County food-access profile · North Carolina
Rutherford County, NC
Rutherford 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.
- 14.5%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 19.5%
- on SNAP
- 65K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
14.5% of Rutherford County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
- 5.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 16.8%
- 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).
Rutherford County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 14.5% per the USDA Atlas. 3 of the county's 13 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 9,844 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,563 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 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: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 13 census tracts in Rutherford County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Rutherford County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Rutherford
Rutherford County, NC
14.5 % 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 | 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 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| 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% |
About 19.5% of Rutherford County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 14.5% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 19.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,183 households here.
- 5.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Rutherford County
near the national share
2 of Rutherford County's 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 15.4% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.
An estimated 9,844 residents, roughly 14.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,563 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 10 tracts (76.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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 retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Rutherford County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Rutherford 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 Rutherford County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Rutherford County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Rutherford County? ▼
Is Rutherford County a food desert? ▼
What share of Rutherford 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.