Signature · 1.2% low-access (4th pct)
Lewis County, KY
Lewis County lands in the lower national band on low-access (1.2%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 1.2%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 22.8%
- on SNAP
- 13K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Lewis County, KY
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 1.2% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -20.9 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 22.8% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Menifee County ( -0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Lewis County lands in the lower national band (1.2%, #2,997 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,997
- national by low-access %
- #98
- in KY
- 0
- low-access tracts
- 75
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 1.2% low-access (4th pct) (-20.9 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Lewis County compares nationally
Food access in Lewis County compares favorably nationally: its 1.2% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 4% of them (rank #2,997).
Lewis County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 4 of Lewis 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.
Lewis 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
- Lewis 1.2
Lewis 1.2%
1.2 % low-access
- Menifee 1.1
Menifee 1.1%
1.1 % low-access
- Perry 1.1
Perry 1.1%
1.1 % low-access
- Knott 0.9
Knott 0.9%
0.9 % low-access
- Metcalfe 0.8
Metcalfe 0.8%
0.8 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 13,870 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 0 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 161 |
| Low-Access Share | 1.2%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 75 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 12,965 |
| Median Household Income | $46,838 |
| Poverty Rate | 22.0%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,146 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 22.8%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
SNAP retailers in Lewis County
Lewis County has 15 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 7 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 15 authorized stores; Vanceburg holds 47% of them. Every one of these towns has at least one grocery-grade outlet (3 across the county).
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Vanceburg | 7 | 1 |
| Garrison | 5 | 1 |
| Tollesboro | 3 | 1 |
Convenience Store · 7
- clark's pump-n-shop 47, vanceburg
- fas mart 5261, tollesboro
- fuel stops inc, vanceburg
- garrison shortstop llc, garrison
- jng mart llc dba vanceburg mart, vanceburg
- super quik 13, garrison
- super quik food store 006, vanceburg
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- dollar general 11249, tollesboro
- dollar general 2230, vanceburg
- dollar general 12948, garrison
- family dollar 10015, garrison
- family dollar store 701, vanceburg
Supermarket · 2
- collins food center, garrison
- lewis county foodland llc 45093, vanceburg
Large Grocery Store · 1
- ron's iga, tollesboro
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 Lewis County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Lewis County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Lewis 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 (1.2% here).
- Northampton County, NC · 1.2% low-access
- Yancey County, NC · 1.2% low-access
- Jefferson County, KS · 1.1% low-access
- Louisa County, IA · 1.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (22.8% here).
- St. Mary Parish, LA · 22.8% SNAP
- Decatur County, GA · 22.8% SNAP
- Miami-Dade County, FL · 22.8% SNAP
- Del Norte County, CA · 22.8% 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%). Lewis County, at 1.2%, runs 18.6 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 Lewis County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21135. 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.