Signature · 7.5% SNAP (5th pct in NC)
Watauga County, NC
Watauga County lands in the lower national band on low-access (8.3%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 8.3%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 7.5%
- on SNAP
- 55K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Watauga County, NC
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 8.3% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -13.8 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Transylvania County (+ 0.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Watauga County lands in the lower national band (8.3%, #2,623 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,623
- national by low-access %
- #74
- in NC
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 7.5% SNAP (5th pct in NC) (-4.6 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Watauga County compares nationally
Watauga County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 8.3% low-access share that beats 16% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,623).
Watauga County's lower-band USDA tier split
13 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Watauga 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.
Watauga 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
- Robeson 8.5
Robeson 8.5%
8.5 % low-access
- Anson 8.4
Anson 8.4%
8.4 % low-access
- Watauga 8.3
Watauga 8.3%
8.3 % low-access
- Transylvania 8.3
Transylvania 8.3%
8.3 % low-access
- Columbus 8.2
Columbus 8.2%
8.2 % 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) | 51,079 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,243 |
| Low-Access Share | 8.3%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,303 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 55,123 |
| Median Household Income | $51,693 |
| Poverty Rate | 25.5%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,589 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 12.0% |
Thick SNAP store book in Watauga County
Watauga County has 43 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 19 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 19
- circle k 272140, boone
- circle k 272141, boone
- circle k 2721599, boone
- circle k 272164, boone
- circle k 2723790, boone
- circle k 272410, boone
- cove creek store, sugar grove
- han-dee hugos 264, blowing rock
- las nubes llc, beech mountain
- plan b, boone
- stone mountain general store, sugar grove
- sheetz 851, boone
- speedway 7920, blowing rock
- speedway 7921, boone
- speedway 7922, boone
- speedway 7923, boone
- speedway 7924, boone
- speedway 7925, banner elk
- stick boy bread company, boone
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- cvs pharmacy 7331, boone
- dollar general 14418, vilas
- dollar general 17616, boone
- dollar general 2314, boone
- dollartree 9384, boone
- dollar general 14789, deep gap
- dollar general 16057, zionville
- dollar general 17619, boone
- dollar tree 8393, boone
- walgreens 02540, boone
Supermarket · 7
- earth fare 130, boone
- food lion 1503, boone
- food lion 2592, boone
- food lion 922, blowing rock
- ingles markets 84, boone
- lowes food store 177, boone
- publix 1548, boone
Farmers' Market · 2
- boone farmers market, boone
- watauga county farmers market, boone
Small Grocery Store · 2
- 3 reyes mexican store 01, boone
- tienda gladys, boone
Super Store · 2
- harris teeter 165, boone
- walmart store 2496, boone
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- bare essentials natural market, boone
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 Watauga County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Counties near Watauga County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Watauga County (7.5%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside North Carolina.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside NC (8.3% here).
- Tioga County, NY · 8.3% low-access
- Tioga County, NY · 8.3% low-access
- Hays County, TX · 8.3% low-access
- Hays County, TX · 8.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside NC (7.5% here).
- Stark County, ND · 7.5% SNAP
- Stark County, ND · 7.5% SNAP
- Lake County, OH · 7.5% SNAP
- Lake County, OH · 7.5% 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.
Watauga County inside a lower low-access state context
Watauga 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 Watauga County, NC are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 37189. 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.