Signature · 4 LILA tracts (50% of tracts)
Kittitas County, WA
Kittitas County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 4 LILA tracts (50% of the book) alongside 23.5% low-access.
- 23.5%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 12.3%
- on SNAP
- 47K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Kittitas County, WA
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 23.5% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.4 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 4 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 12.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 50% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Snohomish County (+ 0.0 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Kittitas County ranks #1,399 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #19 of 38 counties in WA (23.5% low-access; 4 food-desert tracts).
- #1,399
- national by low-access %
- #19
- in WA
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 4 LILA tracts (50% of tracts) .
How Kittitas County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Kittitas County's 23.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 55% of them and ranked #1,404 most-affected nationwide.
Kittitas County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
8 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 4 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Kittitas County has 4 urban and 4 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Kittitas County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Washington, not a full county-board reprint
- Douglas
Douglas 55.5%
55.5 % low-access
- Cowlitz
Cowlitz 25.3%
25.3 % low-access
- Walla Walla
Walla Walla 23.7%
23.7 % low-access
- Kittitas
Kittitas 23.5%
23.5 % low-access
- Snohomish
Snohomish 23.5%
23.5 % low-access
- Benton
Benton 22.8%
22.8 % low-access
- San Juan 0
San Juan 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 40,915 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,596 |
| Low-Access Share | 23.5%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,976 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 47,172 |
| Median Household Income | $73,804 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.4%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,459 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.3%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.4% |
Thick SNAP store book in Kittitas County
Kittitas County has 36 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 22 locations (61% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 22
- 18th street deli, ellensburg
- 7-eleven #17053a, ellensburg
- 7eleven, ellensburg
- astro express mart 113, ellensburg
- bob summit deli & bp, inc, snoqualmie pass
- circle k 2706038, ellensburg
- coyote corner, kittitas
- happys market, ellensburg
- johnny's mart, kittitas
- jacksons food stores # 248 248, ellensburg
- kittitas food mart, kittitas
- love's travel stop 413, ellensburg
- rv town, easton
- short stop #1, ellensburg
- short stop 6, cle elum
- shree travel plaza, thorp
- smitty's conoco, ellensburg
- store 1195, ellensburg
- sunrise quick stop, ellensburg
- the roslyn grocery, roslyn
- warrior quick stop, cle elum
- warriors quick stop 3, ellensburg
Combination Grocery/Other · 6
- bi-mart 621, ellensburg
- cvs pharmacy 11656, ellensburg
- dollar general 22673, kittitas
- dollar tree 2942, ellensburg
- dollar tree 7665, cle elum
- super 1 foods 130, ellensburg
Supermarket · 3
- ellensburg grocery outlet 195, ellensburg
- safeway 1135, cle elum
- safeway 1630, ellensburg
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza wa127, ellensburg
Farmers' Market · 1
- kittitas county farmers market, ellensburg
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- wildflower geights market, cle elum
Small Grocery Store · 1
- better life natural food, ellensburg
Super Store · 1
- fred meyer 652, ellensburg
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 Kittitas County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Nationwide peers for Kittitas County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Kittitas County, both outside Washington so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside WA (23.5% here).
- Roane County, WV · 23.5% low-access
- Roane County, WV · 23.5% low-access
- Nolan County, TX · 23.5% low-access
- Nolan County, TX · 23.5% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside WA (12.3% here).
- Campbell County, VA · 12.3% SNAP
- Campbell County, VA · 12.3% SNAP
- Racine County, WI · 12.3% SNAP
- Racine County, WI · 12.3% 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.
Food access nationally, Washington in context
Kittitas County sits inside Washington (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Kittitas County, WA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 53037. 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.