Signature · 14.7% low-access (32nd pct)
Marion County, KY
Marion County lands in the lower national band on low-access (14.7%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 14.7%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 15.3%
- on SNAP
- 20K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Marion County, KY
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 14.7% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -7.4 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 15.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 17% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Mercer County (+ 0.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Marion County lands in the lower national band (14.7%, #2,138 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,138
- national by low-access %
- #47
- in KY
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 14.7% low-access (32nd pct) (-7.4 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Marion County compares nationally
Marion County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.7% low-access share that beats 32% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,140).
Marion County's lower-band USDA tier split
6 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Marion County has 1 urban and 5 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Marion 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
- Livingston 15.4
Livingston 15.4%
15.4 % low-access
- Marion 14.7
Marion 14.7%
14.7 % low-access
- Mercer 14.7
Mercer 14.7%
14.7 % low-access
- Montgomery 14.6
Montgomery 14.6%
14.6 % low-access
- Bell 14
Bell 14%
14 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 19,820 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,912 |
| Low-Access Share | 14.7%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,426 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 19,749 |
| Median Household Income | $59,627 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.0%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,183 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.3% |
SNAP retailers in Marion County
Marion County has 22 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 10 locations (45% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- dollar general 7363, lebanon
- dollar general 7455, loretto
- dollar general 22084, lebanon
- dollar general 22326, gravel switch
- dollar general 25004, lebanon
- dollar general 31062, bradfordsville
- dollar tree 4046, lebanon
- family dollar 12849, loretto
- loretto butcher shop llc, loretto
- walgreens 12076, lebanon
Convenience Store · 8
- calvary store, lebanon
- country convenience mart, lebanon
- fivestar 5100, lebanon
- fivestar 4950, lebanon
- la chiapaneca, lebanon
- murphy usa 7454, lebanon
- ready mart, lebanon
- woodlawn grocery, lebanon
Super Store · 2
- kroger #l-00730 l730, lebanon
- walmart supercenter 1675, lebanon
Large Grocery Store · 1
- loretto foodland, loretto
Small Grocery Store · 1
- superior food market, bradfordsville
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 Marion County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Marion County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Marion 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 (14.7% here).
- St. Martin Parish, LA · 14.7% low-access
- St. Martin Parish, LA · 14.7% low-access
- Calaveras County, CA · 14.7% low-access
- Calaveras County, CA · 14.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (15.3% here).
- Wapello County, IA · 15.3% SNAP
- Wapello County, IA · 15.3% SNAP
- Washington County, MD · 15.3% SNAP
- Washington County, MD · 15.3% 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.
Marion County inside a lower low-access state context
Marion County sits inside Kentucky (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Marion County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21155. 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.