Signature · 76 SNAP-authorized stores
Rutherford County, NC
Rutherford County lands in the lower national band on low-access (14.5%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 14.5%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 19.5%
- on SNAP
- 65K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Rutherford County, NC
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 14.5% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -7.6 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 19.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.1% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 15% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Bladen County ( -0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Rutherford County lands in the lower national band (14.5%, #2,157 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,157
- national by low-access %
- #52
- in NC
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 76 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Rutherford County compares nationally
Rutherford County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.5% low-access share that beats 31% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,157).
Rutherford County's lower-band USDA tier split
13 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Rutherford County has 3 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.
Rutherford 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
- Rutherford 14.5
Rutherford 14.5%
14.5 % low-access
- Bladen 14.4
Bladen 14.4%
14.4 % low-access
- Cleveland 13.8
Cleveland 13.8%
13.8 % low-access
- Stokes 13.6
Stokes 13.6%
13.6 % low-access
- Madison 13.1
Madison 13.1%
13.1 % low-access
- Greene 0.1
Greene 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 67,810 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,844 |
| Low-Access Share | 14.5%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,563 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 64,930 |
| Median Household Income | $51,410 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,183 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.5%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.9% |
Thick SNAP store book in Rutherford County
Rutherford County has 76 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 39 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 39
- bob food mart, rutherfordton
- broadway kwik stop, forest city
- brothers fast stop, rutherfordton
- c store & more, union mills
- cane creek mart, union mills
- chase mini mart inc, forest city
- country charm convenience, forest city
- drop in food store #6, forest city
- deb's mini mart 1, mill spring
- deb's mini mart 4, mill spring
- deb's mini mart 5, spindale
- dhyani 694 inc, rutherfordton
- drop-in #7 7, forest city
- drop-in #2 2, forest city
- drop-in 1 1, forest city
- east mountain quick mart, rutherfordton
- ellenboro kwik mart, ellenboro
- ellenboro save mart, ellenboro
- forest city food mart, forest city
- green hill store llc, rutherfordton
- jak one stop, rutherfordton
- jeny's quick stop, spindale
- kp food mart, bostic
- low price grocery corner, spindale
- mahakali food mart, forest city
- mt vernon cubbard, forest city
- murphy usa 6815, forest city
- oakland kwik stop, spindale
- ohm food mart #1, forest city
- ohm#2 ohm#1, forest city
- prisha mart, forest city
- scotchman 3702, rutherfordton
- scotchman 3718, rutherfordton
- scrappy's food and fuel inc., forest city
- shop inn, forest city
- speedway 7917, forest city
- speedymart, forest city
- spindale mini mart, spindale
- tp food and fuel llc, ellenboro
Combination Grocery/Other · 24
- big lots 3184, spindale
- cvs pharmacy 3559, rutherfordton
- dollar general 11073, forest city
- dollar general 1944, rutherfordton
- dollar general 2302, spindale
- dollar general 7002, forest city
- dollar general 7236, forest city
- dollar general 11355, ellenboro
- dollar general 11567, cliffside
- dollar general 12051, forest city
- dollar general 13932, bostic
- dollar general 15164, rutherfordton
- dollar general 15869, forest city
- dollar general 22069, spindale
- dollar general 23229, union mills
- dollar general 23446, bostic
- dollar general 24013, ellenboro
- dollar general 24030, rutherfordton
- dollar tree 1458, spindale
- family dollar 12204, rutherfordton
- family dollar 3, forest city
- family dollar 7709, ellenboro
- vandele farms, lake lure
- walgreens 17076, rutherfordton
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 66097, forest city
- food lion 2626, rutherfordton
- food lion 2652, forest city
- ingles markets 127, lake lure
- ingles markets 27, forest city
Small Grocery Store · 2
- shelly's grocery and bakery llc, forest city
- wease general store, mooresboro
Super Store · 2
- j's salvage, forest city
- walmart supercenter 1036, forest city
Farmers' Market · 1
- rutherford county farmers market 8012, forest city
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- tony's produce, rutherfordton
Large Grocery Store · 1
- wells-jenkins-wells meat, forest city
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- drop-in family market 4, bostic
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 Rutherford County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Counties near Rutherford County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Rutherford 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 (14.5% here).
- Crawford County, PA · 14.5% low-access
- Crawford County, PA · 14.5% low-access
- Marion County, MS · 14.5% low-access
- Marion County, MS · 14.5% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (19.5% here).
- Morrow County, OR · 19.5% SNAP
- Morrow County, OR · 19.5% SNAP
- Darlington County, SC · 19.5% SNAP
- Darlington County, SC · 19.5% 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.
Rutherford County inside a lower low-access state context
Rutherford 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 Rutherford County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37161. 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.