Signature · 7.7% SNAP (5th pct in WA)
Island County, WA
Island County lands in the lower national band on low-access (11.4%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 11.4%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 7.7%
- on SNAP
- 87K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Island County, WA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-MODERATE 11.4% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -10.7 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.8% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 10% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Pacific County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Island County lands in the lower national band (11.4%, #2,383 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,383
- national by low-access %
- #37
- in WA
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 7.7% SNAP (5th pct in WA) (-4.4 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Island County compares nationally
Island County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 11.4% low-access share that beats 24% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,383).
Island County's lower-band USDA tier split
21 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
Island County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (14 rural, 7 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 7 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Island County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Washington, not a full county-board reprint
- Douglas
Douglas 55.5%
55.5 % low-access
- Mason 13.2
Mason 13.2%
13.2 % low-access
- Garfield 12.4
Garfield 12.4%
12.4 % low-access
- Klickitat 11.8
Klickitat 11.8%
11.8 % low-access
- Pacific 11.5
Pacific 11.5%
11.5 % low-access
- Island 11.4
Island 11.4%
11.4 % low-access
- San Juan 0
San Juan 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 21 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 78,506 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,980 |
| Low-Access Share | 11.4%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,036 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 86,836 |
| Median Household Income | $90,551 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.7%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,771 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.6% |
Thick SNAP store book in Island County
Island County has 29 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 8 locations (28% of the total), followed by super store.
Where the store book sits, by town
6 towns share the 29 authorized stores; Oak Harbor holds 62% of them. Every one of these towns has at least one grocery-grade outlet (11 across the county).
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Oak Harbor | 18 | 5 |
| Langley | 4 | 1 |
| Clinton | 3 | 2 |
| Freeland | 2 | 1 |
| Camano Island | 1 | 1 |
| Coupeville | 1 | 1 |
Convenience Store · 8
- 7-eleven 18255a, oak harbor
- 7-eleven 25888b, oak harbor
- arco ampm 7057, oak harbor
- dk market, oak harbor
- global food mart, oak harbor
- jkm petroleum inc, clinton
- soundview shopper, oak harbor
- west view mart 1, oak harbor
Super Store · 7
- camano plaza market, camano island
- goose community grocer, langley
- grocery outlet of oak harbor 427, oak harbor
- pay-less foods, freeland
- prairie center market, coupeville
- saars market place food & drug 610, oak harbor
- walmart 2319, oak harbor
Combination Grocery/Other · 4
- cvs pharmacy 11645, freeland
- dollar tree 3236, oak harbor
- the star store, langley
- walgreens 11214, oak harbor
Supermarket · 3
- kens korner red apple na, clinton
- safeway 0402, oak harbor
- safeway inc dba haggen 3427, oak harbor
Farmers' Market · 2
- bayview farmers market llc, langley
- south whidbey tilth, langley
Small Grocery Store · 2
- k&c filipino store, oak harbor
- perlas lumpia and oriental mini-m, oak harbor
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys pizza wa011 wa011, oak harbor
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- clinton food mart, clinton
Military Commissary · 1
- deca whidbey island nas commissary 1248, oak harbor
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Washington
One of 38 counties in Washington, 6 are shown here.
Compare Island County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Counties near Island County's lower low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Island County (7.7%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Washington.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside WA (11.4% here).
- Barbour County, WV · 11.4% low-access
- Chester County, TN · 11.4% low-access
- Delaware County, NY · 11.4% low-access
- Belknap County, NH · 11.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside WA (7.7% here).
- Walworth County, WI · 7.7% SNAP
- Miami County, OH · 7.7% SNAP
- Greene County, OH · 7.7% SNAP
- Steele County, MN · 7.7% 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.
Washington among Pacific states
Washington ranks 3rd of 5 Pacific states by population-weighted low-access (23.1%). Island County, at 11.4%, runs 11.7 pts below the Washington 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 Island County, WA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 53029. 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.