County food-access profile · Washington
Kitsap County, WA
Kitsap County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 40.7%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 10.0%
- on SNAP
- 278K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
40.7% of Kitsap County residents live in a low-access area, and 6 of its 54 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 31
- low-access tracts
- 20K
- food-desert residents
- 4.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.2%
- 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).
Kitsap County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 40.7% is well above the national share. 31 of the county's 54 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 102,156 people. 6 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 19,693 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 Kitsap County compares nationally
Kitsap County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 40.7% low-access share outpaces 88% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #375 most-affected nationwide.
Kitsap County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 54 census tracts in Kitsap County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Kitsap County vs. other Washington counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Washington
- Kitsap
Kitsap County, WA
40.7 % 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
- Clallam
Clallam County, WA
38.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 54 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 251,133 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 31 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 102,156 |
| Low-Access Share | 40.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 19,693 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 277,881 |
| Median Household Income | $104,158 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.2%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 10,833 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.3%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.6% |
About 10.0% of Kitsap County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 40.7% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 10,833 households here.
- 4.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 6 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 Kitsap County
well above the national share
6 of Kitsap County's 54 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 11.1% of all its tracts.
A further 25 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 31.
An estimated 102,156 residents, roughly 40.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 19,693 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 23 tracts (42.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Kitsap County
Kitsap County has 144 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 74 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 74
- 7-eleven 25125d, bremerton
- 7-eleven 34690 a, silverdale
- 7-eleven 34691 a, bremerton
- 7-eleven 25332d, port orchard
- 7-eleven 34638a, port orchard
- akshar, llc, arco ampm 82829, port orchard
- alfadys super gas, bremerton
- aman&ankit inc 2, bremerton
- arco am pm, bremerton
- arco ampm 7032, poulsbo
- arco ampm 7056, silverdale
- arco am/pm, bremerton
- bremerton 76, bremerton
- bremerton food mart, bremerton
- bremerton gas chevron, bremerton
- brownsville mart, bremerton
- burley store, port orchard
- c & c super save, bremerton
- cj's evergreen general store, bremerton
- central valley texaco, poulsbo
- chico fuel and minimart, bremerton
- ci sedgwick one stop, port orchard
- dean straley's bremerton, bremerton
- el campesino, bremerton
- five star, bremerton
- four corner grocery & deli 204612, poulsbo
- gliding eagle market, kingston
- good stuff grocery, port orchard
- gorst gas mart, bremerton
- handy andys, bremerton
- hanks grocery, bremerton
- harborside market, bremerton
- hi way market, port orchard
- hill top 76, poulsbo
- in & out grocery, bremerton
- j-c grocery deli, suquamish
- kingston food mart, kingston
- manette mart & deli, bremerton
- marina market, poulsbo
- mile hill quick stop, port orchard
- mini stop, keyport
- olalla food center, olalla
- orchard place 76, port orchard
- oyster bay chevron, bremerton
- perry stop, bremerton
- port orchard chevron, port orchard
- port orchard market and deli, port orchard
- quickstop, bremerton
- r and h market, bremerton
- rk mart, bremerton
- ridgetop market, silverdale
- rob's quick stop, bremerton
- rocket #5402 5402, port orchard
- rocket #5522 5522, silverdale
- rocket #5523 5523, silverdale
- rocket #5536 5536, silverdale
- s & s petroleum 62513, port orchard
- s & s petroleum 62514, bremerton
- s & s petroleum 62516, kingston
- sunny slope grocery, port orchard
- seabeck chevron, silverdale
- seabeck chevron, seabeck
- sedwick market, port orchard
- sg mart, bremerton
- sheridan mini mart, bremerton
- silver city mobil, silverdale
- silverdale chevron, silverdale
- southworth grocery, port orchard
- streibels deli mart, kingston
- tracyton market, bremerton
- the market at vintage, silverdale
- viking market, poulsbo
- west hills food mart, bremerton
- wildcat lake grocery, bremerton
Combination Grocery/Other · 16
- asian market silverdale, silverdale
- bi-mart 687, port orchard
- cvs 10473, poulsbo
- cvs pharmacy 11670, bainbridge island
- dollartree 9696, port orchard
- dollar tree 2584, bremerton
- dollar tree 2847, port orchard
- dollar tree 3024, silverdale
- dollar tree 4139, poulsbo
- la poblanita, bremerton
- the market 360, bremerton
- walgreens 05698, port orchard
- walgreens 05912, bremerton
- walgreens 06422, silverdale
- walgreens 12168, bremerton
- walgreens 15673, bainbridge island
Supermarket · 16
- albertsons 475, port orchard
- port orchard grocery outlet 412, port orchard
- ralphs red apple market, bremerton
- red apple market, poulsbo
- safeway 3148, poulsbo
- safeway 1252, bainbridge island
- safeway 1467, bremerton
- safeway 1524, bremerton
- safeway 1680, silverdale
- safeway 186, kingston
- safeway 3317, port orchard
- safeway 419, port orchard
- sprouts farmers market 458, silverdale
- trader joe's 158, silverdale
- winco foods 105, bremerton
- winco foods 169, silverdale
Super Store · 13
- costco wholesale 0013, silverdale
- fred meyer 171, bremerton
- fred meyer 655, port orchard
- grocery outlet of bremerton 535, bremerton
- grocery outlet of silverdale 126, silverdale
- kingston grocery outlet 534, kingston
- poulsbo central market 216, poulsbo
- saar's super saver foods 626, bremerton
- target store t-0606, silverdale
- town & country market bainbridge 215, bainbridge island
- walmart 2317, bremerton
- walmart 2325, port orchard
- walmart 5272, poulsbo
Bakery Specialty · 8
- franz bakery outlet 9034, bremerton
- franz bakery outlet 9035, bremerton
- los encantos world bakery 1, bremerton
- papa murphy's pizza wa082, bremerton
- papa murphy's pizza wa087, port orchard
- papa murphy's pizza wa100, bremerton
- papa murphy's pizza wa147, silverdale
- papa murphys poulsbo wa165, poulsbo
Medium Grocery Store · 6
- asian market international, bremerton
- colello's farm stand produce llc, port orchard
- el guero mini market, port orchard
- kitsap community food co-op, bremerton
- midtown market 1, bremerton
- rosana's asian market, bremerton
Farmers' Market · 4
- bainbridge island farmers market, bainbridge island
- bremerton community farmers market, bremerton
- port orchard farmers market, port orchard
- poulsbo farmers market, poulsbo
Small Grocery Store · 3
- la esperanza, bremerton
- meat market 5 de mayo, poulsbo
- oriental food & gift, bremerton
Military Commissary · 2
- bangor nbk commissary 1203, silverdale
- deca bremerton nbk commissary 1205, bremerton
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- minder meats, bremerton
Seafood Specialty · 1
- suquamish seafoods, poulsbo
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Washington
Compare Kitsap County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Food access nationally, Washington in context
Kitsap 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 Kitsap County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Kitsap County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Kitsap County? ▼
Is Kitsap County a food desert? ▼
What share of Kitsap 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.