Signature · 9.2% SNAP (15th pct in NC)
Henderson County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Henderson 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).
- 25.7%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 9.2%
- on SNAP
- 118K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Henderson County, NC
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-ELEVATED 25.7% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +3.6 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.2% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 8% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Gates County (+ 0.2 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Henderson County ranks #1,236 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #23 of 100 counties in NC (25.7% low-access; 2 food-desert tracts).
- #1,236
- national by low-access %
- #23
- in NC
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 9.2% SNAP (15th pct in NC) (-2.9 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Henderson County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Henderson County's 25.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 60% of them and ranked #1,236 most-affected nationwide.
Henderson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
26 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
Henderson County is mostly urban by USDA tract type (15 urban, 11 rural), so most of its low-access count comes from the 1-mile test; the 11 rural tracts are held to 10 miles.
Henderson County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in North Carolina, not a full county-board reprint
- Hyde
Hyde 60.5%
60.5 % low-access
- Gates
Gates 25.9%
25.9 % low-access
- Henderson
Henderson 25.7%
25.7 % low-access
- Wake
Wake 25.4%
25.4 % low-access
- Lincoln
Lincoln 25.3%
25.3 % low-access
- Davidson
Davidson 25.2%
25.2 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 26 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 106,740 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 27,482 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.7%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,665 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 118,484 |
| Median Household Income | $68,187 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,687 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.2%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.2% |
Thick SNAP store book in Henderson County
Henderson County has 75 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 27 locations (36% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
7 towns share the 75 authorized stores; Hendersonville holds 63% of them. 2 of the 7 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: East Flat Rock, Zirconia.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Hendersonville | 47 | 15 |
| Fletcher | 12 | 2 |
| Mills River | 7 | 1 |
| Flat Rock | 5 | 1 |
| Etowah | 2 | 1 |
| East Flat Rock | 1 | none |
| Zirconia | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 27
- 5th ave shell, hendersonville
- circle k stores inc. 2709089, mills river
- citistop 124, fletcher
- citistop 201, hendersonville
- citistop 202, hendersonville
- citistop 203, hendersonville
- el charrito, inc., hendersonville
- energy mart 2, hendersonville
- energy mart 8, flat rock
- energy mart stores 1 1, hendersonville
- energy mart stores 3 3, hendersonville
- fastlane express 2, hendersonville
- hyders kountry kubbard, mills river
- kavya express lane inc, hendersonville
- moore convenience, fletcher
- nouria 3300 asheville highway 251, hendersonville
- quiktrip 1148, flat rock
- sheetz 831, hendersonville
- speedway 7916, hendersonville
- spinx 344, hendersonville
- spinx 345, flat rock
- sunoco mini mart 1, hendersonville
- triangle stop food stores 200, hendersonville
- triangle stop food stores 209, hendersonville
- triangle stop food stores 214, mills river
- triangle stop food stores 215, flat rock
- triangle stop food stores 220, fletcher
Combination Grocery/Other · 24
- bamboo asian grocery, fletcher
- cvs 5537, hendersonville
- cvs pharmacy 3582, hendersonville
- cvs pharmacy 4183, hendersonville
- cvs pharmacy 4197, fletcher
- cvs pharmacy 4467, mills river
- dollar general 18237, hendersonville
- dollar general 2782, hendersonville
- dollar general 2891, etowah
- dollar general 3155, fletcher
- dollar general 9524, mills river
- dollar tree 1931, hendersonville
- dollartree 8101, hendersonville
- dollar general 10262, hendersonville
- dollar general 12925, hendersonville
- dollar general 14760, hendersonville
- dollar general 17201, fletcher
- dollar general 20117, fletcher
- dollar general 20962, zirconia
- family dollar 12214, east flat rock
- micronesian mart, fletcher
- walgreens 10886, hendersonville
- walgreens 18220, hendersonville
- walgreens 9930, hendersonville
Supermarket · 13
- aldi 76070, hendersonville
- hendersonville food coop, inc, hendersonville
- ingles markets 104, hendersonville
- ingles markets 11, hendersonville
- ingles markets 133, mills river
- ingles markets 177, flat rock
- ingles markets 179, hendersonville
- ingles markets 43, fletcher
- ingles markets 63, etowah
- ingles markets 77, hendersonville
- publix 1586, hendersonville
- sav mor 811, hendersonville
- the fresh market 005, hendersonville
Large Grocery Store · 3
- grocery outlet 27, hendersonville
- grocery outlet 33, fletcher
- wow supermarket, hendersonville
Super Store · 3
- harris teeter 379, hendersonville
- sam's club 4950, hendersonville
- walmart supercenter 1242, hendersonville
Farmers' Market · 2
- hendersonville farmers market, hendersonville
- mills river farmers' market, mills river
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- m&m freezer locker plant, inc., hendersonville
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- tienda los nenes 1, hendersonville
Small Grocery Store · 1
- asian market, fletcher
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 Henderson County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Nationwide peers for Henderson County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Henderson County (9.2%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside North Carolina.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NC (25.7% here).
- Stone County, MS · 25.7% low-access
- Mason County, MI · 25.7% low-access
- Dickinson County, MI · 25.7% low-access
- Madison County, KY · 25.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (9.2% here).
- Woodward County, OK · 9.2% SNAP
- Lancaster County, PA · 9.2% SNAP
- Red Willow County, NE · 9.2% SNAP
- Bollinger County, MO · 9.2% 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%). Henderson County, at 25.7%, runs 2.8 pts above 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 Henderson County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37089. 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.