Signature · 6.1% low-access (12th pct)
Columbia County, OR
Columbia County lands in the lower national band on low-access (6.1%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 6.1%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 15.6%
- on SNAP
- 53K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Columbia County, OR
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 6.1% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -16.0 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 15.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Curry County (+ 0.5 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Columbia County lands in the lower national band (6.1%, #2,752 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,752
- national by low-access %
- #34
- in OR
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 701
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 6.1% low-access (12th pct) (-16 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Columbia County compares nationally
Food access in Columbia County compares favorably nationally: its 6.1% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 12% of them (rank #2,752).
Columbia County's lower-band USDA tier split
10 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Columbia County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (6 rural, 4 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 4 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Columbia County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Oregon, not a full county-board reprint
- Wheeler
Wheeler 100%
100 % low-access
- Malheur 8.9
Malheur 8.9%
8.9 % low-access
- Multnomah 7.6
Multnomah 7.6%
7.6 % low-access
- Curry 6.6
Curry 6.6%
6.6 % low-access
- Columbia 6.1
Columbia 6.1%
6.1 % low-access
- Morrow 4.5
Morrow 4.5%
4.5 % low-access
- Tillamook 2.9
Tillamook 2.9%
2.9 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 49,351 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,009 |
| Low-Access Share | 6.1%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 701 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 53,493 |
| Median Household Income | $87,458 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,258 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.6%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
Thick SNAP store book in Columbia County
Columbia County has 37 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 19 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
8 towns share the 37 authorized stores; Saint Helens holds 32% of them. 2 of the 8 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Columbia City, Deer Island.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Saint Helens | 12 | 3 |
| Scappoose | 9 | 2 |
| Clatskanie | 6 | 1 |
| Rainier | 5 | 1 |
| Vernonia | 2 | 1 |
| Columbia City | 1 | none |
| Deer Island | 1 | none |
| St Helens | 1 | 1 |
Convenience Store · 19
- alston country store, rainier
- american market, saint helens
- bridge street mini market, vernonia
- center market 44, scappoose
- chevron st helens, saint helens
- clatskaine chevron food mart, clatskanie
- clatskanie shell, clatskanie
- columbia city mini mart 1, columbia city
- deer island store, deer island
- goble landing store, rainier
- jackpot market 1, scappoose
- rainier chevron foodmart, rainier
- roadrunner gas & grocery, scappoose
- scappoose market, scappoose
- sherlocks grocery 1, saint helens
- skinny's texaco, saint helens
- star mart, scappoose
- west street grocery, saint helens
- zatterbergs market, saint helens
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- bi-mart 686, scappoose
- dollar general 18250, clatskanie
- dollar general 18501, rainier
- dollar tree 1947, saint helens
- walgreens 10056, saint helens
Super Store · 5
- fred meyer 462, scappoose
- grocery outlet 471, saint helens
- grocery outlet of scappoose 159, scappoose
- rainier grocery outlet 351, rainier
- walmart 2422, saint helens
Supermarket · 4
- r&s market, vernonia
- safeway 424, st helens
- safeway 4318, clatskanie
- st helens red apple market, saint helens
Bakery Specialty · 2
- papa murphys or-006 006, saint helens
- papa murphys take and bake pizza scappoose or010, scappoose
Farmers' Market · 1
- clatskanie farmers market, clatskanie
Small Grocery Store · 1
- clatskanie food hub, clatskanie
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Oregon
One of 35 counties in Oregon, 6 are shown here.
Compare Columbia County vs Baker County → · All Oregon counties →
Counties near Columbia County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Columbia County, both outside Oregon so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside OR (6.1% here).
- Highland County, OH · 6.1% low-access
- Vance County, NC · 6.1% low-access
- Wayne County, NY · 6.1% low-access
- Powhatan County, VA · 6.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside OR (15.6% here).
- Garfield County, OK · 15.6% SNAP
- Delaware County, OK · 15.6% SNAP
- Armstrong County, PA · 15.6% SNAP
- Carbon County, PA · 15.6% 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.
Oregon among Pacific states
Oregon ranks 4th of 5 Pacific states by population-weighted low-access (16.9%). Columbia County, at 6.1%, runs 10.8 pts below the Oregon rate.
- Alaska 30.9%
- Hawaii 26.7%
- Washington 23.1%
- Oregon 16.9%
- California 13.3%
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 Columbia County, OR are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 41009. 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.