County food-access profile · Kentucky
Madison County, KY
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Madison 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).
- 25.7%
- low-access pop.
- 8
- food-desert tracts
- 13.4%
- on SNAP
- 96K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
25.7% of Madison County residents live in a low-access area, and 8 of its 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 9
- low-access tracts
- 10K
- food-desert residents
- 4.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.1%
- 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 Madison County's low-access share at 25.7%, above the national share. 9 of the county's 19 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 21,349 people. 8 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,950 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 Madison County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Madison County's 25.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 60% of them and ranked #1,241 most-affected nationwide.
Madison County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 19 census tracts in Madison County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Madison County vs. other Kentucky counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kentucky
- Madison
Madison County, KY
25.7 % 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 | 19 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 82,916 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 9 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 8 |
| Low-Access Population | 21,349 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.7%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,950 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 95,769 |
| Median Household Income | $63,351 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.1%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,958 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.4%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.9% |
About 13.4% of Madison County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 25.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,958 households here.
- 4.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 8 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 Madison County
above the national share
8 of Madison County's 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 42.1% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 9.
An estimated 21,349 residents, roughly 25.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,950 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 10 tracts (52.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Madison County
Madison County has 83 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 49 locations (59% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 49
- berea shell food mart 100, berea
- big hill foodmart llc, berea
- clowers grocery, richmond
- casey's 4661, richmond
- casey's 4666, richmond
- casey's 4668, richmond
- circle k 2723255, berea
- circle k 2723256, berea
- circle k 4703257, richmond
- clark's pump-n-shop 89, berea
- college foodmart, richmond
- corner store, richmond
- eastern kentucky university, richmond
- easy stop & shop, richmond
- estepp's #1015 1015, richmond
- fifty mart, richmond
- goodstop 4663, richmond
- gulf food mart, richmond
- hb, llc/fast lane, richmond
- k & k quickmart, richmond
- love' travel stops & country stores, inc 291, richmond
- lt foodmart, richmond
- meijer gas station 258, richmond
- mi pueblo of richmond llc, richmond
- mk&h llc, richmond
- ms oil llc, richmond
- murphy usa 5679, richmond
- neighbors market, richmond
- q zone 3, richmond
- q-zone 1, richmond
- redi mart 009, berea
- redi mart 017, richmond
- redi mart 12, richmond
- redi mart 53, richmond
- redi mart 6, richmond
- redi mart 60, richmond
- redi mart 8, berea
- shell food mart, berea
- silver creek market, berea
- southern hills food mart, richmond
- speedway 8496, berea
- speedway 9210, richmond
- speedway 9711, richmond
- super shell foodmart inc, berea
- three star, richmond
- uni point mart, richmond
- valero food mart, berea
- waco grocery, waco
- z investments llc, richmond
Combination Grocery/Other · 23
- big lots 3103, richmond
- cvs pharmacy 6346, richmond
- dollar general 1057, richmond
- dollar general 2620, richmond
- dollar general 6109, richmond
- dollar general 6561, richmond
- dollartree 9458, berea
- dollartree plus 9243, richmond
- dollar general 13228, richmond
- dollar general 13771, richmond
- dollar general 14045, berea
- dollar general 15679, berea
- dollar general 15754, berea
- dollar general 15859, richmond
- dollar general 20940, berea
- dollar general 21170, berea
- dollar general 31108, waco
- dollar general 6957, berea
- dollar tree 28, richmond
- dollar tree 4875, berea
- family dollar 636, richmond
- walgreens 11796, berea
- walgreens 15561, richmond
Super Store · 4
- kroger #l-00705 l705, richmond
- meijer 258, richmond
- walmart 1190, berea
- walmart supercenter 719, richmond
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 44063, richmond
- richmond save a lot 21491, richmond
- save a lot berea 24495, berea
Delivery Route · 1
- southern choice meat & seafood, richmond
Farmers' Market · 1
- madison county farmers market, richmond
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- uncle charlie meats, richmond
Small Grocery Store · 1
- happy meadow natural foods, berea
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kentucky
Compare Madison County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Food access nationally, Kentucky in context
Madison 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 Madison County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Madison County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Madison County? ▼
Is Madison County a food desert? ▼
What share of Madison 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.