Signature · 3.1% low-access (7th pct)
Johnson County, KY
Johnson County lands in the lower national band on low-access (3.1%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 3.1%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 25.3%
- on SNAP
- 22K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Johnson County, KY
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ADEQUATE 3.1% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -19.0 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 25.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 17% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Lyon County (+ 0.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Johnson County lands in the lower national band (3.1%, #2,911 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,911
- national by low-access %
- #88
- in KY
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 422
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 3.1% low-access (7th pct) (-19 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Johnson County compares nationally
Food access in Johnson County compares favorably nationally: its 3.1% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 7% of them (rank #2,911).
Johnson County's lower-band USDA tier split
6 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
All 6 of Johnson 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.
Johnson 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
- Monroe 3.5
Monroe 3.5%
3.5 % low-access
- Lyon 3.3
Lyon 3.3%
3.3 % low-access
- McLean 3.3
McLean 3.3%
3.3 % low-access
- Johnson 3.1
Johnson 3.1%
3.1 % low-access
- McCreary 2.8
McCreary 2.8%
2.8 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 23,356 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 736 |
| Low-Access Share | 3.1%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 422 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 22,334 |
| Median Household Income | $44,904 |
| Poverty Rate | 22.8%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,284 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 25.3%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.2% |
Thick SNAP store book in Johnson County
Johnson County has 33 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 18 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
10 towns share the 33 authorized stores; Paintsville holds 52% of them. 6 of the 10 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Staffordsville, Flatgap, Wittensville, Flat Gap, Stambaugh, Van Lear.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Paintsville | 17 | 4 |
| Staffordsville | 4 | none |
| Hagerhill | 3 | 1 |
| Flatgap | 2 | none |
| Wittensville | 2 | none |
| Boons Camp | 1 | 1 |
| Flat Gap | 1 | none |
| Oil Springs | 1 | 1 |
| Stambaugh | 1 | none |
| Van Lear | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 18
- om devyani, llc, paintsville
- quick mart 3, paintsville
- quickmart 7, wittensville
- speedway 9538, paintsville
- shree krishna one inc, paintsville
- speedy'z #3, paintsville
- speedyz #4, paintsville
- us 23 north bp, paintsville
- v i p fuel 1, hagerhill
- v i p fuels 2, paintsville
- ville mart, staffordsville
- vip fuels 4, paintsville
- vip fuels 8 vip 8, staffordsville
- wildcat grocery/video, flatgap
- wade's one stop, inc, flat gap
- webb's grocery, van lear
- zip zone express 20, staffordsville
- zip zone express 21, stambaugh
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- dollar general 2840, paintsville
- dollar general 15064, paintsville
- dollar general 20353, wittensville
- dollar general 21004, hagerhill
- dollar general 22230, flatgap
- dollar general store 17120, staffordsville
- dollar tree 5648, paintsville
- walgreens 17474, paintsville
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- castle family food, boons camp
- davis produce, hagerhill
- griffith farm store, paintsville
- kellys market, oil springs
Supermarket · 2
- food city 424, paintsville
- save a lot paintsville 23488, paintsville
Super Store · 1
- walmart store 1233, paintsville
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 Johnson County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Johnson County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Johnson 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 (3.1% here).
- Calhoun County, MS · 3.1% low-access
- Little River County, AR · 3.1% low-access
- Gaines County, TX · 3.1% low-access
- Sevier County, UT · 3.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (25.3% here).
- Heard County, GA · 25.3% SNAP
- Adair County, OK · 25.3% SNAP
- Charlton County, GA · 25.2% SNAP
- St. Bernard Parish, LA · 25.1% 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%). Johnson County, at 3.1%, runs 16.7 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 Johnson County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21115. 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.