County food-access profile · Oregon
Deschutes County, OR
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Deschutes 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).
- 23.0%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 9.9%
- on SNAP
- 206K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
23.0% of Deschutes County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 12
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 4.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.8%
- 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 Deschutes County's low-access share at 23.0%, above the national share. 12 of the county's 24 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 36,245 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,098 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 Deschutes County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Deschutes County's 23.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 54% of them and ranked #1,451 most-affected nationwide.
Deschutes County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 24 census tracts in Deschutes County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Deschutes County vs. other Oregon counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Oregon
- Deschutes
Deschutes County, OR
23 % low-access
- Baker
Baker County, OR
37.9 % low-access
- Benton
Benton County, OR
27.9 % low-access
- Clackamas
Clackamas County, OR
17.3 % low-access
- Clatsop 12.4
Clatsop County, OR
12.4 % low-access
- Columbia 6.1
Columbia County, OR
6.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 24 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 157,733 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 12 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 36,245 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.0%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,098 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 206,334 |
| Median Household Income | $92,758 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 8,417 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.9%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.7% |
About 9.9% of Deschutes County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 23.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 8,417 households here.
- 4.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Deschutes County
above the national share
1 of Deschutes County's 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 4.2% of all its tracts.
A further 11 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 12.
An estimated 36,245 residents, roughly 23.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,098 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Deschutes County
Deschutes County has 116 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 12 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 46 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 46
- 31 market, la pine
- 7-eleven 27233 g, bend
- 7-eleven 20375d, bend
- 7-eleven 20391f, bend
- 7-eleven 20397a, bend
- 7-eleven 22480c, redmond
- 76 of redmond, redmond
- 76 of sisters, sisters
- arco ampm 83042, bend
- ace market 24/7 bend, bend
- alfalfa store, inc., bend
- arco greenwood bend, bend
- butler market south, bend
- ckb energy 539 539, redmond
- cruise 'n market & deli, redmond
- expressway inc., bend
- fast break corner store market 6305, la pine
- gordy's truck stop, la pine
- h&s stations, llc 5009, la pine
- h&s stations, llc 5032, bend
- h&s stations, llc 5033, bend
- h&s stations, llc 5034, bend
- h&s stations, llc 5035, redmond
- hasco stations #8042 8042, sunriver
- hasco stations, llc 8043, bend
- k market, inc, bend
- lapine quick stop market llc, la pine
- parkway deli llc, bend
- quick mart, bend
- quickway market, bend
- r&c texaco, redmond
- r&r food mart, bend
- redmond 021, redmond
- redmond travel center, redmond
- reed crossing market, bend
- riverwoods country store and gas, bend
- scott's fast market, bend
- sisters dino mart, sisters
- stop and go shell, bend
- sumitt xpress, sunriver
- the buggy stop market, redmond
- the outpost 4, lapine
- us market 150, bend
- us market 190, redmond
- us market 350, bend
- westside foodmart, bend
Combination Grocery/Other · 18
- bi-mart 612, bend
- bi-mart 641, redmond
- bi-mart 671, la pine
- bi-mart 680, sisters
- cvs pharmacy 11677, bend
- cvs pharmacy 11692, redmond
- cinder butte meat company, redmond
- dollar general 18542, lapine
- dollar general 20532, sisters
- dollar tree 1912, bend
- dollar tree 1989, redmond
- dollar tree 4576, bend
- dollar tree 6418, la pine
- jordan's fruit stand, redmond
- m&w markets 17, redmond
- walgreens 07971, redmond
- walgreens 15674, bend
- walgreens 15675, bend
Super Store · 17
- bend grocery outlet, bend
- costco wholesale 1696, bend
- fred meyer 021, bend
- fred meyer 650, redmond
- grocery outlet of redmond 477, redmond
- la pine grocery outlet, la pine
- local acres marketplace, bend
- market of choice 8, bend
- newport market, bend
- ray's food place 45, sisters
- ray's shop smart 54, la pine
- sunriver marketplace, bend
- sunriver country store, sunriver
- target store t-0766, bend
- walmart 2075, bend
- walmart 2243, redmond
- whole foods market 10407, bend
Supermarket · 11
- albertsons 2599, bend
- oliver lemon's, terrebonne
- ray's food place 76, la pine
- safeway 1504, bend
- safeway 1665, redmond
- safeway 1888, bend
- safeway 514, bend
- safeway 3553, bend
- trader joe's 150, bend
- vitamin cottage natural food market u072, bend
- winco foods 162, bend
Bakery Specialty · 6
- franz bakery outlet 9001, bend
- franz bakery outlet 9002, redmond
- papa murphy's pizza or015, redmond
- papa murphy's pizza or095, bend
- papa murphy's pizza or134, bend
- papa murphys pizza or014, bend
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 4
- paradise produce stand, bend
- the vegetable man produce, bend
- tumalo farmstand, bend
- vegetable man of la pine, la pine
Farmers' Market · 3
- bend farmers market, bend
- redmond farmers market ffab, redmond
- sisters farmers market, sisters
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- redmond smokehouse, redmond
- rod's quality meats, redmond
- the beef barn, bend
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- chavez market 1, redmond
- colima market, bend
- schoolhouse produce, redmond
Small Grocery Store · 3
- tomi mart, bend
- tumalo country store, bend
- wickiup junction store, la pine
Food Buying Co-op · 1
- central oregon locavore, bend
Large Grocery Store · 1
- c. e. lovejoy's brookswood market, bend
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Oregon
Compare Deschutes County vs Baker County → · All Oregon counties →
Food access nationally, Oregon in context
Deschutes County sits inside Oregon (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 Deschutes County has low food access? ▼
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What is the poverty rate in Deschutes County? ▼
Is Deschutes County a food desert? ▼
What share of Deschutes 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.