Signature · 3 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts)
Bell County, KY
Bell County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 3 LILA tracts (33.3% of the book) alongside 14.0% low-access.
- 14.0%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 24.5%
- on SNAP
- 24K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Bell County, KY
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 14.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -8.1 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 24.5% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 10.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 33% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Muhlenberg County ( -0.5 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Bell County lands in the lower national band (14.0%, #2,192 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,192
- national by low-access %
- #50
- in KY
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 3 LILA tracts (33.3% of tracts) .
How Bell County compares nationally
Bell County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.0% low-access share that beats 30% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,204).
Bell County's lower-band USDA tier split
9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Bell County has 2 urban and 7 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.
Bell County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Kentucky, not a full county-board reprint
- Robertson
Robertson 74.8%
74.8 % low-access
- Marion 14.7
Marion 14.7%
14.7 % low-access
- Mercer 14.7
Mercer 14.7%
14.7 % low-access
- Montgomery 14.6
Montgomery 14.6%
14.6 % low-access
- Bell 14
Bell 14%
14 % low-access
- Muhlenberg 13.5
Muhlenberg 13.5%
13.5 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 28,691 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,010 |
| Low-Access Share | 14.0%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,867 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 23,509 |
| Median Household Income | $31,354 |
| Poverty Rate | 28.8%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,440 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 24.5%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 10.6%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.3% |
Thick SNAP store book in Bell County
Bell County has 33 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 18 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 18
- casey's 4223, middlesboro
- chenoa country store, pineville
- circle k 4703200, middlesboro
- gambrel's food mart, arjay
- howards market and grill, hulen
- lee's food mart 10, middlesboro
- lee's food mart 11, pineville
- lee's food mart 16, middlesboro
- lee's food mart 3, middlesboro
- lee's food mart 4, middlesboro
- mapco express, inc 1060, pineville
- murphy usa 5699, middlesboro
- pigs place limited, pineville
- pineville mart, pineville
- pineville shell, pineville
- rudrakshi llc, middlesboro
- shikotar llc, middlesboro
- wildcat country store, calvin
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- dollar general 0174, pineville
- dollar general 15144, pineville
- dollar general 8258, middlesboro
- dollar general 9698, middlesboro
- dollar general 21983, fourmile
- dollar tree 118, middlesboro
- family dollar store 3455, pineville
- family dollar store 5408, middlesboro
- walgreens 13034, pineville
Super Store · 3
- kroger 355, middlesboro
- long's pic pac, pineville
- walmart 739, middlesboro
Supermarket · 3
- food city 428, middlesboro
- houchens save a lot 171, middlesboro
- houchens save a lot 172, pineville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Kentucky
One of 119 counties in Kentucky, 6 are shown here.
Compare Bell County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Bell County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Bell County, both outside Kentucky so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside KY (14.0% here).
- Dickinson County, KS · 14.0% low-access
- Dickinson County, KS · 14.0% low-access
- Iron County, MI · 14.0% low-access
- Iron County, MI · 14.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (24.5% here).
- Franklin Parish, LA · 24.5% SNAP
- Franklin Parish, LA · 24.5% SNAP
- Barnwell County, SC · 24.5% SNAP
- Barnwell County, SC · 24.5% 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.
Bell County inside a lower low-access state context
Bell County sits inside Kentucky (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 Bell County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21013. 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.