County food-access profile · North Carolina
Wayne County, NC
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Wayne 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).
- 23.1%
- low-access pop.
- 10
- food-desert tracts
- 19.6%
- on SNAP
- 119K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
23.1% of Wayne County residents live in a low-access area, and 10 of its 26 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 13
- low-access tracts
- 13K
- food-desert residents
- 6.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.3%
- 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 Wayne County's low-access share at 23.1%, above the national share. 13 of the county's 26 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 28,268 people. 10 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 12,737 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 Wayne County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Wayne County's 23.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 54% of them and ranked #1,444 most-affected nationwide.
Wayne County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 26 census tracts in Wayne County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Wayne County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Wayne
Wayne County, NC
23.1 % 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 | 26 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 122,623 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 13 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 10 |
| Low-Access Population | 28,268 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.1%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 12,737 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 118,652 |
| Median Household Income | $59,733 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.3%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 9,310 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.6%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.8%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.4% |
About 19.6% of Wayne County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 23.1% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 19.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 9,310 households here.
- 6.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 10 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 Wayne County
above the national share
10 of Wayne County's 26 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 38.5% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 13.
An estimated 28,268 residents, roughly 23.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 12,737 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 13 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Wayne County
Wayne County has 134 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 13 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 57 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 57
- adams convenient store, goldsboro
- arrington mart, dudley
- bees town inc, goldsboro
- best quality food, dudley
- circle k 2706788, goldsboro
- circle k 2720921, goldsboro
- circle k 2720925, goldsboro
- circle k 2720926, goldsboro
- circle k 2720927, goldsboro
- circle k 2720928, goldsboro
- circle k 2723474, goldsboro
- dudley food mart, dudley
- flowers bakery outlet 416, goldsboro
- fremont food mart inc, fremont
- friends market inc, goldsboro
- genoa mart, dudley
- handy mart 4700, mount olive
- handy mart 4703, goldsboro
- handy mart 4710, goldsboro
- handy mart 4717, goldsboro
- handy mart 4720, la grange
- izzy mart inc, goldsboro
- kaiser food mart, goldsboro
- la palmita mexican store, dudley
- lighthouse foodmart, goldsboro
- mar mac mart llc, goldsboro
- mayefashion store llc, mount olive
- minuteman food mart 206, mount olive
- minuteman food mart 208, mount olive
- minuteman food mart 210, goldsboro
- minuteman food mart 216, seven springs
- minuteman food mart 218, dudley
- murphy express 8564, goldsboro
- murphy usa 7438, mt. olive
- o'quinns variety inc, seven springs
- pikeville mini mart 1, pikeville
- presto bass llc, goldsboro
- rosewood food mart, goldsboro
- royal farms 520, dudley
- royall convenient deli & grill, goldsboro
- saulston food mart, goldsboro
- save more, goldsboro
- sheetz 534, goldsboro
- sheetz 564, goldsboro
- short stop #51 51, dudley
- short stop 75 75, goldsboro
- skip express mart, mount olive
- speedway 7951, dudley
- speedway 7956, fremont
- speedway 7957, goldsboro
- speedway 8190, goldsboro
- speedway 8230, goldsboro
- speedway 8244, mount olive
- speedway 8284, goldsboro
- tienda y taqueria flores inc, seven springs
- wawa store 6108, goldsboro
- wawa store 6115, goldsboro
Combination Grocery/Other · 39
- cvs pharmacy 7021, goldsboro
- dollar general 0285, goldsboro
- dollar general 11269, goldsboro
- dollar general 2903, goldsboro
- dollar general 4411, mount olive
- dollar general 7612, pikeville
- dollar general 7823, goldsboro
- dollar general 9440, fremont
- dollar tree 0877, goldsboro
- dollar general 11560, goldsboro
- dollar general 13778, goldsboro
- dollar general 16188, goldsboro
- dollar general 17438, goldsboro
- dollar general 17863, pikeville
- dollar general 20854, dudley
- dollar general 20902, eureka
- dollar general 23208, seven springs
- dollar general 23356, goldsboro
- dollar general 24447, goldsboro
- dollar general 30716, dudley
- dollar general 8404, goldsboro
- dollar general store 17437, goldsboro
- dollar tree 3721, goldsboro
- dollar tree 6912, goldsboro
- family dollar 11133, seven springs
- family dollar 11265, goldsboro
- family dollar 11305, alt hwy
- family dollar store 133, mount olive
- family dollar store 213, goldsboro
- family dollar store 5928, goldsboro
- family dollar store 6563, goldsboro
- family dollar store 821, goldsboro
- family dollar store 8445, goldsboro
- han kuk oriental market, goldsboro
- maxway 633, goldsboro
- tienda costa chica llc 1, goldsboro
- walgreens 07622, goldsboro
- walgreens 13854, mount olive
- walgreens 9288, goldsboro
Super Store · 11
- charlie c's iga 835, goldsboro
- harris teeter 115, goldsboro
- piggly wiggly #36, mount olive
- piggly wiggly 39, goldsboro
- sam's club 6443, goldsboro
- target store t-964, goldsboro
- walmart neighborhood market 7334, goldsboro
- walmart neighborhood market 7340, goldsboro
- walmart supercenter 1236, goldsboro
- walmart supercenter 3701, mount olive
- walmart supercenter 4564, goldsboro
Supermarket · 9
- aldi 80044, goldsboro
- compare express supermarket, goldsboro
- food lion 1692, goldsboro
- food lion 2530, goldsboro
- food lion 2576, goldsboro
- food lion 2581, pikeville
- food lion 2591, goldsboro
- food lion 544, mount olive
- la carolina supermarket, goldsboro
Small Grocery Store · 4
- el mercado, goldsboro
- giovanni bakery, mount olive
- panaderia el buen samaritano llc, seven springs
- tienda velasquez, seven springs
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- god's grace convenience store , llc 1, mount olive
- the butcher's corner, llc, goldsboro
- tienda gomez, seven springs
Farmers' Market · 2
- country fruit stand #3, pikeville
- farm credit farmers market, goldsboro
Large Grocery Store · 2
- el corral supermarket inc, goldsboro
- fremont iga, fremont
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- acorn acres farmstead, llc, mount olive
- nahunta pork center, pikeville
Seafood Specialty · 2
- atlantic seafood, goldsboro
- young seafood, goldsboro
Delivery Route · 1
- main course meats llc, dudley
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- country fruit stand 2, goldsboro
Military Commissary · 1
- seymour johnson afb commissary 2928, goldsboro
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Wayne County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Wayne 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 Wayne County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Wayne County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Wayne County? ▼
Is Wayne County a food desert? ▼
What share of Wayne 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.