Signature · 4.2% low-access (9th pct)
Whitley County, KY
Whitley County lands in the lower national band on low-access (4.2%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 4.2%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 19.7%
- on SNAP
- 37K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Whitley County, KY
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ADEQUATE 4.2% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -17.9 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 19.7% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 8.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 13% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Russell County ( -0.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Whitley County lands in the lower national band (4.2%, #2,858 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,858
- national by low-access %
- #80
- in KY
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 875
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 4.2% low-access (9th pct) (-17.9 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Whitley County compares nationally
Food access in Whitley County compares favorably nationally: its 4.2% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 9% of them (rank #2,858).
Whitley County's lower-band USDA tier split
8 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Whitley County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (6 rural, 2 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 2 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Whitley 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
- Whitley 4.2
Whitley 4.2%
4.2 % low-access
- Russell 4
Russell 4%
4 % low-access
- Nelson 3.9
Nelson 3.9%
3.9 % low-access
- Hickman 3.7
Hickman 3.7%
3.7 % low-access
- Henry 3.6
Henry 3.6%
3.6 % low-access
- Ballard 0
Ballard 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 35,637 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,514 |
| Low-Access Share | 4.2%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 875 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 36,920 |
| Median Household Income | $44,615 |
| Poverty Rate | 26.3%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,670 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.7%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.4%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.7% |
Thick SNAP store book in Whitley County
Whitley County has 55 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 29 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
4 towns share the 55 authorized stores; Williamsburg holds 53% of them. 2 of the 4 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Rockholds, Siler.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Williamsburg | 29 | 4 |
| Corbin | 23 | 3 |
| Rockholds | 2 | none |
| Siler | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 29
- bell country store, corbin
- butchs food mart, williamsburg
- canada town market, williamsburg
- circle k 2723291, corbin
- circle k 2723292, corbin
- colonels market, williamsburg
- convenient food mart, corbin
- corbin shell food mart, corbin
- eaton's handi mart and hardware, corbin
- fast track, williamsburg
- gordon hill market, corbin
- granny's icon, rockholds
- harts bee creek market, corbin
- henderlight shell, williamsburg
- jay mataji 181 inc, williamsburg
- jones market, williamsburg
- jones' pit stop, williamsburg
- ky junction, williamsburg
- little mart, williamsburg
- mega mart, corbin
- one stop, corbin
- peace's store and restaurant, siler
- pilot travel center 437, williamsburg
- speedway 7606 7606, corbin
- speedy mart, corbin
- stop n save, williamsburg
- university market & deli, williamsburg
- vidisha inc - dba/ food mart, williamsburg
- williamsburg food mart, williamsburg
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- dollar general 0227, williamsburg
- dollar general 4535, corbin
- dollar general 6552, williamsburg
- dollar general 11323, corbin
- dollar general 15143, corbin
- dollar general 15905, williamsburg
- dollar general 17851, williamsburg
- dollar general 19957, williamsburg
- dollar general 22822, williamsburg
- dollar general 24947, rockholds
- dollar general 31604, corbin
- dollar general store 17981, corbin
- dollar tree 3452, corbin
- dollar tree 5610, williamsburg
- dollar tree 7217, corbin
- riverside produce, williamsburg
- walgreens 12111, corbin
Supermarket · 4
- houchens save a lot 078, williamsburg
- houchens save a lot 079, corbin
- houchens save a lot 170, williamsburg
- williamsburg iga 57, williamsburg
Super Store · 3
- kroger #l-00719 l719, corbin
- kroger #l-00760 l760, corbin
- walmart 1048, williamsburg
Farmers' Market · 1
- whitley county farmers market, williamsburg
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- moonlight meat processing inc, williamsburg
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 Whitley County vs Adair County → · All Kentucky counties →
Counties near Whitley County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Whitley 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 (4.2% here).
- Lake County, CA · 4.2% low-access
- Franklin County, NC · 4.2% low-access
- Winston County, AL · 4.2% low-access
- Pickens County, AL · 4.2% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside KY (19.7% here).
- Suffolk County, MA · 19.7% SNAP
- Colquitt County, GA · 19.7% SNAP
- Pueblo County, CO · 19.7% SNAP
- Muskogee County, OK · 19.7% 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%). Whitley County, at 4.2%, runs 15.6 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 Whitley County, KY are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 21235. 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.