County food-access profile · Washington
Clallam County, WA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Clallam 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).
- 38.2%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 13.0%
- on SNAP
- 78K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
38.2% of Clallam County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 21 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 11
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 5.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.6%
- 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 Clallam County's low-access share at 38.2%, above the national share. 11 of the county's 21 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 27,282 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,997 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 Clallam County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Clallam County's 38.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 85% of them and ranked #475 most-affected nationwide.
Clallam County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 21 census tracts in Clallam County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Clallam County vs. other Washington counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Washington
- Clallam
Clallam County, WA
38.2 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, WA
41.7 % low-access
- Asotin 13.8
Asotin County, WA
13.8 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, WA
22.8 % low-access
- Chelan
Chelan County, WA
18.1 % low-access
- Clark
Clark County, WA
21.7 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 21 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 71,404 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 11 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 27,282 |
| Low-Access Share | 38.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,997 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 77,813 |
| Median Household Income | $70,370 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,564 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.0%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.9% |
About 13.0% of Clallam County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 38.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,564 households here.
- 5.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Clallam County
above the national share
3 of Clallam County's 21 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.3% of all its tracts.
A further 8 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 11.
An estimated 27,282 residents, roughly 38.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,997 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 10 tracts (47.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Clallam County
Clallam County has 59 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 33 locations (56% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 33
- 101 outpost station, sequim
- 1st street market & deli, port angeles
- amk enterprises inc, port angeles
- arco ampm 7096, sequim
- c street mini mart & food, inc., port angeles
- carlsborg station, sequim
- circle k stores 2709657, forks
- dashmesh petroleum 13 inc, sequim
- evergreen 76, forks
- fairmount grocery, port angeles
- first street chevron, port angeles
- food mart, port angeles
- grandview grocery, port angeles
- hardy's market, sequim
- hess mart, clallam bay
- highway 101 food mart, port angeles
- laird's corner market, port angeles
- liberty 908, port angeles
- lincoln park grocery, port angeles
- lincoln street mobil, port angeles
- lonesome creek rv park & store, la push
- lower elwha food and fuel, port angeles
- makah mini mart, neah bay
- marine drive chevron, port angeles
- mt pleasant village igs, port angeles
- queets trading post, forks
- r-corner llc, port angeles
- rons food mart, forks
- sequim chevron, sequim
- sequim shell, sequim
- the beaver grocery store 604679183, beaver
- the pine and eight, port angeles
- willy's smoke shop 1 inc, port angeles
Super Store · 7
- country-aire inc, port angeles
- costco wholesale 0639, sequim
- forks thrifty mart, forks
- qfc 841, sequim
- sunny farms country store, sequim
- walmart 2196, port angeles
- walmart 5273, sequim
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- dollar tree 3029, port angeles
- dollar tree 7856, sequim
- evergreen meats inc, port angeles
- walgreens 10926, sequim
- walgreens 11215, port angeles
Supermarket · 4
- grocery outlet of port angeles 452, port angeles
- safeway 1448, sequim
- safeway 1492, port angeles
- safeway 1922, port angeles
Bakery Specialty · 3
- franz bakery outlet 9036, port angeles
- papa murphys sequim wa091, sequim
- papa murphys wa112, port angeles
Small Grocery Store · 3
- chalma1 llc 1, forks
- joyce general store, joyce
- sunsets west cooperative, clallam bay
Farmers' Market · 2
- port angeles farmers market, port angeles
- sequim farmers and artisans market, sequim
Large Grocery Store · 1
- washburns general store, neah bay
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- mcphees grocery, port angeles
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Washington
Compare Clallam County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Food access nationally, Washington in context
Clallam 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 Clallam County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Clallam County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Clallam County? ▼
Is Clallam County a food desert? ▼
What share of Clallam 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.