County food-access profile · Kentucky
Barren County, KY
Barren 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.
- 15.5%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 16.3%
- on SNAP
- 45K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
15.5% of Barren County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 8.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.4%
- 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).
Barren County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 15.5% per the USDA Atlas. 3 of the county's 10 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 6,556 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,202 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 Barren County compares nationally
Barren County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 15.5% low-access share that beats 34% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,080).
Barren County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Barren County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Barren County vs. other Kentucky counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kentucky
- Barren
Barren County, KY
15.5 % low-access
- Adair 6.5
Adair County, KY
6.5 % low-access
- Allen
Allen County, KY
21.7 % low-access
- Anderson 7.8
Anderson County, KY
7.8 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard County, KY
0 % low-access
- Bath 1.7
Bath County, KY
1.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 42,173 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,556 |
| Low-Access Share | 15.5%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,202 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 44,938 |
| Median Household Income | $50,628 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.4%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,931 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.9%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
About 16.3% of Barren County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 15.5% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,931 households here.
- 8.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Barren County
near the national share
3 of Barren County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 30.0% of all its tracts.
An estimated 6,556 residents, roughly 15.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,202 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 7 tracts (70.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Barren County
Barren County has 61 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 25 locations (41% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 25
- 44 market, glasgow
- birite grocery llc, cave city
- burkesville shell 83, glasgow
- circle k 3373, glasgow
- club tequila, tienda y taqueria, llc, glasgow
- fivestar 2215, cave city
- fivestar 4409, glasgow
- fivestar 4411, glasgow
- glasgow amoco 81, glasgow
- glasgow fuel & food inc, cave city
- happy valley food mart, glasgow
- iga express shell 883, cave city
- mainstreet shell 82, glasgow
- minit mart 4425, cave city
- minit mart 4433, glasgow
- minit mart 600517, cave city
- murphy usa 7851, glasgow
- park city shell 86, park city
- speedway 9355, glasgow
- scottsville shell 84, glasgow
- shreeji food store 1, glasgow
- shreeji food store 2, glasgow
- south green market, glasgow
- temple hill market, glasgow
- zacks express, glasgow
Combination Grocery/Other · 21
- dollar general 14135, glasgow
- dollar general 2735, glasgow
- dollar general 3493, cave city
- dollar general 11634, park city
- dollar general 12298, glasgow
- dollar general 12616, cave city
- dollar general 13454, glasgow
- dollar general 20338, glasgow
- dollar general 22160, park city
- dollar general 22320, glasgow
- dollar general 23452, cave city
- dollar general 25606, glasgow
- dollar general 25851, glasgow
- dollar general 31329, glasgow
- dollar general 31402, glasgow
- dollar tree 1492, glasgow
- family dollar store 3525, glasgow
- family dollar 12624, park city
- family dollar 9098, glasgow
- ken davis produce, glasgow
- walgreens 7712, glasgow
Supermarket · 7
- crossroads iga 762, cave city
- food lion 492, glasgow
- houchens market 001, glasgow
- houchens save a lot 150, glasgow
- houchens save a lot 234, cave city
- houchens market 27, glasgow
- houchens market 38, glasgow
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- mercadito latino llc, glasgow
- phillips family butcher shop, glasgow
Super Store · 2
- ruler 284, glasgow
- walmart store 711, glasgow
Farmers' Market · 1
- bounty of the barrens farmers market, glasgow
Large Grocery Store · 1
- phillips family grocery & butcher shop, hiseville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- mammoth valley, cave city
Small Grocery Store · 1
- la nacional llc, glasgow
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kentucky
Compare Barren County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Food access nationally, Kentucky in context
Barren County sits inside Kentucky (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 Barren County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Barren County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Barren County? ▼
Is Barren County a food desert? ▼
What share of Barren 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.