County food-access profile · North Carolina
Orange County, NC
Orange County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 8.7%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 5.8%
- on SNAP
- 150K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
8.7% of Orange County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 4.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.5%
- 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).
Orange County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 8.7% per the USDA Atlas. 6 of the county's 28 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 11,617 residents who live far from a supermarket. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Orange County compares nationally
Orange County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.7% low-access share that beats 17% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,586).
Orange County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 28 census tracts in Orange County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Orange County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Orange 8.7
Orange County, NC
8.7 % 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 | 28 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 133,801 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 11,617 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.7%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,914 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 149,678 |
| Median Household Income | $90,089 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,352 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.8%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 7.9% |
About 5.8% of Orange County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 8.7% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,352 households here.
- 4.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $90,089 with a 12.5% poverty rate.
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 Orange County
near the national share
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 11,617 residents, roughly 8.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,914 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 22 tracts (78.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Orange County
Orange County has 82 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 34 locations (41% of the total), followed by supermarket.
Convenience Store · 34
- airport rd family fare 105, chapel hill
- buy & go 1, chapel hill
- carolina blue mini mart inc, chapel hill
- cedar village family fare 168, chapel hill
- circle k 2720382, hillsborough
- circle k 2720386, carrboro
- circle k 2720818, hillsborough
- circle k 2720941, carrboro
- circle k 2723089, chapel hill
- circle k 2723101, chapel hill
- circle k 2723102, chapel hill
- daniel boone family fare 211, hillsborough
- foodmart 12, hillsborough
- glen lennox family fare 265, chapel hill
- han-dee hugos 259, hillsborough
- han-dee hugo's 70, carrboro
- hillsborough family fare 305, hillsborough
- in & out market 7 llc, hillsborough
- key food mart, chapel hill
- mi amigos, mebane
- my stop, chapel hill
- new american, hillsborough
- psm food mart, chapel hill
- quality mart 9 1602, hillsborough
- refuel 1107, chapel hill
- refuel 1112, chapel hill
- refuel 1113, chapel hill
- refuel 1181, hillsborough
- sheetz 647, hillsborough
- sheetz 902, chapel hill
- short stop, carrboro
- speedway 6974, chapel hill
- tienda lagos meat market i i 1, hillsborough
- twins market tobacco llc, hillsborough
Supermarket · 13
- aldi 66142, chapel hill
- aldi 66155, hillsborough
- food lion 142, carrboro
- food lion 1480, chapel hill
- food lion 1544, carrboro
- food lion 1608, chapel hill
- food lion 197, chapel hill
- food lion 198, hillsborough
- food lion 2564, hillsborough
- lowes food store 167, chapel hill
- the fresh market 094, chapel hill
- trader joe's 745, chapel hill
- wegmans chapel hill 140, chapel hill
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- cvs pharmacy 3898, chapel hill
- cvs pharmacy 3833, carrboro
- dollar general 3015, carrboro
- dollar general 4034, hillsborough
- dollar general 11584, hillsborough
- dollar general 16099, mebane
- dollar tree 2934, hillsborough
- walgreens 10432, chapel hill
- walgreens 11358, carrboro
- walgreens 11547, chapel hill
- walgreens 16122, chapel hill
- walgreens 16128, hillsborough
Super Store · 10
- harris teeter 117, chapel hill
- harris teeter 120, chapel hill
- harris teeter 223, chapel hill
- harris teeter 297, carrboro
- target 3241, chapel hill
- weaver st market 3, hillsborough
- weaver street market 1, carrboro
- walmart supercenter 1191, hillsborough
- weaver street market 2, chapel hill
- whole foods market 10008, chapel hill
Farmers' Market · 4
- chapel hill-carrboro farmers market inc, carrboro
- dk fresh foods, mebane
- eno river farmer's market, inc. 0605857, hillsborough
- the chapel hill farmers' market, chapel hill
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- farm and garden center, hillsborough
- kaw thoo lei grocery asian market, chapel hill
- steve's garden market and butchery, hillsborough
Small Grocery Store · 3
- america & mexico convenience store, llc 1, hillsborough
- bravo's market, chapel hill
- hill's family asian market llc, chapel hill
Large Grocery Store · 1
- efland supermarket, efland
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- cliff's corner meats, carrboro
Seafood Specialty · 1
- island time excursions, mebane
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Orange County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Orange 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 Orange County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Orange County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Orange County? ▼
Is Orange County a food desert? ▼
What share of Orange 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.