Signature · 79 SNAP-authorized stores
Lincoln County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Lincoln 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).
- 25.3%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 11.4%
- on SNAP
- 93K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Lincoln County, NC
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 25.3% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +3.2 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 11.4% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 17% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Wake County (+ 0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Lincoln County ranks #1,270 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #25 of 100 counties in NC (25.3% low-access; 3 food-desert tracts).
- #1,270
- national by low-access %
- #25
- in NC
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- 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: 79 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Lincoln County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Lincoln County's 25.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 59% of them and ranked #1,273 most-affected nationwide.
Lincoln County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
18 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Lincoln County has 8 urban and 10 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Lincoln County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in North Carolina, not a full county-board reprint
- Hyde
Hyde 60.5%
60.5 % 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
- Alamance
Alamance 25%
25 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 18 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 78,265 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 19,779 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.3%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,385 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 92,716 |
| Median Household Income | $80,016 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,204 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.8% |
Thick SNAP store book in Lincoln County
Lincoln County has 79 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 37 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 37
- 7-eleven #38767a 38767a, denver
- 7-eleven #38751b 38751b, denver
- bob's superette, lincolnton
- circle k 2723946, denver
- circle k 2723956, lincolnton
- country club market, lincolnton
- country corner foodmart, lincolnton
- crossroads mini mart #3, lincolnton
- dd express, lincolnton
- denver mart, denver
- dhristi inc, lincolnton
- east lincoln mini mart, iron station
- fairgrove food shop, denver
- handy corner ltd, lincolnton
- hilltop superette, lincolnton
- homerun market no.5 / jetway 5, lincolnton
- jay corner store, denver
- joe's kwik mart 6013, denver
- kingsway 18, lincolnton
- kountry korner, vale
- lynns stop and shop, iron station
- maiden express, lincolnton
- main express, lincolnton
- market basket 19, lincolnton
- murphy express 8527, denver
- murphy express 8703, lincolnton
- om food mart, lincolnton
- quiktrip 1017, denver
- raceway6740 6740, lincolnton
- save mart, lincolnton
- shriji hari llc, lincolnton
- the i market 748, lincolnton
- the meating place, lincolnton
- triple b one stop, cherryville
- west express, vale
- westside market and grill, lincolnton
- will's food stores 4, lincolnton
Combination Grocery/Other · 25
- big lots 3194, lincolnton
- cvs pharmacy 3806, lincolnton
- cvs pharmacy 4620, denver
- cvs pharmacy 5588, denver
- dollar general 11077, lincolnton
- dollar general 11159, stanley
- dollar general 13864, lincolnton
- dollar general 18200, crouse
- dollar general 18240, iron station
- dollar general 18938, lincolnton
- dollar general 19384, lincolnton
- dollar general 3216, vale
- dollar tree 2735, lincolnton
- dollartree 8165, lincolnton
- dollar general 12097, vale
- dollar general 12584, denver
- dollar general 20302, lincolnton
- dollar general 23276, vale
- dollar general 3179, lincolnton
- dollar tree 6828, denver
- family dollar 10815, iron station
- family dollar 13448, vale
- family dollar 75, lincolnton
- walgreens 11765, lincolnton
- walgreens 13036, denver
Supermarket · 9
- aldi 66035, denver
- aldi 66081, lincolnton
- food lion 1250, denver
- food lion 1342, lincolnton
- food lion 1367, denver
- food lion 726, denver
- food lion 2856, lincolnton
- ingles markets 148, lincolnton
- publix 1603, denver
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- azteca supermarket llc, lincolnton
- carniceria hermanos chavez, lincolnton
- food country, vale
Super Store · 3
- harris teeter 121, denver
- walmart supercenter 1209, lincolnton
- walmart supercenter 4274, denver
Large Grocery Store · 1
- triangle food mart, denver
Small Grocery Store · 1
- iron station country store, iron station
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 Lincoln County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Nationwide peers for Lincoln County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Lincoln 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 (25.3% here).
- Payne County, OK · 25.3% low-access
- Payne County, OK · 25.3% low-access
- Holmes County, MS · 25.3% low-access
- Holmes County, MS · 25.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (11.4% here).
- Wayne County, NY · 11.4% SNAP
- Wayne County, NY · 11.4% SNAP
- Erie County, OH · 11.4% SNAP
- Erie County, OH · 11.4% 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.
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Lincoln County sits inside North Carolina (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Lincoln County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37109. 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.