County food-access profile · North Carolina
Union County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Union County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 39.3%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 7.6%
- on SNAP
- 251K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
39.3% of Union County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 24
- low-access tracts
- 15K
- food-desert residents
- 2.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.7%
- 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).
USDA data puts Union County's low-access share at 39.3%, above the national share. 24 of the county's 41 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 79,154 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 15,234 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 Union County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Union County's 39.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 86% of them and ranked #427 most-affected nationwide.
Union County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 41 census tracts in Union County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Union County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Union
Union County, NC
39.3 % 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 | 41 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 201,292 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 24 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 79,154 |
| Low-Access Share | 39.3%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 15,234 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 250,958 |
| Median Household Income | $102,900 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.7%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,424 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.6%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 2.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
About 7.6% of Union County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 39.3% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,424 households here.
- 2.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Union County
above the national share
6 of Union County's 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.6% of all its tracts.
A further 18 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 24.
An estimated 79,154 residents, roughly 39.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 15,234 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 17 tracts (41.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Union County
Union County has 149 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 65 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 65
- 7-eleven 35595a, matthews
- 7-eleven 42682h, monroe
- 7-eleven #41815a 41815a, waxhaw
- 7-eleven 35596a 35596a, indian trail
- circle k 2723044, indian trail
- circle k 2723045, monroe
- circle k 2723980, mineral springs
- circle k 2723982, monroe
- circle k 2723983, monroe
- circle k 2723984, waxhaw
- circle k 2723985, monroe
- circle k 2723986, monroe
- circle k store 2701501, indian trail
- circle k stores inc. 2707309, monroe
- city express mart, monroe
- claws, monroe
- college food mart, wingate
- community store citgo, monroe
- dueys stop and shop 4, waxhaw
- express mart, monroe
- exxon, indian trail
- fairview grocery 17391, monroe
- fast mart 8, monroe
- fiesta food mart, monroe
- fill & go express llc, monroe
- flowers bakery outlet 485, monroe
- gas express llc gx 801, monroe
- gas express llc gx 802, monroe
- gas express llc gx 803, indian trail
- gas express llc gx 804, waxhaw
- gate service station 416, matthews
- icemorlee food store, monroe
- international grocery, indian trail
- jack mart, monroe
- joe's kwik marts 6018, monroe
- joe's kwik marts 6019, monroe
- k & k 23 llc, monroe
- la tienda mexicana de monroe, incorporated, monroe
- low price grocery, monroe
- market express 17378, indian trail
- market express 17381, indian trail
- market express 17382, matthews
- market express 17384, matthews
- market express 17393, monroe
- market express 17395, indian trail
- market express 17396, matthews
- monroe discount beverages, monroe
- murphy usa 6536, monroe
- murphy usa 7610, indian trail
- quiktrip 1074, monroe
- quiktrip 1054, monroe
- racetrac 2662, monroe
- raceway#7, monroe
- save n go, monroe
- shop n go, monroe
- singh's mart, monroe
- skyway exxon 1, monroe
- speedway 7997, marshville
- sunny food mart, monroe
- sunset mart, monroe
- t & m food mart, monroe
- unionville market, monroe
- wingate food mart, wingate
- wingate valero, wingate
- xpress mart 1, wingate
Combination Grocery/Other · 41
- cvs pharmacy 162, waxhaw
- cvs pharmacy 1737, matthews
- cvs pharmacy 1742, monroe
- cvs pharmacy 2877, matthews
- cvs pharmacy 5341, waxhaw
- cvs pharmacy 7564, monroe
- cvs pharmacy 7573, marshville
- cvs pharmacy 7943, waxhaw
- cvs pharmacy 3440, waxhaw
- cvs pharmacy 3593, monroe
- dollar general 1750, monroe
- dollar general 4178, monroe
- dollar general 6162, stallings
- dollar general 6206, monroe
- dollar general 7033, wingate
- dollar general 8843, marshville
- dollar general 9293, waxhaw
- dollar tree 2101, monroe
- dollartree 9191, monroe
- dollar general 11992, monroe
- dollar general 12078, monroe
- dollar general 15036, marshville
- dollar general 17143, monroe
- dollar general 22939, monroe
- dollar general 24612, monroe
- dollar tree 4219, stallings
- dollar tree 504, indian trail
- dollar tree 6758, indian trail
- dollar tree 7701, monroe
- family dollar 2712, marshville
- family dollar 34, monroe
- family dollar 4241, monroe
- family dollar 5876, waxhaw
- family dollar 6052, indian trail
- family dollar store 10720, wingate
- golden key european food mkt, indian trail
- walgreens 7401, indian trail
- walgreens 02700, monroe
- walgreens 10255, matthews
- walgreens 11692, monroe
- walgreens 12350, matthews
Supermarket · 18
- aldi 6, waxhaw
- aldi 66077, monroe
- aldi 66105, indian trail
- compare foods, monroe
- food lion 1614, indian trail
- food lion 2229, monroe
- food lion 2256, matthews
- food lion 2608, indian trail
- food lion 34, monroe
- food lion 422, marshville
- food lion 446, monroe
- food lion 458, waxhaw
- food lion 507, monroe
- food lion 532, indian trail
- food lion 953, wingate
- lowes foods 291, waxhaw
- publix north carolina lp 1556, monroe
- publix north carolina, lp 1704, marvin
Super Store · 16
- harris teeter 039, matthews
- harris teeter 129, indian trail
- harris teeter 249, wesley chapel
- harris teeter 343, weddington
- harris teeter 182, waxhaw
- harris teeter 273, matthews
- harris teeter 473, matthews
- lidl 1097, indian trail
- t & g plaza llc, matthews
- target store t-2074, monroe
- target 2395, wesley chapel
- walmart neighborhood market 7180, waxhaw
- walmart supercenter 3700, indian trail
- walmart supercenter 877, monroe
- walmart supercenter 877, monroe
- wow supermarket 1, monroe
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- california market, monroe
- el ranchero supermarket 1, monroe
- frontier meat processing, waxhaw
Farmers' Market · 2
- union county farmer's market, monroe
- waxhaw farmers market, inc, waxhaw
Seafood Specialty · 2
- amore seafood market llc, monroe
- j & j fresh fish market, wingate
Small Grocery Store · 2
- carniceria morelos 601073517, monroe
- la poblanita supermarket 1, monroe
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Union County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Union 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 Union County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Union County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Union County? ▼
Is Union County a food desert? ▼
What share of Union 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.