County food-access profile · North Carolina
Wilson County, NC
Wilson 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.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 18.1%
- on SNAP
- 79K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
9.3% of Wilson County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 7.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.8%
- 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).
Wilson County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.3% per the USDA Atlas. 3 of the county's 19 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 7,543 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,196 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 Wilson County compares nationally
Wilson 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).
Wilson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 19 census tracts in Wilson County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Wilson County vs. other North Carolina counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in North Carolina
- Wilson 9.3
Wilson County, NC
9.3 % 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 | 19 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 81,234 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 7,543 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.3%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,196 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 79,290 |
| Median Household Income | $56,423 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.8%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,000 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 18.1%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.7% |
About 18.1% of Wilson 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.
- 18.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,000 households here.
- 7.0% 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 Wilson County
near the national share
2 of Wilson County's 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.5% 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 7,543 residents, roughly 9.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,196 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 16 tracts (84.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Wilson County
Wilson County has 113 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 55 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 55
- 365 fast mart #130, elm city
- 7-eleven #42052a 42052a, wilson
- a & g convenience mart inc, wilson
- alothn inc, wilson
- boswells grocery, wilson
- chill mart 1, wilson
- circle k 2720939, wilson
- circle k 2723201, wilson
- circle k 2723471, wilson
- community store, fountain
- crossroads 1, rocky mount
- downtown mart, wilson
- food mart 1, wilson
- h mart 1, wilson
- handy mart 4708, wilson
- handy mart 4733, wilson
- ism fresh mart inc 1, wilson
- j & h mart, wilson
- j mart, wilson
- jb mart, wilson
- k&d petro, wilson
- mr s tobacco and grill llc 1, sims
- murphy usa 7263, wilson
- nagis mart, wilson
- nancys market, wilson
- oasis 15, lucama
- on the run 2, bailey
- on the run inc, wilson
- pilot travel center 6990, kenly
- quickpass 1, wilson
- rose mart 17365, elm city
- royal farms 537, wilson
- s & h mart 1, wilson
- s j mart g, wilson
- sam's jiffy mart, wilson
- sandy cross mart, wilson
- saratoga food mart, saratoga
- save more, wilson
- shoprite, wilson
- sj mart h, wilson
- speedway 6979, wilson
- speedway 6980, wilson
- speedway 7949, wilson
- speedway 8211, wilson
- speedway 8213, wilson
- speedway 8276, wilson
- speedway 8662, wilson
- sunnys food mart, wilson
- tj mart inc., wilson
- tareq mini mart, wilson
- ward family fare 441, wilson
- wawa store 6103, wilson
- wawa store 6110, wilson
- wawa store 6114, wilson
- wilson mini mart 1, wilson
Combination Grocery/Other · 36
- big lots 3217, wilson
- cvs pharmacy 3867, wilson
- cvs pharmacy 7335, wilson
- compare foods, wilson
- dollar general 1016, wilson
- dollar general 10963, wilson
- dollar general 10968, lucama
- dollar general 1569, wilson
- dollar general 9795, wilson
- dollartree 10804, wilson
- dollar general 10515, wilson
- dollar general 13001, wilson
- dollar general 20696, elm city
- dollar general 22045, elm city
- dollar general 24976, wilson
- dollar general 25511, stantonsburg
- dollar general 30687, elm city
- dollar general 30953, wilson
- dollar general 31184, saratoga
- dollar general 31256, bailey
- dollar general store 16598, sims
- dollar tree 306, wilson
- dollar tree 5224, wilson
- dollar tree 8012, elm city
- family dollar 10049, wilson
- family dollar 10714, wilson
- family dollar 12034, wilson
- family dollar 13596, sims
- family dollar 13919, lucama
- family dollar store 264, wilson
- family dollar store 359, wilson
- family dollar store 6003, wilson
- family dollar store 7790, wilson
- rose's 482, wilson
- walgreens 6926, wilson
- walgreens 6927, wilson
Super Store · 7
- fred's food club - wilson, wilson
- harris teeter 354, wilson
- lidl 1074, wilson
- piggly wiggly 69, wilson
- target store t-2168, wilson
- walmart 1664, wilson
- walmart neighborhood market 4545, wilson
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 80038, wilson
- food lion 102, wilson
- food lion 1194, wilson
- food lion 214, wilson
- food lion 2552, wilson
- j & a supermarket of wilson inc/plaza supermarket, wilson
- piggly wiggly #08, elm city
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- la mexicana de wilson, wilson
- middle east grocery, wilson
- say fresh, wilson
- tropicana foods, wilson
Farmers' Market · 1
- wilson farmers and artisan market, wilson
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- deans farm, wilson
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- t.l. herring & company, wilson
Seafood Specialty · 1
- wilson seafood, wilson
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in North Carolina
Compare Wilson County vs Alamance County → · All North Carolina counties →
Food access nationally, North Carolina in context
Wilson 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 Wilson County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Wilson County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Wilson County? ▼
Is Wilson County a food desert? ▼
What share of Wilson 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.