County food-access profile · Kentucky
Hardin County, KY
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Hardin County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 27.7%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 9.8%
- on SNAP
- 112K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
27.7% of Hardin County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 14
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 6.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.1%
- 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).
USDA data puts Hardin County's low-access share at 27.7%, above the national share. 14 of the county's 22 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 29,277 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,415 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 Hardin County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Hardin County's 27.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 65% of them and ranked #1,104 most-affected nationwide.
Hardin County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 22 census tracts in Hardin County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Hardin County vs. other Kentucky counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kentucky
- Hardin
Hardin County, KY
27.7 % 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
Barren County, KY
15.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 22 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 105,543 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 14 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 29,277 |
| Low-Access Share | 27.7%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,415 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 111,942 |
| Median Household Income | $67,647 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.1%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,385 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.8%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.6% |
About 9.8% of Hardin County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 27.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,385 households here.
- 6.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Hardin County
above the national share
5 of Hardin County's 22 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 22.7% of all its tracts.
A further 9 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 14.
An estimated 29,277 residents, roughly 27.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,415 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 8 tracts (36.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Hardin County
Hardin County has 104 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 50 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 50
- 62 mart, elizabethtown
- brooks express, radcliff
- bhramani three llc, radcliff
- circle k 2723219, cecilia
- circle k 4703371, elizabethtown
- eastview foodmart, eastview
- fivestar 3321, elizabethtown
- fivestar 3322, elizabethtown
- fivestar 3323, elizabethtown
- fivestar 3326, elizabethtown
- fivestar 3327, elizabethtown
- fivestar 3328, elizabethtown
- fivestar 8710, radcliff
- fivestar 8718, radcliff
- fivestar 8734, radcliff
- fivestar 8800, rineyville
- fivestar 9838, sonora
- fivestar 9920, vine grove
- huck's 405, elizabethtown
- j & h mart, elizabethtown
- jay shree krishna llc, rineyville
- kaival inc dba brook's market, radcliff
- ksp 912, elizabethtown
- kuljit inc dba t mart 513, elizabethtown
- liuji asian food market, elizabethtown
- logsdon foodmart, radcliff
- love's travel stop 716, elizabethtown
- m&s food mart, elizabethtown
- main st. deli, elizabethtown
- murphy express 8821, elizabethtown
- murphy usa 6943, radcliff
- mustangs mart #10, elizabethtown
- neighborhood market, elizabethtown
- petro glendale 330, glendale
- pilot travel center 392, sonora
- pilot travel center 48, glendale
- quiktrip 7169, elizabethtown
- racetrac 2597, elizabethtown
- radcliff mini mart, radcliff
- s & m mart inc, elizabethtown
- speedway 9622, elizabethtown
- speedway 9656, elizabethtown
- speedway 5504, elizabethtown
- ta porter 220, glendale
- three t, cecilia
- tmart#7, elizabethtown
- upton quick stop, radcliff
- vithal investments llc, radcliff
- warrens vine grove food mart, vine grove
- west point valero food mart, west point
Combination Grocery/Other · 34
- big lots 3101, elizabethtown
- cvs pharmacy 10048, elizabethtown
- dollar general 0180, radcliff
- dollar general 0556, radcliff
- dollar general 0657, elizabethtown
- dollar general 11233, cecilia
- dollar general 1459, vine grove
- dollar general 18561, elizabethtown
- dollar general 19615, elizabethtown
- dollar general 6466, rineyville
- dollar general 6651, sonora
- desi bazar, elizabethtown
- dollar general 0566, elizabethtown
- dollar general 11873, elizabethtown
- dollar general 15133, elizabethtown
- dollar general 16576, eastview
- dollar general 20454, glendale
- dollar general 21441, cecilia
- dollar general 21769, elizabethtown
- dollar general 23927, elizabethtown
- dollar general 2528, elizabethtown
- dollar general 25367, elizabethtown
- dollar general 31436, west point
- dollar tree 2767, radcliff
- dollar tree 7731, elizabethtown
- dollar tree 9, elizabethtown
- family dollar 1286, radcliff
- family dollar 12985, sonora
- family dollar 9047, radcliff
- family dollar store 11155, vine grove
- walgreens 11761, radcliff
- walgreens 12775, elizabethtown
- walgreens 2225, elizabethtown
- walgreens 4123, elizabethtown
Super Store · 7
- kroger #l-00717 l717, elizabethtown
- kroger 362, elizabethtown
- sam's club 4992, elizabethtown
- target store 779, elizabethtown
- walmart 709, elizabethtown
- walmart neighborhood market 5135, radcliff
- walmart store 1165, radcliff
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 44011, elizabethtown
- aldi 44035, radcliff
- cash saver grocery, vine grove
- price less 61, radcliff
- price less foods 69, elizabethtown
- upton iga 29, upton
Small Grocery Store · 3
- mexico lindo, elizabethtown
- souv's grocery store, radcliff
- sun's market, radcliff
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys pizza ky020, elizabethtown
Farmers' Market · 1
- rineyville farmer's market, rineyville
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- asian food & gifts, radcliff
Military Commissary · 1
- fort knox commissary 2709, fort knox
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kentucky
Compare Hardin County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Food access nationally, Kentucky in context
Hardin 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 Hardin County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Hardin County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Hardin County? ▼
Is Hardin County a food desert? ▼
What share of Hardin 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.