PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · North Carolina

Surry County, NC

Surry 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.

9.3%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
19.5%
on SNAP
71K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 NC

The food-access picture

9.3% of Surry County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

4
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents
4.8%
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).

Surry County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.3% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 22 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 6,882 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,197 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 Surry County compares nationally

Surry County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.3% low-access share that beats 19% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,542).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Surry County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 22 census tracts in Surry County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Surry County, NC USDA-defined food-access tiers: 18 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 22 tracts evaluated. 18 tracts adequate (81.8%) 3 tracts limited (13.6%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (4.5%) Adequate 82% Limited 14% Severe 5% Food-access tier distribution: Surry County, NC
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Surry County vs. other North Carolina counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Surry County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts22
Atlas Population (2010 basis)73,673
Low-Access Tracts4
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population6,882
Low-Access Share9.3%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population2,197

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Surry County
IndicatorValue
Population71,425
Median Household Income$55,656
Poverty Rate16.8%above the national average
SNAP Households5,839
SNAP Participation Rate19.5%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.8%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.5%
SNAP participation in Surry County 19.5%

About 19.5% of Surry County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 9.3% 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 5,839 households here.
  • 4.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 1 tract 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 Surry County

near the national share

1 of Surry County's 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 4.5% of all its tracts.

A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.

An estimated 6,882 residents, roughly 9.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 2,197 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 18 tracts (81.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Surry County

Surry County has 93 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 40 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 40

  • breeze mart, mount airy
  • circle k 1522, mount airy
  • circle k 1529, dobson
  • circle k 1530, mount airy
  • circle k 1531, elkin
  • circle k 2701527, mount airy
  • circle k 2704597, mount airy
  • circle k 2723368, dobson
  • circle k store 2702021, mount airy
  • copeland food mart, dobson
  • dobson produce, dobson
  • dobson go mart, dobson
  • elkin mart, elkin
  • flying j 549, mount airy
  • gas n go country store, pilot mountain
  • grab and go mart, mount airy
  • han-dee hugos 262, pilot mountain
  • jakes gas n go, westfield
  • level cross food mart, dobson
  • mayberry mart, mount airy
  • moore's general store llc, mount airy
  • murphy express 8522, elkin
  • n & d of surry inc, mount airy
  • neighbours stores inc 1, lowgap
  • oak grove market, mount airy
  • pilot shamrock, pilot mountain
  • quality mart #51 1751, mount airy
  • quick stop, mount airy
  • r stop inc, dobson
  • r stop inc, mount airy
  • run in 810, elkin
  • sheetz 490, mount airy
  • sheetz 493, dobson
  • sheetz 535, elkin
  • sheetz 790, mount airy
  • speedway 6940, elkin
  • speedway 6949, mount airy
  • speedway 6950, mount airy
  • speedway 6951, dobson
  • swift stop inc, mount airy

Combination Grocery/Other · 34

  • cvs pharmacy 3828, elkin
  • cvs pharmacy 4297, siler
  • cvs pharmacy 7325, pilot mountain
  • dollar general 0425, dobson
  • dollar general 11123, pilot mountain
  • dollar general 14422, mount airy
  • dollar general 4744, elkin
  • dollar tree 1516, mount airy
  • dollar tree plus 8898, mount airy
  • dollartree 9299, elkin
  • dollar general 11656, mount airy
  • dollar general 13435, mount airy
  • dollar general 15607, dobson
  • dollar general 15611, mount airy
  • dollar general 15804, mount airy
  • dollar general 16521, mount airy
  • dollar general 19730, state road
  • dollar general 19965, mount airy
  • dollar general 20776, mount airy
  • dollar general 23390, dobson
  • dollar general 23553, pilot mountain
  • dollar general 24368, mount airy
  • dollar general 30009, pilot mountain
  • dollar general 30441, mount airy
  • dollar general 534, mount airy
  • dollar tree 351, elkin
  • family dollar 11745, westfield
  • family dollar store 18, mount airy
  • family dollar store 647, pilot mountain
  • mill creek general store, mount airy
  • walgreens 10086, mount airy
  • walgreens 11201, elkin
  • walgreens 16112, mount airy
  • walgreens 16123, dobson

Supermarket · 10

  • aldi 66127, mount airy
  • food lion 1347, mount airy
  • food lion 1352, elkin
  • food lion 2103, dobson
  • food lion 441, mount airy
  • food lion 944, pilot mountain
  • food lion 288, mount airy
  • ingles markets 115, elkin
  • lowes foods 222, mount airy
  • mayberry iga 848, mount airy

Medium Grocery Store · 3

  • el ahorro tienda hispana llc, elkin
  • los amigos carniceria, mount airy
  • supermercado la lupita inc, dobson

Super Store · 2

  • walmart 1039, mount airy
  • walmart supercenter 1337, elkin

Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1

  • hawks' produce, elkin

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • combs butcher shoppe, elkin

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • mt airy meat center, mount airy

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • la esmeralda, mount airy

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in North Carolina

Alamance County
25.0% low-access · 13.6% SNAP
Alexander County
20.4% low-access · 13.5% SNAP
Alleghany County
4.3% low-access · 14.0% SNAP
Anson County
8.4% low-access · 33.8% SNAP
Ashe County
22.2% low-access · 14.0% SNAP
Avery County
0.3% low-access · 13.9% SNAP

Compare Surry County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →

Food access nationally, North Carolina in context

Surry County sits inside North Carolina (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Surry County has low food access? ▼
9.3% of residents in Surry County, NC live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Surry County? ▼
19.5% of households in Surry County receive SNAP, covering 5,839 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Surry County? ▼
The poverty rate in Surry County, NC is 16.8%, with a median household income of $55,656 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Surry County a food desert? ▼
1 of Surry County's 22 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Surry County households lack a vehicle? ▼
4.8% of households in Surry County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.