Signature · 9.5% low-access (19th pct)
Haywood County, NC
Haywood County lands in the lower national band on low-access (9.5%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 9.5%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 13.5%
- on SNAP
- 63K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Haywood County, NC
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-MODERATE 9.5% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -12.6 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-TYPICAL 13.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 6% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Martin County (+ 0.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Haywood County lands in the lower national band (9.5%, #2,520 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,520
- national by low-access %
- #64
- in NC
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 9.5% low-access (19th pct) (-12.6 pts vs U.S. low-access).
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 #2,520).
Haywood County's lower-band USDA tier split
16 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Haywood County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (11 rural, 5 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 5 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Haywood County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in North Carolina, not a full county-board reprint
- Hyde
Hyde 60.5%
60.5 % low-access
- Haywood 9.5
Haywood 9.5%
9.5 % low-access
- Martin 9.5
Martin 9.5%
9.5 % low-access
- Surry 9.3
Surry 9.3%
9.3 % low-access
- Wilson 9.3
Wilson 9.3%
9.3 % low-access
- Caswell 8.7
Caswell 8.7%
8.7 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| 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% |
Thick SNAP store book 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.
Where the store book sits, by town
4 towns share the 43 authorized stores; Waynesville holds 56% of them. 1 of the 4 towns has no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Maggie Valley.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Waynesville | 24 | 6 |
| Canton | 12 | 3 |
| Clyde | 4 | 2 |
| Maggie Valley | 3 | none |
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 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 Haywood County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Counties near Haywood County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Haywood 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 (9.5% here).
- Evangeline Parish, LA · 9.5% low-access
- Casey County, KY · 9.5% low-access
- Pulaski County, IN · 9.5% low-access
- Troup County, GA · 9.5% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (13.5% here).
- Montgomery County, OH · 13.5% SNAP
- Sandusky County, OH · 13.5% SNAP
- Seneca County, OH · 13.5% SNAP
- Washington County, OH · 13.5% 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.
North Carolina among South Atlantic states
North Carolina ranks 5th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (22.9%). Haywood County, at 9.5%, runs 13.4 pts below the North Carolina rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Haywood County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37087. 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.