County food-access profile · Kentucky
Bullitt County, KY
Bullitt 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.
- 45.3%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 7.3%
- on SNAP
- 84K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
45.3% of Bullitt County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 12
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
- 4.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.7%
- 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).
Bullitt County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 45.3% is well above the national share. 12 of the county's 17 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 33,638 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,133 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 Bullitt County compares nationally
Bullitt County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 45.3% low-access share outpaces 91% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #280 most-affected nationwide.
Bullitt County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 17 census tracts in Bullitt County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Bullitt County vs. other Kentucky counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kentucky
- Bullitt
Bullitt County, KY
45.3 % 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 | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 74,319 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 12 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 33,638 |
| Low-Access Share | 45.3%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,133 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 84,027 |
| Median Household Income | $80,558 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,308 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.3%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.3% |
About 7.3% of Bullitt County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 45.3% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,308 households here.
- 4.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Bullitt County
well above the national share
1 of Bullitt County's 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 5.9% of all its tracts.
A further 11 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 12.
An estimated 33,638 residents, roughly 45.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,133 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 5 tracts (29.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Bullitt County
Bullitt County has 60 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 31
- beech grove market, shepherdsville
- bobbys place, shepherdsville
- bullitt county supermarket, shepherdsville
- cedar grove country store, shepherdsville
- circle k 4703204, mount washington
- circle k 4703205, shepherdsville
- ez stop 1 inc dba lee's food mart, mount washington
- express mart, mount washington
- fastway food mart 5, shepherdsville
- fivestar 5440, louisville
- fivestar 6565, mt washington
- fivestar 6575, mount washington
- fivestar 9140, shepherdsville
- fivestar 9175, shepherdsville
- fivestar 9656, shepherdsville
- fivestar 9837, shepherdsville
- grab n go iii, shepherdsville
- guru market, shepherdsville
- jay meldi mataji llc, shepherdsville
- kirit food mart, shepherdsville
- lotus gas llc, shepherdsville
- love' travel stops & country stores, inc 238, shepherdsville
- ndr 17 llc - friendly foodmart and tobacco 125, shepherdsville
- namaste minimart, mount washington
- pearls food mart, mount washington
- pilot travel center 356, shepherdsville
- pilot travel center 399, lebanon junction
- racetrac 2611, shepherdsville
- speedway 9729, shepherdsville
- speedway 9567, lebanon junction
- speedy mart 2, mount washington
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- cvs pharmacy 10812, shepherdsville
- dollar general 10881, shepherdsville
- dollar general 14486, shepherdsville
- dollar general 18716, mount washington
- dollar general 2129, shepherdsville
- dollar general 3174, louisville
- dollar general 8464, mount washington
- dollar general 13052, brooks
- dollar general 15166, shepherdsville
- dollar general 16547, taylorsville
- dollar general 20056, lebanon junction
- dollar general 21213, shepherdsville
- dollar general 23272, shepherdsville
- dollar general 24990, shepherdsville
- dollar general 25310, shepherdsville
- dollar general store 17345, shepherdsville
- dollar tree 6486, mount washington
- dollar tree 7490, shepherdsville
- family dollar store 1532, shepherdsville
- family dollar store 583, mount washington
- walgreens 09225, mt washington
- walgreens 10207, shepherdsville
Super Store · 4
- kroger l 728, shepherdsville
- kroger l-758, mount washington
- valu market 5446, mount washington
- walmart supercenter 4118, shepherdsville
Supermarket · 2
- price less foods 65, hillview
- price less foods 68, shepherdsville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- galan's meat market & deli 2, shepherdsville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kentucky
Compare Bullitt County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Food access nationally, Kentucky in context
Bullitt 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 Bullitt County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Bullitt County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Bullitt County? ▼
Is Bullitt County a food desert? ▼
What share of Bullitt 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.