County food-access profile · Washington
Benton County, WA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Benton County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 22.8%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 14.8%
- on SNAP
- 213K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
22.8% of Benton County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 37 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 18
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 5.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.0%
- 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).
USDA data puts Benton County's low-access share at 22.8%, above the national share. 18 of the county's 37 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 40,007 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,158 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 Benton County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Benton County's 22.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 53% of them and ranked #1,464 most-affected nationwide.
Benton County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 37 census tracts in Benton County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Benton County vs. other Washington counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Washington
- Benton
Benton County, WA
22.8 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, WA
41.7 % low-access
- Asotin 13.8
Asotin County, WA
13.8 % low-access
- Chelan
Chelan County, WA
18.1 % low-access
- Clallam
Clallam County, WA
38.2 % low-access
- Clark
Clark County, WA
21.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 37 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 175,177 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 18 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 40,007 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.8%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,158 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 212,905 |
| Median Household Income | $89,874 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.0%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 11,533 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.8%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
About 14.8% of Benton County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 22.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 14.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 11,533 households here.
- 5.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Benton County
above the national share
5 of Benton County's 37 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 13.5% of all its tracts.
A further 13 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 18.
An estimated 40,007 residents, roughly 22.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,158 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 19 tracts (51.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Benton County
Benton County has 145 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 73 locations (50% of the total), followed by medium grocery store.
Convenience Store · 73
- 7 eleven 26088k, richland
- 7-eleven #25412d 25412, richland
- 7-eleven 14428g, richland
- bhullar c store, kennewick
- circle k #6031 2706031, kennewick
- circle k 2706026, richland
- circle k 2706029, kennewick
- circle k 2706030, kennewick
- circle k 2706033, kennewick
- circle k 2706034, kennewick
- circle k 2706035, kennewick
- circle k 2706036, kennewick
- circle k 2706037, west richland
- circle k 2706043, richland
- circle k 2706044, richland
- circle k 2706048, kennewick
- circle k stores 2706624, west richland
- circle k stores 2709662, kennewick
- city market, kennewick
- cottage market, prosser
- eastside market, prosser
- european delights, kennewick
- finley shopper, kennewick
- friends corner 3, kennewick
- garfield mart, kennewick
- general store, kennewick
- golden triangle asian market, kennewick
- island view market & deli, richland
- jacksons food stores # 661 661, benton city
- jacksons food stores # 662 662, west richland
- jacksons food stores # 664 664, richland
- jacksons food stores # 665 665, kennewick
- jacksons food stores # 667 667, kennewick
- jet mart conoco, kennewick
- kennedy mart, west richland
- lee's market, west richland
- love's travel stop 681, prosser
- lucky food mart, richland
- max mart, kennewick
- maverik 504, kennewick
- maverik, inc 448, richland
- max mart truckstop, kennewick
- mccorkle's market, prosser
- metro mart 3, kennewick
- mr g's bottle & food shop, kennewick
- neighbors conoco, richland
- north prosser market 1 llc, prosser
- one stop mart 11, richland
- one stop mart 12, richland
- pacific food mart, kennewick
- pacific mini mart, kennewick
- paradise food mart, west richland
- pik a pop 8, kennewick
- pit stop food mart, west richland
- prosser foodmart, prosser
- prosser korners, prosser
- prosser mini mart, prosser
- ptm market, prosser
- quiktrip gas & food, richland
- queensgate food mart, richland
- ron's food mart, kennewick
- rocket mart, richland
- rocket mart, kennewick
- rocket mart 8, richland
- royal mart 104, kennewick
- s & s petroleum 62506, richland
- s & s petroleum 62507, kennewick
- smoke and beer, kennewick
- sunshine nw llc, benton city
- swift stop 1, richland
- total stop, kennewick
- town mart, kennewick
- vista mart, kennewick
Medium Grocery Store · 15
- al basha market and smoke shop llc, kennewick
- carniceria el nino, prosser
- carniceria el sol, benton city
- carniceria tres pueblos, kennewick
- family food llc, kennewick
- golden dragon grocery, kennewick
- garcia's market llc, prosser
- highlands organic market, kennewick
- juanitos prime meats llc, kennewick
- kitchen and spice market, richland
- leyte oriental store, richland
- perez meat market, west richland
- perez meat market, west richland
- sm produce for less, kennewick
- somer bakery llc, kennewick
Super Store · 14
- costco pharmacy 1718, richland
- costco wholesale 0486, kennewick
- fred meyer 163, kennewick
- fred meyer 286, richland
- grocery outlet 562, prosser
- grocery outlet of richland 421, richland
- kabana-king 3, kennewick
- target store t-0830, kennewick
- target store t-2314, richland
- walmart 2101, kennewick
- walmart 3261, richland
- yoke's fresh market 13, kennewick
- yoke's fresh market 14, west richland
- yoke's fresh market 15, richland
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- cvs pharmacy 11638, kennewick
- carniceria madrigal tri-cities n/a, west richland
- dollartree 9258, prosser
- dollar general 21945, benton city
- dollar tree 2566, richland
- dollar tree 2696, kennewick
- dollar tree 3450, kennewick
- dollar tree 7823, richland
- walgreens 09113, kennewick
- walgreens 09596, richland
- walgreens 10195, kennewick
- walgreens 10478, richland
Supermarket · 12
- albertsons 3253, kennewick
- grocery outlet of kennewick 119, kennewick
- kabana-king, richland
- kennewick red apple market, kennewick
- lep-re-kon harvest foods 8, benton city
- lep-re-kon mart 7, prosser
- natural grocers u173, kennewick
- safeway 252, richland
- safeway 333, richland
- urm cash & carry #3, kennewick
- winco foods 002, kennewick
- winco foods 045, richland
Small Grocery Store · 8
- abarrotes mi ranchito, prosser
- carniceria el rodeo meat market, prosser
- carniceria la carreta llc, kennewick
- east africa grocery halal, kennewick
- euro market llc, kennewick
- la hacienda meat market, west richland
- tortilleria la suavecita, kennewick
- v5 market llc, benton city
Bakery Specialty · 6
- aub's bananza bread llc, richland
- franz bakery outlet 9047, richland
- papa murphy's 48209, richland
- papa murphy's pizza wa211, west richland
- papa murphy's take n bake pizza wa107, richland
- papa murphy's wa-003, kennewick
Farmers' Market · 3
- historic downtown kennewick farmer's market, kennewick
- kennewick farmers market 1, kennewick
- prosser farmers market 5097862399, prosser
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- family farm produce, prosser
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- templeman's market inc, kennewick
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Washington
Compare Benton County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Food access nationally, Washington in context
Benton County sits inside Washington (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 Benton County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Benton County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Benton County? ▼
Is Benton County a food desert? ▼
What share of Benton 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.