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PantryPath Research · WIC Coverage Atlas

WIC in Kentucky

52.8% coverage

Kentucky's WIC program reaches 52.8% of eligible residents — an estimated 76,000 participants out of 144,000 who qualify. That leaves 68,000 pregnant women, infants, and young children eligible but not receiving WIC's food package or nutrition counseling.

144K

WIC eligibles

76K

Participants (FY2024 avg)

68K

Unserved eligibles

120

Counties

Kentucky by county

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Toggle between estimated WIC eligibles, unserved gap, low-income child counts, and child-poverty share. Hover a county for its exact value.

Note: USDA does not publish sub-state WIC participation, so every county in Kentucky inherits the state's 52.8% coverage rate. County-level eligibles are allocated from state totals in proportion to the county's share of low-income children under 6 (ACS B17024). See methodology.

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Kentucky at a glance

Coverage rate

52.8%

Participants ÷ eligibles

Participation gap

47.2%

1 − coverage

Eligibles

144K

USDA FNS FY2022

Participants

76K

Monthly avg FY2024

Unserved

68K

Eligibles − participants

Kids < 6 low-income

138K

43.9% of universe

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 120 counties in Kentucky.

Most WIC eligibles

Estimated eligible population

  1. 1 Jefferson 25K
  2. 2 Fayette 10K
  3. 3 Warren 5K
  4. 4 Kenton 5K
  5. 5 Christian 5K

Largest unserved gap

Eligibles not receiving WIC

  1. 1 Jefferson 12K
  2. 2 Fayette 5K
  3. 3 Warren 2K
  4. 4 Kenton 2K
  5. 5 Christian 2K

Highest child-poverty share

Children < 6 at ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 Wolfe 91.5%
  2. 2 Leslie 84.0%
  3. 3 McCreary 78.6%
  4. 4 Magoffin 78.3%
  5. 5 Owsley 76.1%

Every county in Kentucky

All 120 counties with WIC eligibility estimates, unserved gap, and ACS child-poverty context.

County Eligibles est. Participants est. Unserved est. Kids < 6 low-income Poverty share
Adair 521 275 246 500 45.1%
Allen 571 301 270 548 36.8%
Anderson 731 386 345 701 37.6%
Ballard 194 102 92 186 43.1%
Barren 1,680 887 793 1,612 54.5%
Bath 650 343 307 624 60.0%
Bell 974 514 460 935 56.3%
Boone 2,214 1,168 1,046 2,124 20.5%
Bourbon 632 333 299 606 39.5%
Boyd 1,376 726 650 1,320 46.2%
Boyle 1,018 537 481 977 49.0%
Bracken 438 231 207 420 65.8%
Breathitt 593 313 280 569 68.3%
Breckinridge 730 385 345 700 58.0%
Bullitt 1,708 902 806 1,639 32.2%
Butler 443 234 209 425 56.5%
Caldwell 206 109 97 198 25.7%
Calloway 805 425 380 772 39.1%
Campbell 1,149 606 543 1,102 18.6%
Carlisle 235 124 111 225 65.6%
Carroll 451 238 213 433 53.0%
Carter 731 386 345 701 38.4%
Casey 831 438 393 797 70.4%
Christian 4,663 2,461 2,202 4,474 57.0%
Clark 912 481 431 875 36.8%
Clay 908 479 429 871 67.7%
Clinton 327 173 154 314 51.8%
Crittenden 348 184 164 334 60.3%
Cumberland 276 146 130 265 44.0%
Daviess 3,753 1,981 1,772 3,601 45.0%
Edmonson 321 169 152 308 51.8%
Elliott 252 133 119 242 53.8%
Estill 350 185 165 336 36.3%
Fayette 9,756 5,149 4,607 9,361 43.6%
Fleming 617 326 291 592 46.5%
Floyd 1,399 738 661 1,342 55.0%
Franklin 1,565 826 739 1,502 44.2%
Fulton 197 104 93 189 56.9%
Gallatin 251 133 118 241 40.2%
Garrard 556 293 263 533 46.4%
Grant 743 392 351 713 37.2%
Graves 1,907 1,007 900 1,830 61.7%
Grayson 1,085 573 512 1,041 54.0%
Green 463 244 219 444 56.6%
Greenup 716 378 338 687 30.7%
Hancock 289 152 137 277 44.9%
Hardin 2,885 1,523 1,362 2,768 34.5%
Harlan 1,005 530 475 964 56.9%
Harrison 405 214 191 389 29.7%
Hart 744 393 351 714 54.1%
Henderson 1,724 910 814 1,654 56.4%
Henry 510 269 241 489 45.7%
Hickman 72 38 34 69 31.8%
Hopkins 1,607 848 759 1,542 52.2%
Jackson 448 237 211 430 45.9%
Jefferson 24,715 13,044 11,671 23,714 42.1%
Jessamine 1,669 881 788 1,601 42.5%
Johnson 984 519 465 944 60.8%
Kenton 4,904 2,588 2,316 4,705 36.2%
Knott 453 239 214 435 57.1%
Knox 1,637 864 773 1,571 74.4%
Larue 354 187 167 340 37.6%
Laurel 2,103 1,110 993 2,018 45.2%
Lawrence 780 411 369 748 69.3%
Lee 306 162 144 294 60.9%
Leslie 564 298 266 541 84.0%
Letcher 771 407 364 740 65.8%
Lewis 505 267 238 485 57.7%
Lincoln 1,021 539 482 980 54.5%
Livingston 340 179 161 326 61.3%
Logan 803 424 379 770 38.5%
Lyon 187 98 89 179 55.6%
Madison 2,622 1,384 1,238 2,516 40.2%
Magoffin 642 339 303 616 78.3%
Marion 764 403 361 733 52.0%
Marshall 945 499 446 907 40.6%
Martin 445 235 210 427 72.6%
Mason 748 395 353 718 59.0%
McCracken 2,470 1,304 1,166 2,370 51.8%
McCreary 845 446 399 811 78.6%
McLean 179 95 84 172 28.1%
Meade 578 305 273 555 29.1%
Menifee 279 147 132 268 65.8%
Mercer 869 459 410 834 47.1%
Metcalfe 343 181 162 329 47.8%
Monroe 508 268 240 487 60.4%
Montgomery 823 435 388 790 43.4%
Morgan 627 331 296 602 65.6%
Muhlenberg 1,004 530 474 963 49.2%
Nelson 1,132 597 535 1,086 30.9%
Nicholas 256 135 121 246 55.2%
Ohio 690 364 326 662 44.7%
Oldham 707 373 334 678 16.1%
Owen 408 215 193 391 49.9%
Owsley 205 108 97 197 76.1%
Pendleton 456 241 215 438 46.3%
Perry 1,150 607 543 1,103 58.5%
Pike 1,879 992 887 1,803 52.4%
Powell 573 303 270 550 58.2%
Pulaski 2,219 1,171 1,048 2,129 50.4%
Robertson 52 28 24 50 38.2%
Rockcastle 518 273 245 497 46.8%
Rowan 1,213 640 573 1,164 74.8%
Russell 829 437 392 795 65.3%
Scott 1,255 662 593 1,204 26.8%
Shelby 1,140 602 538 1,094 31.1%
Simpson 813 429 384 780 56.4%
Spencer 335 177 158 321 24.0%
Taylor 779 411 368 747 41.0%
Todd 428 226 202 411 39.4%
Trigg 534 282 252 512 56.3%
Trimble 75 40 35 72 14.6%
Union 566 299 267 543 62.8%
Warren 4,964 2,620 2,344 4,763 44.9%
Washington 312 164 148 299 37.9%
Wayne 830 438 392 796 65.2%
Webster 429 227 202 412 41.1%
Whitley 1,647 869 778 1,580 50.9%
Wolfe 415 219 196 398 91.5%
Woodford 469 248 221 450 25.8%

Apply for WIC in Kentucky

Income limits, food-package rules, clinic locator, and application instructions specific to Kentucky's WIC agency.

Kentucky WIC guide

Families with children

Our population-specific guide: WIC, SNAP, school meals, Summer EBT, and pantry programs for families with kids in Kentucky.

Families guide

Kentucky SNAP

SNAP recipients are automatically income-eligible for WIC through adjunctive eligibility — often the fastest path to enrollment.

Kentucky SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search Kentucky's verified pantries — many partner with WIC clinics and distribute infant formula, baby food, and diapers.

Kentucky food pantries

WIC methodology

How we estimated county-level eligibles, why state coverage rates can't be disaggregated, and which data sources we used.

Full methodology