County food-access profile · North Carolina
Lenoir County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Lenoir 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).
- 31.3%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 27.3%
- on SNAP
- 55K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
31.3% of Lenoir County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 9.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 22.0%
- 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 Lenoir County's low-access share at 31.3%, above the national share. 7 of the county's 15 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 18,617 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,920 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 Lenoir County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Lenoir County's 31.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 72% of them and ranked #864 most-affected nationwide.
Lenoir County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 15 census tracts in Lenoir County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Lenoir County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Lenoir
Lenoir County, NC
31.3 % 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 | 15 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 59,495 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 18,617 |
| Low-Access Share | 31.3%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,920 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 54,919 |
| Median Household Income | $45,143 |
| Poverty Rate | 22.0%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,384 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 27.3%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.1%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.2% |
About 27.3% of Lenoir County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 31.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 27.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,384 households here.
- 9.1% 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 Lenoir County
above the national share
4 of Lenoir County's 15 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 26.7% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 18,617 residents, roughly 31.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,920 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (53.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Lenoir County
Lenoir County has 73 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 35 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 35
- big zmart inc, kinston
- circle k 2723179, kinston
- circle k 2723180, kinston
- circle k 2723472, kinston
- express mini mart, kinston
- gasmode inc, kinston
- han-dee hugo's 11, kinston
- handy mart 4722, kinston
- handy mart 4766, kinston
- henderson food center, kinston
- jason food mart, la grange
- minuteman food mart 219, pink hill
- minuteman food mart 220, kinston
- minuteman food mart 35, kinston
- mitchell quick mart inc, kinston
- murphy express 8509, kinston
- neuse shop & fuel, kinston
- pops 802, kinston
- pops 805, kinston
- prime food mart, inc, kinston
- rightway shell, kinston
- royal farms 487, kinston
- save mart of lenoir inc, la grange
- south queen friendly mart inc, kinston
- speedway 8210, kinston
- speedway 8229, kinston
- speedway 8295, la grange
- speedway 8298, kinston
- stop n go express inc, la grange
- tony's friendly mart inc, kinston
- usa store, kinston
- vernon mart inc, kinston
- z & a grocery inc, kinston
- z mart #2 of kinston inc, kinston
- zuhur store inc, kinston
Combination Grocery/Other · 25
- big lots 3230, kinston
- dollar general 10935, kinston
- dollar general 14186, kinston
- dollar general 2289, kinston
- dollar general 4827, la grange
- dollar general 7649, kinston
- dollar general 8398, pink hill
- dollar general 9258, kinston
- dollar tree 0066, kinston
- dollartree 9314, kinston
- dollar general 24470, kinston
- dollar general 24851, la grange
- dollar general 30054, deep run
- dollar general store 16647, kinston
- dollar tree 7149, kinston
- family dollar 10922, deep run
- family dollar store 3280, kinston
- family dollar store 55, kinston
- family dollar store 6889, pink hill
- family dollar store 7367, kinston
- family dollar store 771, la grange
- family dollar store 783, kinston
- roses 483, kinston
- walgreen 09897, kinston
- walgreens 15511, kinston
Super Store · 6
- piggly wiggly 60, kinston
- piggly wiggly 61, kinston
- piggly wiggly 78, kinston
- piggly wiggly 66, kinston
- piggy wiggly 33, kinston
- walmart supercenter 1661, kinston
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 80094, kinston
- food lion 1687, kinston
- food lion 2571, pink hill
- food lion 2580, la grange
- food lion 61, kinston
Seafood Specialty · 1
- reynolds seafood co, kinston
Small Grocery Store · 1
- tienda edith llc 1, seven springs
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Lenoir County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Lenoir 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 Lenoir County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Lenoir County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Lenoir County? ▼
Is Lenoir County a food desert? ▼
What share of Lenoir 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.