Signature · 0.5% low-access (3rd pct)
Rockcastle County, KY
Rockcastle County lands in the lower national band on low-access (0.5%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 0.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 21.9%
- on SNAP
- 16K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Rockcastle County, KY
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 0.5% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -21.6 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 21.9% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 9.3% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Bracken County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Rockcastle County lands in the lower national band (0.5%, #3,048 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #3,048
- national by low-access %
- #107
- in KY
- 0
- low-access tracts
- 41
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 0.5% low-access (3rd pct) (-21.6 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Rockcastle County compares nationally
Food access in Rockcastle County compares favorably nationally: its 0.5% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 3% of them (rank #3,049).
Rockcastle County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Rockcastle County has 0 urban and 4 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.
Rockcastle 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
- Shelby 0.7
Shelby 0.7%
0.7 % low-access
- Bracken 0.6
Bracken 0.6%
0.6 % low-access
- Nicholas 0.6
Nicholas 0.6%
0.6 % low-access
- Pendleton 0.6
Pendleton 0.6%
0.6 % low-access
- Rockcastle 0.5
Rockcastle 0.5%
0.5 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 17,056 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 0 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 78 |
| Low-Access Share | 0.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 41 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 16,163 |
| Median Household Income | $48,862 |
| Poverty Rate | 25.6%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,434 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 21.9%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.3%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
SNAP retailers in Rockcastle County
Rockcastle County has 22 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 11 locations (50% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 11
- dollar general 0186, mount vernon
- dollar general 3858, mount vernon
- dollar general 10137, brodhead
- dollar general 20583, berea
- dollar general 21373, brodhead
- dollar general 21985, mount vernon
- dollar general 30763, mt. vernon
- family dollar store 1215, mount vernon
- family dollar 12357, livingston
- family dollar 12477, brodhead
- walgreens 17180, mount vernon
Convenience Store · 9
- bee jays grocery & gifts, berea
- grand food mart llc, mount vernon
- khushi rinku corp, brodhead
- livingston fm #21, livingston
- mt vernon c store, mount vernon
- peg food mart, mount vernon
- rachels kwik mart, mount vernon
- renfro east shell food mart, mount vernon
- renfro west shell food mart, mount vernon
Farmers' Market · 1
- rockcastle farmers market, mount vernon
Supermarket · 1
- houchens save a lot 143, mount vernon
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 Rockcastle County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Rockcastle County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Rockcastle 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 (0.5% here).
- Rabun County, GA · 0.6% low-access
- Macon County, GA · 0.4% low-access
- Candler County, GA · 0.6% low-access
- Bronx County, NY · 0.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (21.9% here).
- Jefferson Davis County, MS · 21.9% SNAP
- Jefferson Davis County, MS · 21.9% SNAP
- Ware County, GA · 21.9% SNAP
- Ware County, GA · 21.9% 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.
Rockcastle County inside a lower low-access state context
Rockcastle 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 Rockcastle County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21203. 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.