Signature · 3.9% low-access (8th pct)
Nelson County, KY
Nelson County lands in the lower national band on low-access (3.9%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 3.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 9.7%
- on SNAP
- 48K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Nelson County, KY
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 3.9% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -18.2 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 2.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Russell County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Nelson County lands in the lower national band (3.9%, #2,874 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,874
- national by low-access %
- #82
- in KY
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 571
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 3.9% low-access (8th pct) (-18.2 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Nelson County compares nationally
Food access in Nelson County compares favorably nationally: its 3.9% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 8% of them (rank #2,874).
Nelson County's lower-band USDA tier split
9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Nelson County has 1 urban and 8 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.
Nelson 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
- Whitley 4.2
Whitley 4.2%
4.2 % low-access
- Russell 4
Russell 4%
4 % low-access
- Nelson 3.9
Nelson 3.9%
3.9 % low-access
- Hickman 3.7
Hickman 3.7%
3.7 % low-access
- Henry 3.6
Henry 3.6%
3.6 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 43,437 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,681 |
| Low-Access Share | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 571 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 47,606 |
| Median Household Income | $69,562 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,866 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 2.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.2% |
Thick SNAP store book in Nelson County
Nelson County has 42 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 5 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 23 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 23
- 150 quick stop, bardstown
- 31 - e food mart, bardstown
- bardstown express, bardstown
- blazers food mart 1, bloomfield
- chaplin mini mart, chaplin
- circle k 4703332, bardstown
- culver's country kwik mart, new haven
- fairfield grocery, fairfield
- fast mart, bardstown
- fivestar 1135, bardstown
- fivestar 1493, bardstown
- fivestar 1500, bardstown
- fivestar 1550, bardstown
- fivestar 1851, bardstown
- fivestar 2265, coxs creek
- fivestar 6610, new haven
- handy food mart, bardstown
- in n out food mart, bardstown
- m & m, new haven
- murphy usa 7111, bardstown
- rooster run general store, coxs creek
- speedy mart, bardstown
- thompson's food mart, bardstown
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- dollar general 0055, bloomfield
- dollar general 8199, new haven
- dollar general 8651, coxs creek
- dollar general 12937, boston
- dollar general 15753, bardstown
- dollar general 19683, bardstown
- dollar general 21513, coxs creek
- dollar general 23545, bardstown
- dollar general 31163, bardstown
- dollar general 81, bardstown
- dollar tree 2504, bardstown
- walgreens 11307, bardstown
Super Store · 5
- boone's butcher shop, bardstown
- bardstown save a lot 23254, bardstown
- dollar general market 12017, bardstown
- kroger #l-00408 l408, bardstown
- walmart s/c 729, bardstown
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- olde delaney's, bardstown
Supermarket · 1
- houchens iga 048, new haven
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 Nelson County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Nelson County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Nelson 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 (3.9% here).
- Allegany County, NY · 3.9% low-access
- Allegany County, NY · 3.9% low-access
- Harrisonburg city, VA · 3.9% low-access
- Harrisonburg city, VA · 3.9% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (9.7% here).
- Neosho County, KS · 9.7% SNAP
- Neosho County, KS · 9.7% SNAP
- Charles County, MD · 9.7% SNAP
- Charles County, MD · 9.7% 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.
Nelson County inside a lower low-access state context
Nelson 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 Nelson County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21179. 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.