County food-access profile · Kentucky
Boone County, KY
Boone County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 49.8%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 6.5%
- on SNAP
- 140K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
49.8% of Boone County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 21 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 15
- low-access tracts
- 11K
- food-desert residents
- 3.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 6.3%
- 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).
Boone County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 49.8% is well above the national share. 15 of the county's 21 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 59,190 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 10,760 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 Boone County compares nationally
Boone County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 49.8% low-access share outpaces 93% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #207 most-affected nationwide.
Boone County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 21 census tracts in Boone County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Boone County vs. other Kentucky counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kentucky
- Boone
Boone County, KY
49.8 % 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
- Barren 15.5
Barren County, KY
15.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 21 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 118,811 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 15 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 59,190 |
| Low-Access Share | 49.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 10,760 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 139,841 |
| Median Household Income | $99,414 |
| Poverty Rate | 6.3%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,329 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 6.5% of Boone County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 49.8% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,329 households here.
- 3.5% 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 Boone County
well above the national share
3 of Boone County's 21 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.3% of all its tracts.
A further 12 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 15.
An estimated 59,190 residents, roughly 49.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 10,760 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (28.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Boone County
Boone County has 87 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 42 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 42
- airport shell inc. 1, hebron
- ameristop food mart, burlington
- belleview grocery, burlington
- blue pantry 1, florence
- cin city food mart llc, florence
- circle k 2564343, florence
- dixie gas and go, florence
- dixie market, florence
- hebron corner mart, hebron
- hebron bp, hebron
- hop shop # 1410-verona 1410, verona
- hop shop #1407 - walton 1407, walton
- jay grocery llc, walton
- marathon food mart, florence
- marathon of florence, walton
- matt's natural world, florence
- mc elroys bp carryout, walton
- mt zion hop shop, florence
- murphy express 8711, florence
- pilot travel center 278, walton
- pilot travel center 321, walton
- pilot travel center 664, walton
- safari international market and cafe, florence
- speedway 1220, florence
- speedway 5252, hebron
- speedway 5348 5348, florence
- speedway 7073, florence
- speedway 7400, hebron
- speedway 7401, florence
- speedway 7402, florence
- speedway 7403, florence
- speedway 9692, florence
- speedway 9727, florence
- ta florence 093, florence
- ta walton 28, walton
- the blue pantry, florence
- thorntons llc 264072, florence
- union food mart, union
- unique international market llc, florence
- verona food mart, verona
- verona market, verona
- whats up food mart inc, florence
Combination Grocery/Other · 23
- cvs pharmacy 7648, florence
- dollar general 1357, florence
- dollar general 4825, walton
- dollar general 7523, burlington
- dollar tree 0731, florence
- dollar general 10442, florence
- dollar general 12989, florence
- dollar general 14736, hebron
- dollar general 17368, verona
- dollar tree 1580, burlington
- dollar tree 7033, florence
- dollar tree 8574, hebron
- united dairy farmers, hebron
- united dairy farmers 019, florence
- united dairy farmers 060, florence
- united dairy farmers 142, florence
- united dairy farmers 195, union
- united dairy farmers udf 119, burlington
- walgreens 5763, florence
- walgreens 6642, burlington
- walgreens 9162, florence
- walgreens 9360, florence
- yasmin halal market llc 1, florence
Super Store · 11
- costco 1197, florence
- kroger 434, burlington
- kroger 454, union
- kroger store 364, florence
- kroger 367, walton
- kroger 409, hebron
- kroger 466, florence
- meijer 151, florence
- sam's club 8133, florence
- target store t-1200, florence
- walmart supercenter 1510, florence
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- asafo international market, florence
- diakas international market llc, florence
- international grocery market, florence
- maharaja international grocery,llc, florence
- mejia supermarket llc - garcia ii, florence
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 058, florence
- gordon food service store mp118, florence
- publix super markets, inc. 2052, walton
- remke 610, florence
Large Grocery Store · 1
- la guadalupana, florence
Small Grocery Store · 1
- taqueria & habarrotes mis palmas llc, florence
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kentucky
Compare Boone County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Food access nationally, Kentucky in context
Boone 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 Boone County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Boone County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Boone County? ▼
Is Boone County a food desert? ▼
What share of Boone 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.