Signature · 8.9% SNAP (11th pct in NC)
Macon County, NC
Macon County lands in the lower national band on low-access (8.0%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 8.0%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 8.9%
- on SNAP
- 38K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Macon County, NC
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 8.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -14.1 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.9% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.1% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 22% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Columbus County (+ 0.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Macon County lands in the lower national band (8.0%, #2,642 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,642
- national by low-access %
- #76
- in NC
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 8.9% SNAP (11th pct in NC) (-3.2 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Macon County compares nationally
Macon County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.0% low-access share that beats 16% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,642).
Macon County's lower-band USDA tier split
9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
Macon County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (8 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Macon 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
- Anson 8.4
Anson 8.4%
8.4 % low-access
- Transylvania 8.3
Transylvania 8.3%
8.3 % low-access
- Watauga 8.3
Watauga 8.3%
8.3 % low-access
- Columbus 8.2
Columbus 8.2%
8.2 % low-access
- Macon 8
Macon 8%
8 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 33,922 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,717 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,159 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 37,941 |
| Median Household Income | $59,061 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,640 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.9%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
Thick SNAP store book in Macon County
Macon County has 37 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 12 locations (32% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Where the store book sits, by town
5 towns share the 37 authorized stores; Franklin holds 81% of them. 3 of the 5 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Frankling, Otto, Scaly Mountain.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 30 | 9 |
| Highlands | 4 | 1 |
| Frankling | 1 | none |
| Otto | 1 | none |
| Scaly Mountain | 1 | none |
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- big lots 3182, franklin
- dollar general 1773, franklin
- dollar general 8696, frankling
- dollar general 10724, franklin
- dollar general 16505, franklin
- dollar general 17114, franklin
- dollar general 17200, scaly mountain
- dollar general 20327, highlands
- dollar general 31019, franklin
- dollar general store 16901, franklin
- dollar tree 352, franklin
- walgreens 16105, franklin
Convenience Store · 11
- dowdle mountain pit stop, franklin
- fast food mart, franklin
- fastop market 308, franklin
- hop in, franklin
- hot spot 2025, franklin
- kent kwik 709, highlands
- spinx 304, highlands
- the local market 201, franklin
- the imarket 754, franklin
- village trader, franklin
- i-market 732, franklin
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 76148, franklin
- brysons food store inc, highlands
- food lion 2867, franklin
- ingles markets 114, franklin
- ingles markets 132, franklin
- ingles markets 14, franklin
- sav mor 814, franklin
Farmers' Market · 2
- cowee school farmer's market, franklin
- macon county farmers market nafmnp, franklin
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- la guadalupana, franklin
- la poblana mexican grill, franklin
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- brasstown beef, franklin
Small Grocery Store · 1
- shearl produce, otto
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 1217, franklin
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 Macon County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Counties near Macon County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Macon County (8.9%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside North Carolina.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NC (8.0% here).
- Williamsburg County, SC · 8.0% low-access
- Miller County, MO · 8.0% low-access
- Knox County, ME · 8.0% low-access
- Upshur County, WV · 8.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (8.9% here).
- Tompkins County, NY · 8.9% SNAP
- Ashland County, OH · 8.9% SNAP
- Colfax County, NE · 8.9% SNAP
- Dorchester County, SC · 8.9% 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%). Macon County, at 8.0%, runs 14.9 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 Macon County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37113. 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.