County food-access profile · Kentucky
Pulaski County, KY
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Pulaski 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).
- 23.7%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 15.2%
- on SNAP
- 66K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
23.7% of Pulaski County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 14 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 5.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.7%
- 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 Pulaski County's low-access share at 23.7%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 14 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 14,918 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,978 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 Pulaski County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Pulaski County's 23.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 56% of them and ranked #1,387 most-affected nationwide.
Pulaski County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 14 census tracts in Pulaski County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Pulaski County vs. other Kentucky counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kentucky
- Pulaski
Pulaski County, KY
23.7 % 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 | 14 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 63,063 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 14,918 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.7%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,978 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 65,897 |
| Median Household Income | $51,898 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.7%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,994 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.2%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
About 15.2% of Pulaski County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 23.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,994 households here.
- 5.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Pulaski County
above the national share
2 of Pulaski County's 14 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.3% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 14,918 residents, roughly 23.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,978 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (64.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Pulaski County
Pulaski County has 94 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 44 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 44
- 1830 somerset ky llc, somerset
- 1990 somerset ky llc, somerset
- 3002 somerset ky llc, somerset
- 39 market, somerset
- 914 express 11, somerset
- 954 south highway 27 leasing llc 2655933, somerset
- a&r grocery, somerset
- burnside shell, burnside
- corner mart, somerset
- cruise mart, science hill
- cumberland food mart, somerset
- cumberland food mart 2, somerset
- cumberland shell, somerset
- d&d shell, science hill
- davis grocery, burnside
- eastway market 10, burnside
- eubank valero, eubank
- fivestar 9840, somerset
- hampton's service center, burnside
- henderson fuel, nancy
- ian's market, somerset
- jai dholama inc, somerset
- jasper mini mart, somerset
- jay dola investment 2 inc/ lakeway shell, somerset
- jay gayatri 1 inc, bronston
- king xpress, somerset
- main street deli, somerset
- midtown express mart 1005, somerset
- murphy usa 5812, somerset
- nelson valley grocery, somerset
- peacock express, somerset
- poppa's quik stop 10, bronston
- quickmart, somerset
- river bend cafe and mercantile, somerset
- s& m food mart, crab orchard
- slate branch super shop, somerset
- saavan corporation, somerset
- shell 80, somerset
- southern bp, somerset
- southern express, somerset
- speedway 9345, somerset
- speedway 9628, somerset
- swift mart, somerset
- valero express, somerset
Combination Grocery/Other · 37
- big lots 3109, somerset
- cvs pharmacy 6339, somerset
- dollar general 0202, somerset
- dollar general 1029, burnside
- dollar general 14244, eubank
- dollar general 18560, somerset
- dollar general 18993, somerset
- dollar general 4454, science hill
- dollar general 7079, somerset
- dollar general 8431, somerset
- dine on a dime llc, somerset
- dollar general 12437, somerset
- dollar general 12645, bronston
- dollar general 12941, nancy
- dollar general 20002, burnside
- dollar general 20822, nancy
- dollar general 21675, ferguson
- dollar general 22333, eubank
- dollar general 22372, somerset
- dollar general 2269, somerset
- dollar general 24362, eubank
- dollar general 24510, eubank
- dollar general 25933, somerset
- dollar general 25988, somerset
- dollar general 31326, somerset
- dollar general 31345, somerset
- dollar general 31501, nancy
- dollar general 3785, somerset
- dollar tree 328, somerset
- dollar tree 6394, somerset
- family dollar 13734, burnside
- family dollar 5447, eubank
- family dollar store 4450, somerset
- family dollar store 4693, somerset
- family dollar store 5549, nancy
- from the vine, ferguson
- walgreens 7664, somerset
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 044, somerset
- crossroads iga 777, nancy
- houchen's hometown iga 53, somerset
- houchen's save a lot 414, somerset
- houchen's save a lot 415, somerset
Small Grocery Store · 3
- infatuated discounts, somerset
- nancy food mart, nancy
- tienda guatemala 1, somerset
Super Store · 3
- kroger 757, somerset
- kroger 745, somerset
- walmart supercenter 689, somerset
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- hillside pantry, eubank
- somerset seafood shopper, llc, somerset
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kentucky
Compare Pulaski County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Food access nationally, Kentucky in context
Pulaski 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 Pulaski County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Pulaski County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Pulaski County? ▼
Is Pulaski County a food desert? ▼
What share of Pulaski 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.