Signature · 6 LILA tracts (35.3% of tracts)

McCracken County, KY

McCracken County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 6 LILA tracts (35.3% of the book) alongside 38.9% low-access.

38.9%
low-access pop.
6
food-desert tracts
10.0%
on SNAP
68K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 KY

USDA FARA access plate

County McCracken County, KY

LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE

  • LA-ELEVATED 38.9% low-access
  • ABOVE-NATIONAL +16.8 pts vs US
  • LILA-CLUSTER 6 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-LIGHT 10.0% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 6.2% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-DENSE 35% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Oldham County ( -0.1 pts)

Upper-band low-access

McCracken County sits in the upper national band (38.9%, #442 of 3,079) with 6 LILA tracts.

#442
national by low-access %
#6
in KY
13
low-access tracts
10K
food-desert residents

Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.

Signature read: 6 LILA tracts (35.3% of tracts) .

How McCracken County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, McCracken County's 38.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 86% of them and ranked #444 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

McCracken County's elevated USDA tier split

17 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 6 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for McCracken County, KY USDA-defined food-access tiers: 4 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 7 limited, 6 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 17 tracts evaluated. 4 tracts adequate (23.5%) 7 tracts limited (41.2%) 6 tracts severe / food desert (35.3%) Adequate 24% Limited 41% Severe 35% Food-access tier distribution: McCracken County, KY
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, McCracken County has 14 urban and 3 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.

McCracken County vs nearby high low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in Kentucky, not a full county-board reprint

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

FARA 2019 · elevated low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for McCracken County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts17
Atlas Population (2010 basis)65,565
Low-Access Tracts13
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)6
Low-Access Population25,493
Low-Access Share38.9%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population9,948

ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for McCracken County
IndicatorValue
Population67,564
Median Household Income$64,373
Poverty Rate15.2%near the national average
SNAP Households2,750
SNAP Participation Rate10.0%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.2%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.8%

Thick SNAP store book in McCracken County

McCracken County has 68 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 29 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 29

  • 7 hill station, west paducah
  • corner mart, paducah
  • fivestar 7616, paducah
  • fivestar 7620, paducah
  • fivestar 7621, paducah
  • fivestar 7622, paducah
  • fivestar 7624, paducah
  • fivestar 7625, paducah
  • fivestar 7626, paducah
  • fivestar 7627, paducah
  • fivestar 7675, paducah
  • huck's 377, paducah
  • huck's 378, paducah
  • huck's 406, paducah
  • huck's food & fuel 365, paducah
  • ideal market 19, paducah
  • in n out market place, paducah
  • jignesh inc, paducah
  • max's 135, paducah
  • max's 138, paducah
  • minit mart 4464, paducah
  • murphy express 8580, paducah
  • murphy usa 5701, paducah
  • pockets 117, paducah
  • reidland mart na, paducah
  • rhodes convenience stores, inc 460, paducah
  • rhodes convenience stores, inc. 450, paducah
  • rhodes convenience stores, inc. 455, paducah
  • sonny's food mart # 2, paducah

Combination Grocery/Other · 26

  • cvs pharmacy 2586, paducah
  • cvs pharmacy 6376, paducah
  • cvs pharmacy 6379, paducah
  • dollar general 19640, paducah
  • dollar general 2095, paducah
  • dollar general 2115, paducah
  • dollar general 3691, paducah
  • dollar general 4146, paducah
  • dollar general 7770, paducah
  • dollar general 12312, kevil
  • dollar general 12746, paducah
  • dollar general 15157, paducah
  • dollar general 15883, paducah
  • dollar general 20963, paducah
  • dollar general 25210, paducah
  • dollar general store 17656, paducah
  • dollar tree 1940, paducah
  • dollar tree 3318, paducah
  • dollar tree 7302, paducah
  • family dollar store 1751, paducah
  • family dollar store 3973, paducah
  • family dollar 10081, paducah
  • family dollar store 6321, paducah
  • garrett farms, paducah
  • walgreen 09253, paducah
  • walgreens 06429, paducah

Super Store · 7

  • kroger 250, paducah
  • kroger 338, paducah
  • kroger 414, paducah
  • sam's club 6449, paducah
  • super valu foods - 001 001, paducah
  • walmart 431, paducah
  • walmart s/c 491, paducah

Supermarket · 3

  • aldi 63, paducah
  • food giant 512, paducah
  • super valu foods - 002 002, paducah

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • hughes market & meat processing inc., west paducah

Seafood Specialty · 1

  • paducah fish market, paducah

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • bnu outlet, paducah

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 McCracken County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →

Counties near McCracken County's elevated low-access or SNAP band

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for McCracken 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 (38.9% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (10.0% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

McCracken County inside a higher low-access state context

McCracken 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 McCracken County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21145. 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.