County food-access profile · Kentucky
Warren County, KY
Warren County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 16.0%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 12.8%
- on SNAP
- 141K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
16.0% of Warren County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
- 7.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.0%
- 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).
Warren County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 16.0% per the USDA Atlas. 10 of the county's 24 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 18,236 residents who live far from a supermarket. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 6,210 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 Warren County compares nationally
Warren County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 16.0% low-access share that beats 35% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,030).
Warren County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 24 census tracts in Warren County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Warren County vs. other Kentucky counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Kentucky
- Warren
Warren County, KY
16 % 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 | 24 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 113,792 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 18,236 |
| Low-Access Share | 16.0%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,210 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 140,918 |
| Median Household Income | $65,794 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.0%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,118 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.8%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.1%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.0% |
About 12.8% of Warren County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 16.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,118 households here.
- 7.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Warren County
near the national share
4 of Warren County's 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 16.7% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 18,236 residents, roughly 16.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 6,210 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 14 tracts (58.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Warren County
Warren County has 133 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 53 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 53
- 1 stop lovers lane, bowling green
- 185 quick mart, bowling green
- alvaton express, alvaton
- am express 9, bowling green
- bg food mart, bowling green
- bp fastrac, bowling green
- chevron food mart, bowling green
- chevron gas, bowling green
- crossroads iga 776, bowling green
- exxon fastrac, bowling green
- fivestar 1900, bowling green
- fivestar 1910, bowling green
- fivestar 1925, bowling green
- fivestar 1930, bowling green
- flex market, bowling green
- gas n go, bowling green
- huck's #397, bowling green
- huck's 394, bowling green
- huck's 395, bowling green
- huck's 396, bowling green
- iga express 802, bowling green
- iga express 828, bowling green
- iga express 837, bowling green
- iga express 838, bowling green
- iga express 839, bowling green
- iga express shell 858, bowling green
- iga express shell 870, bowling green
- iga express shell 873, bowling green
- iga express shell 874, bowling green
- iga express shell 875, bowling green
- jr food store 813, bowling green
- la placita, bowling green
- minit mart 4413, bowling green
- minit mart 4413, bowling green
- minit mart 4415, bowling green
- minit mart 4416, bowling green
- minit mart 4417, bowling green
- minit mart 4418, bowling green
- minit mart 4419, bowling green
- minit mart 4420, bowling green
- minit mart 4421, bowling green
- plano c-store, bowling green
- racetrac 2607 2607, bowling green
- speedway 5462, bowling green
- speedway 7179, smiths grove
- speedway 8646, bowling green
- speedway 9370, bowling green
- speedway 9626, bowling green
- ta smiths grove 0468, smiths grove
- tienda el manantial, bowling green
- united gas & food, bowling green
- vietnam market, bowling green
- western kentucky university pod market, bowling green
Combination Grocery/Other · 33
- abby's 3 international market llc, bowling green
- abby's international african market 426, bowling green
- cvs pharmacy 6423, bowling green
- cvs pharmacy 6422, bowling green
- dollar general 0496, bowling green
- dollar general 13807, bowling green
- dollar general 14191, rockfield
- dollar general 2120, bowling green
- dollar general 2558, bowling green
- dollar general 3125, bowling green
- dollar general 4089, smiths grove
- dollar general 8791, bowling green
- dollar general 8823, bowling green
- dollartree 10647, bowling green
- delafield co-op market, bowling green
- dollar general 12266, bowling green
- dollar general 20673, bowling green
- dollar general 20934, bowling green
- dollar general 24877, bowling green
- dollar general 25798, bowling green
- dollar general 30589, bowling green
- dollar general 31393, bowling green
- dollar general store 16395, bowling green
- dollar tree 49, bowling green
- dollar tree 6425, bowling green
- dollar tree 7695, bowling green
- family dollar store 10029, bowling green
- family dollar store 4263, bowling green
- hannah grocery, bowling green
- naacin asian market, bowling green
- walgreen 04448, bowling green
- walgreens 07685, bowling green
- walgreens 13815, bowling green
Medium Grocery Store · 13
- almadina international market, bowling green
- bowling green intl grocery 2 dba jasmine intl groc, bowling green
- family asian grocery, bowling green
- glory asian market, bowling green
- international supermarket and cafe no, bowling green
- lungdam market inc, bowling green
- m & k asian grocery, bowling green
- mediterranean food store inc, bowling green
- mercadito hispano, bowling green
- msk international grocery llc, bowling green
- nan asian market, bowling green
- sud kivu international market llc, bowling green
- umoja international market, llc, bowling green
Supermarket · 11
- aldi 043, bowling green
- crossroads iga 770, smiths grove
- crossroads iga 779, bowling green
- crossroads iga 781, bowling green
- crossroads iga 789, bowling green
- gordon food service store mp142, bowling green
- houchens crossroads iga 773, bowling green
- houchens crossroads iga 774, bowling green
- price less iga 484, bowling green
- price less iga 485, bowling green
- store name crossroads express 852, bowling green
Super Store · 10
- dollar general 21328, bowling green
- dollar general market 9811, bowling green
- kroger 0585, bowling green
- kroger 509, bowling green
- kroger 535, bowling green
- meijer 272, bowling green
- sam's club 4876, bowling green
- target store 958, bowling green
- walmart 5236, bowling green
- walmart supercenter 299, bowling green
Small Grocery Store · 8
- blessing asian grocery, bowling green
- carniceria cuautepec llc, bowling green
- chin asian grocery, bowling green
- el guajiro market, bowling green
- guateusa, bowling green
- la del sol llc, bowling green
- las palmas, bowling green
- saigon asian market, bowling green
Farmers' Market · 3
- barren river berries, bowling green
- community farmers market, inc, bowling green
- soky marketplace, bowling green
Delivery Route · 1
- mobile grocery of bowling green, inc., bowling green
Large Grocery Store · 1
- teeltui zuasiam asian market llc, bowling green
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Kentucky
Compare Warren County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Food access nationally, Kentucky in context
Warren 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 Warren County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Warren County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Warren County? ▼
Is Warren County a food desert? ▼
What share of Warren 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.