Signature · 9.3% low-access (19th pct)
Owen County, KY
Owen County lands in the lower national band on low-access (9.3%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 9.3%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 11.7%
- on SNAP
- 11K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Owen County, KY
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-MODERATE 9.3% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -12.8 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 11.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Lawrence County (+ 0.0 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Owen County lands in the lower national band (9.3%, #2,539 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,539
- national by low-access %
- #60
- in KY
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 482
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 9.3% low-access (19th pct) (-12.8 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Owen County compares nationally
Owen County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.3% low-access share that beats 19% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,539).
Owen County's lower-band USDA tier split
3 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 3 of Owen 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.
Owen 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
- Casey 9.5
Casey 9.5%
9.5 % low-access
- Owen 9.3
Owen 9.3%
9.3 % low-access
- Lawrence 9.3
Lawrence 9.3%
9.3 % low-access
- Marshall 9.2
Marshall 9.2%
9.2 % low-access
- Hart 9
Hart 9%
9 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 3 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 10,841 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,006 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.3%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 482 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,330 |
| Median Household Income | $61,134 |
| Poverty Rate | 18.3%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 496 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.7%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
SNAP retailers in Owen County
Owen County has 13 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 6 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 13 authorized stores; Owenton holds 85% of them. 2 of the 3 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Sparta, Worthville.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Owenton | 11 | 2 |
| Sparta | 1 | none |
| Worthville | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 6
- monterey market, owenton
- oc pawn & general store, owenton
- owenton food mart, owenton
- owenton hop shop 1411, owenton
- smittys food and gas, owenton
- sparta truck shop 1, sparta
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- dollar general 18325, owenton
- dollar general 253, owenton
- dollar general 23154, worthville
- dollar general 23467, owenton
- dollar general 24375, owenton
Large Grocery Store · 1
- npd llc, owenton
Supermarket · 1
- owenton save-a-lot, owenton
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 Owen County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Owen County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Owen 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 (9.3% here).
- Somerset County, ME · 9.3% low-access
- Oceana County, MI · 9.3% low-access
- Clinton County, NY · 9.3% low-access
- Surry County, NC · 9.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (11.7% here).
- Montgomery County, KS · 11.7% SNAP
- Crawford County, IN · 11.7% SNAP
- Midland County, MI · 11.7% SNAP
- Grenada County, MS · 11.7% 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.
Kentucky among East South Central states
Kentucky ranks 4th of 4 East South Central states by population-weighted low-access (19.8%). Owen County, at 9.3%, runs 10.5 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 Owen County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21187. 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.