Signature · 5.5% low-access (11th pct)
Edmonson County, KY
Edmonson County lands in the lower national band on low-access (5.5%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 5.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 13.1%
- on SNAP
- 12K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Edmonson County, KY
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 5.5% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -16.6 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 13.1% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Wolfe County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Edmonson County lands in the lower national band (5.5%, #2,787 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,787
- national by low-access %
- #78
- in KY
- 0
- low-access tracts
- 245
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 5.5% low-access (11th pct) (-16.6 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Edmonson County compares nationally
Food access in Edmonson County compares favorably nationally: its 5.5% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 11% of them (rank #2,787).
Edmonson County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 4 of Edmonson County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Edmonson 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
- Floyd 6.4
Floyd 6.4%
6.4 % low-access
- Harlan 6.2
Harlan 6.2%
6.2 % low-access
- Wolfe 5.6
Wolfe 5.6%
5.6 % low-access
- Edmonson 5.5
Edmonson 5.5%
5.5 % low-access
- Grant 4.9
Grant 4.9%
4.9 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 12,161 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 0 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 665 |
| Low-Access Share | 5.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 245 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 12,355 |
| Median Household Income | $54,937 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.3%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 670 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.1%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
SNAP retailers in Edmonson County
Edmonson County has 10 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 5 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
5 towns share the 10 authorized stores; Brownsville holds 50% of them. 4 of the 5 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Smiths Grove, Bowling Green, Mammoth Cave, Sweeden.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Brownsville | 5 | 1 |
| Smiths Grove | 2 | none |
| Bowling Green | 1 | none |
| Mammoth Cave | 1 | none |
| Sweeden | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 5
- chalybeate food mart, smiths grove
- hilltop quick mart, brownsville
- mills country store, bowling green
- minit mart 4422, brownsville
- saling's gro & bait shop, mammoth cave
Combination Grocery/Other · 4
- dollar general 4088, brownsville
- dollar general 12703, smiths grove
- dollar general 23701, sweeden
- family dollar store 6241, brownsville
Large Grocery Store · 1
- the cee bee food store, brownsville
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 Edmonson County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Edmonson County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Edmonson 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 (5.5% here).
- Gloucester County, VA · 5.5% low-access
- Hillsdale County, MI · 5.4% low-access
- Greene County, MS · 5.4% low-access
- Nassau County, NY · 5.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (13.1% here).
- Cherokee County, KS · 13.1% SNAP
- De Witt County, IL · 13.1% SNAP
- Chippewa County, MI · 13.1% SNAP
- Calhoun County, MS · 13.1% 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.
Kentucky among East South Central states
Kentucky ranks 4th of 4 East South Central states by population-weighted low-access (19.8%). Edmonson County, at 5.5%, runs 14.3 pts below the Kentucky rate.
- Tennessee 27.2%
- Mississippi 26.4%
- Alabama 24.5%
- Kentucky 19.8%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Edmonson County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21061. 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.