
- dollar general 20450, waynesville
- dollar general 25788, canton
- dollar general store 16943, waynesville
- family dollar 12219, waynesville
- family dollar 12226, canton
- walgreens 11557, canton
- walgreens 11561, waynesville
Convenience Store · 12
- hot spot 5004, canton
- j.d's truck stop, waynesville
- mapco 644, waynesville
- mapco 649, waynesville
- nouria 1961 south main street 620, waynesville
- pilot travel center 393, waynesville
- roadrunner market 6084, waynesville
- soco grocery and meats, maggie valley
- teagues superette grocery & cafe, maggie valley
- the local market 204, waynesville
- the imarket 723, waynesville
- time out market 2, waynesville
Supermarket · 8
- food lion 1170, canton
- food lion 957, clyde
- grocery outlet 31, waynesville
- ingles markets 23, waynesville
- ingles markets 55, canton
- ingles markets 58, waynesville
- publix 1640, waynesville
- sav mor 155, canton
Farmers' Market · 2
- mill town farmers market nafmnp, canton
- smathers farmers & public market, canton
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- christopher farms, waynesville
- presnell produce & more, clyde
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- duckett's produce llc 3, canton
Small Grocery Store · 1
- la mexicanita inc, waynesville
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 1663, waynesville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Haywood County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Haywood 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 Haywood County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Haywood County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Haywood County? ▼
Is Haywood County a food desert? ▼
What share of Haywood 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.