Signature · 0.7% low-access (3rd pct)
Shelby County, KY
Shelby County lands in the lower national band on low-access (0.7%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 0.7%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 8.5%
- on SNAP
- 49K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Shelby County, KY
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 0.7% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -21.4 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.5% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Bracken County ( -0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Shelby County lands in the lower national band (0.7%, #3,037 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #3,037
- national by low-access %
- #103
- in KY
- 0
- low-access tracts
- 144
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 0.7% low-access (3rd pct) (-21.4 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Shelby County compares nationally
Food access in Shelby County compares favorably nationally: its 0.7% 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 #3,037).
Shelby County's lower-band USDA tier split
9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Shelby County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (7 rural, 2 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 2 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Shelby 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
- Metcalfe 0.8
Metcalfe 0.8%
0.8 % 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
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 42,074 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 0 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 274 |
| Low-Access Share | 0.7%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 144 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 49,096 |
| Median Household Income | $82,604 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,567 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.0% |
Thick SNAP store book in Shelby County
Shelby County has 33 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
3 towns share the 33 authorized stores; Shelbyville holds 76% of them. 2 of the 3 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Simpsonville, Waddy.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Shelbyville | 25 | 5 |
| Simpsonville | 4 | none |
| Waddy | 4 | none |
Convenience Store · 17
- casey's 5151, shelbyville
- circle k 2723331, shelbyville
- cuberts quick stop, shelbyville
- fivestar 9076, shelbyville
- huck's 380, simpsonville
- huck's 381, shelbyville
- huck's 382, shelbyville
- love' travel stops & country stores, inc 303, waddy
- murphy usa 7848, shelbyville
- pilot travel center 354, simpsonville
- pilot travel center 663, waddy
- shelbyville valero, shelbyville
- sky market, shelbyville
- speedway 9329, waddy
- speedway 9540, shelbyville
- speedway 9639, shelbyville
- thorntons llc 262092, shelbyville
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- cvs pharmacy 10200, shelbyville
- dollar general 0199, shelbyville
- dollar general 18641, shelbyville
- dollar general 15356, simpsonville
- dollar general 21175, waddy
- dollar tree 2999, shelbyville
- family dollar 638, shelbyville
- walgreen 09443, shelbyville
Small Grocery Store · 3
- la guatemex, shelbyville
- la tienda yanely, shelbyville
- tienda genesis, simpsonville
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- la michoacana, inc, shelbyville
- latino supermercado, shelbyville
Super Store · 2
- kroger 0777, shelbyville
- walmart s/c 497, shelbyville
Supermarket · 1
- save a lot shelbyville 24879, shelbyville
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 Shelby County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Shelby County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Shelby 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 (0.7% here).
- Owen County, IN · 0.7% low-access
- Lumpkin County, GA · 0.7% low-access
- Long County, GA · 0.7% low-access
- Lanier County, GA · 0.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (8.5% here).
- Knox County, ME · 8.5% SNAP
- Delaware County, IA · 8.5% SNAP
- Newton County, IN · 8.5% SNAP
- Washtenaw County, MI · 8.5% 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%). Shelby County, at 0.7%, runs 19.1 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 Shelby County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21211. 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.