County food-access profile · Kentucky
Kenton County, KY
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Kenton 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).
- 36.4%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 7.2%
- on SNAP
- 171K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
36.4% of Kenton County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 19
- low-access tracts
- 12K
- food-desert residents
- 6.8%
- 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 Kenton County's low-access share at 36.4%, above the national share. 19 of the county's 41 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 58,150 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 11,624 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 Kenton County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Kenton County's 36.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 83% of them and ranked #539 most-affected nationwide.
Kenton County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 41 census tracts in Kenton County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Kenton County vs. other Kentucky counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kentucky
- Kenton
Kenton County, KY
36.4 % 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 | 41 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 159,720 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 19 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 58,150 |
| Low-Access Share | 36.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 11,624 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 171,288 |
| Median Household Income | $80,548 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,818 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.2%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.8%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
About 7.2% of Kenton County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 36.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,818 households here.
- 6.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Kenton County
above the national share
4 of Kenton County's 41 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 9.8% of all its tracts.
A further 15 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 19.
An estimated 58,150 residents, roughly 36.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 11,624 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 22 tracts (53.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Kenton County
Kenton County has 118 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 61 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 61
- ameristop food mart, covington
- ameristop food mart 29004 29004, erlanger
- avm 1 llc, crescent springs
- b & t retail inc - soliana carry out, covington
- bill's food market, covington
- bp anderson rd, crescent springs
- circle k 4703319, covington
- circle k 4703321, erlanger
- covington marathon, covington
- d&k family grocery llc, covington
- dudley rd sunoco 45, edgewood
- elm food mart, ludlow
- elsmere mini mart, elsmere
- erlanger bp, erlanger
- express mart, elsmere
- fort mitchell shell, crescent springs
- fort wright bp 46, ft wright
- fort wright shell, ft wright
- fortune circle shell, erlanger
- ft mitchel food mart, ft mitchell
- garrard mini mart, covington
- h & w grocery llc, covington
- in & out market, independence
- independence bp mart, independence
- jay vihat llc, covington
- latonia shell, covington
- madison ave sunoco 47, covington
- main mart, covington
- mangal murthi llc 1, independence
- marathon express, taylor mill
- mercadito hispano covington, covington
- morning view market, de mossville
- new corner market, morning view
- olympic shell, erlanger
- one way mart, covington
- pike food mart llc, covington
- ron's food mart, covington
- rt 25 carryout, walton
- rt. 17 express, covington
- save discount drugs, covington
- soyra llc, covington
- speedway 7405, crescent springs
- speedway 7406, covington
- speedway 8513, erlanger
- speedway 9534, covington
- speedway 9541, covington
- speedway 9663, erlanger
- speedway 9702, ft mitchell
- stop & shop, elsmere
- stop n shop llc/airport foodmart, erlanger
- taylor mill blue pantry bp 4, taylor mill
- the gas hole foodmart, independence
- thorntons 553, edgewood
- thorntons 73, erlanger
- vasu oil llc 11976, independence
- visalia market, latonia
- wellness, inc., erlanger
- wentworth market, covington
- winston bp, covington
- yabi's corner, covington
- yogi petroleum llc dba liberty tobacco, covington
Combination Grocery/Other · 31
- cvs pharmacy 5759, erlanger
- cvs pharmacy 6113, covington
- cvs pharmacy 6116, erlanger
- dollar general 10417, independence
- dollar general 2283, covington
- dollar general 3792, erlanger
- dollar general 4898, erlanger
- dollar general 19006, covington
- dollar tree 2777, covington
- dollar tree 3479, ft mitchell
- dollar tree 3835, edgewood
- dollar tree 5707, covington
- dollar tree 5870, independence
- family dollar 12552, covington
- family dollar 3781, ludlow
- family dollar 4318, erlanger
- family dollar 8878, independence
- family dollar store 5038, independence
- family dollar store 5859, covington
- nky asian grocery, crescent springs
- thawng asian grocery, erlanger
- tienda tipicos esperanza 1, covington
- united dairy farmers 021, ft wright
- united dairy farmers 165, independence
- united dairy farmers 193, taylor mill
- united dairy farmers udf 169, independence
- walgreen 15182, covington
- walgreens 10315, independence
- walgreens 12891, ft wright
- walgreens 4082, crescent springs
- walgreens 5548, erlanger
Super Store · 10
- kroger #00381 381, covington
- kroger 392, covington
- kroger 477, ft mitchell
- kroger 475, independence
- kroger 971, edgewood
- kroger 971, edgewood
- remke 604, taylor mill
- remke 607, ft mitchell
- remke 608, erlanger
- walmart supercenter 2967, ft wright
Small Grocery Store · 9
- gramers market 603, erlanger
- gutierrez deli, covington
- loschiavo's fruits & veg, covington
- marroquin store llc 1, covington
- novedades zury, covington
- perez agustin llc 1, covington
- supermercado maya tikal 2 2, ft wright
- tienda la samaritana llc, covington
- usamex, covington
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 61087 61087, independence
- riverside marketplace 756, ludlow
- trader joe's 788, crestview hills
Large Grocery Store · 2
- bill finke and sons inc, ft wright
- la hacienda supermarket, erlanger
Farmers' Market · 1
- covington farmers market, covington
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- lupitas bakery llc, crescent springs
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kentucky
Compare Kenton County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Food access nationally, Kentucky in context
Kenton 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 Kenton County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Kenton County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Kenton County? ▼
Is Kenton County a food desert? ▼
What share of Kenton 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.