PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Kenai Peninsula Borough 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).

23.7%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
9.6%
on SNAP
60K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 AK

The food-access picture

23.7% of Kenai Peninsula Borough residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

8
low-access tracts
4K
food-desert residents
4.9%
households, no vehicle
11.8%
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 Kenai Peninsula Borough's low-access share at 23.7%, above the national share. 8 of the county's 13 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 13,104 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,359 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 Kenai Peninsula Borough compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Kenai Peninsula Borough's 23.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 56% of them and ranked #1,387 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Kenai Peninsula Borough: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 13 census tracts in Kenai Peninsula Borough, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK USDA-defined food-access tiers: 5 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 5 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 13 tracts evaluated. 5 tracts adequate (38.5%) 5 tracts limited (38.5%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (23.1%) Adequate 38% Limited 38% Severe 23% Food-access tier distribution: Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Kenai Peninsula Borough vs. other Alaska counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Alaska

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Kenai Peninsula Borough
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts13
Atlas Population (2010 basis)55,400
Low-Access Tracts8
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population13,104
Low-Access Share23.7%near the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population4,359

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Kenai Peninsula Borough
IndicatorValue
Population60,413
Median Household Income$80,538
Poverty Rate11.8%below the national average
SNAP Households2,329
SNAP Participation Rate9.6%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.9%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population3.2%
SNAP participation in Kenai Peninsula Borough 9.6%

About 9.6% of Kenai Peninsula Borough households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 23.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 9.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,329 households here.
  • 4.9% 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 Kenai Peninsula Borough

above the national share

3 of Kenai Peninsula Borough's 13 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 23.1% of all its tracts.

A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 8.

An estimated 13,104 residents, roughly 23.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 4,359 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 5 tracts (38.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Kenai Peninsula Borough

Kenai Peninsula Borough has 44 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 26 locations (59% of the total), followed by supermarket.

Convenience Store · 26

  • big johns 1, soldotna
  • big johns kenai 3, kenai
  • big johns short stop 2, soldotna
  • crabpot grocery, seldovia
  • cook's corner, sterling
  • english bay general store, nanwalek
  • frontier healing arts & sciences, llc, seward
  • holiday 2746635, soldotna
  • holiday 2746636, kenai
  • inlet grocery, anchor point
  • kasil of mercantile, kasilof
  • m & m market, kenai
  • maggie's general store, kenai
  • seward marketplace, seward
  • tj seggys, soldotna
  • tesoro 2 go 60201, kenai
  • tesoro 2 go 60203, soldotna
  • tesoro 2 go 60206, kenai
  • tesoro 2 go 60207, soldotna
  • the goods + sustainable grocery, soldotna
  • the warehouse, anchor point
  • three bears alaska 52, kenai
  • three bears ninilchik #55, ninilchik
  • vaughn's mini mart, soldotna
  • vitus marine sterling stl, sterling
  • winginit groceries, kenai

Supermarket · 6

  • safeway 548, soldotna
  • safeway - oaken keg 1832, homer
  • safeway 1808, kenai
  • safeway 2728, seward
  • three bears cooper landing 57, cooper landing
  • three bears sterling 56, sterling

Combination Grocery/Other · 4

  • save-u-more 2, soldotna
  • save-u-more 4, homer
  • variety store llc, port graham
  • walgreens 16059, soldotna

Super Store · 4

  • country foods, kenai
  • fred meyer 17, soldotna
  • three bears kenai 50, kenai
  • walmart 4474, kenai

Bakery Specialty · 2

  • franz bakery outlet 9083, soldotna
  • papa murphy's pizza wa127, soldotna

Farmers' Market · 1

  • homer farmers market, homer

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • echo lake meats, llc, soldotna

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Alaska

Aleutians East Borough
39.0% low-access · 14.5% SNAP
Aleutians West Census Area
21.4% low-access · 4.8% SNAP
Anchorage Municipality
28.4% low-access · 8.7% SNAP
Bethel Census Area
68.6% low-access · 42.4% SNAP
Bristol Bay Borough
56.3% low-access · 5.2% SNAP
Chugach Census Area
ACS data only · 9.8% SNAP

Compare Kenai Peninsula Borough vs Aleutians East Borough → · All Alaska counties →

Food access nationally, Alaska in context

Kenai Peninsula Borough sits inside Alaska (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Kenai Peninsula Borough has low food access? ▼
23.7% of residents in Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Kenai Peninsula Borough? ▼
9.6% of households in Kenai Peninsula Borough receive SNAP, covering 2,329 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Kenai Peninsula Borough? ▼
The poverty rate in Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK is 11.8%, with a median household income of $80,538 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Kenai Peninsula Borough a food desert? ▼
3 of Kenai Peninsula Borough's 13 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Kenai Peninsula Borough households lack a vehicle? ▼
4.9% of households in Kenai Peninsula Borough have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.