County food-access profile · North Carolina
Lee County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Lee 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).
- 23.0%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 15.2%
- on SNAP
- 66K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
23.0% of Lee County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 3.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.5%
- 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 Lee County's low-access share at 23.0%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 13 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 13,306 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,713 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 Lee County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Lee County's 23.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 54% of them and ranked #1,451 most-affected nationwide.
Lee County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 13 census tracts in Lee County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Lee County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Lee
Lee County, NC
23 % 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) | 57,866 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 13,306 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.0%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,713 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 65,816 |
| Median Household Income | $65,387 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.5%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,822 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.2%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
About 15.2% of Lee County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 23.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,822 households here.
- 3.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Lee County
above the national share
2 of Lee County's 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 15.4% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 13,306 residents, roughly 23.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,713 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (61.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Lee County
Lee County has 74 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (42% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 31
- circle k 2704599, sanford
- circle k 2720144, broadway
- circle k 2720218, sanford
- circle k 2720219, sanford
- circle k 2720331, sanford
- circle k 2720355, sanford
- circle k 2720405, sanford
- circle k 2720438, sanford
- circle k 2723300, broadway
- circle k 2723777, sanford
- circle k 2723778, sanford
- circle k 2723844, sanford
- fastee mart, sanford
- flowers bakery outlet 491, sanford
- la centroamericana bakery & groceries llc 1, sanford
- murphy express 8560, sanford
- pmg ss 48, sanford
- qy triangle inc, sanford
- refuel 1183, lemon springs
- s & m convennient, sanford
- sobe mart, sanford
- stop n shop, sanford
- sanford grocery & produce, sanford
- save more - 1, sanford
- sheetz 798, sanford
- sheetz 863, sanford
- short stop 57 57, sanford
- short stop 6 06, sanford
- third street store 1, sanford
- value mart, sanford
- winkmart, sanford
Combination Grocery/Other · 26
- big lots 3212, sanford
- cvs pharmacy 5384, sanford
- cvs pharmacy 7329, sanford
- dollar general 0559, sanford
- dollar general 13820, sanford
- dollar general 9444, sanford
- dollar tree 1874, sanford
- dollartree 9613, broadway
- dollar general 20585, sanford
- dollar general 22366, sanford
- dollar general 23856, sanford
- dollar general 24736, sanford
- dollar general 30099, sanford
- dollar general 31139, sanford
- dollar general 9478, broadway
- dollar tree 4301, sanford
- family dollar 3589, sanford
- family dollar 4274, sanford
- family dollar 7, sanford
- roses 522, sanford
- seaview crab company- tramway, sanford
- stretch a buck 1, sanford
- thomas and sons butcher shop, sanford
- walgreens 07479, sanford
- walgreens 12078, sanford
- walgreens 16149, sanford
Supermarket · 11
- aldi 66060, sanford
- food lion 1349, sanford
- food lion 2536, sanford
- food lion 78, sanford
- food lion 999, sanford
- food lion 2188, sanford
- la cumplidora, sanford
- lowes food store 157, sanford
- piggly wiggly 4, sanford
- piggly wiggly 5, broadway
- save a lot 21770, sanford
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- rivera's market llc, sanford
- tortilleria rositas inc., sanford
Super Store · 2
- lidl 1058, sanford
- walmart supercenter 1774, sanford
Bakery Specialty · 1
- merlinas bakery & coffee llc, sanford
Small Grocery Store · 1
- b&b market, sanford
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Lee County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Lee 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 Lee County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Lee County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Lee County? ▼
Is Lee County a food desert? ▼
What share of Lee 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.