Signature · 1.8% low-access (5th pct)
Rowan County, KY
Rowan County lands in the lower national band on low-access (1.8%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 1.8%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 16.8%
- on SNAP
- 25K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Rowan County, KY
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 1.8% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -20.3 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 16.8% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 8.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Cumberland County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Rowan County lands in the lower national band (1.8%, #2,972 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,972
- national by low-access %
- #94
- in KY
- 0
- low-access tracts
- 314
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 1.8% low-access (5th pct) (-20.3 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Rowan County compares nationally
Food access in Rowan County compares favorably nationally: its 1.8% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 5% of them (rank #2,972).
Rowan County's lower-band USDA tier split
4 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 4 of Rowan 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.
Rowan 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
- Martin 2
Martin 2%
2 % low-access
- Cumberland 1.9
Cumberland 1.9%
1.9 % low-access
- Rowan 1.8
Rowan 1.8%
1.8 % low-access
- Bath 1.7
Bath 1.7%
1.7 % low-access
- Caldwell 1.7
Caldwell 1.7%
1.7 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 4 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 23,333 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 0 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 420 |
| Low-Access Share | 1.8%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 314 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 24,578 |
| Median Household Income | $54,321 |
| Poverty Rate | 24.2%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,610 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.8%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.4%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 12.3% |
Thick SNAP store book in Rowan County
Rowan County has 35 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 18 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 35 authorized stores; Morehead holds 91% of them. 2 of the 3 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Clearfield, Lakeview Heights.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Morehead | 32 | 4 |
| Clearfield | 2 | none |
| Lakeview Heights | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 18
- a1 market, morehead
- brooklyn belle market, morehead
- certified oil 4460, morehead
- day's resale bakery, morehead
- downtown bp llc, morehead
- eagle quick mart, morehead
- gem mart bp, morehead
- huck's 404, morehead
- liberty mart, morehead
- liberty mart, clearfield
- mama's market, morehead
- morehead shell, morehead
- morehead truck stop, morehead
- morehead valero 1, morehead
- pretty valley quick stop llc, clearfield
- speedway 9557, morehead
- speedway 9558, morehead
- zip zone express 19, morehead
Combination Grocery/Other · 13
- dollar general 0139, morehead
- dollar general 1022, morehead
- dollar general 14481, morehead
- dollar general 11885, morehead
- dollar general 15148, morehead
- dollar general 16062, morehead
- dollar general 22730, morehead
- dollar general 23416, morehead
- dollar general 24885, lakeview heights
- dollar general 25695, morehead
- dollar tree 7684, morehead
- family dollar store 2707, morehead
- walgreens 18010, morehead
Super Store · 2
- kroger #l-00734 l734, morehead
- walmart supercenter 1139, morehead
Supermarket · 2
- allen's iga, morehead
- houchens save a lot 241, morehead
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 Rowan County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Rowan County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Rowan 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 (1.8% here).
- Greene County, IL · 1.8% low-access
- Banks County, GA · 1.8% low-access
- Carroll County, IN · 1.9% low-access
- Union County, TN · 1.9% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (16.8% here).
- Androscoggin County, ME · 16.8% SNAP
- Roscommon County, MI · 16.8% SNAP
- Dallas County, MO · 16.8% SNAP
- Muscogee County, GA · 16.8% 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%). Rowan County, at 1.8%, runs 18.0 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 Rowan County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21205. 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.