County food-access profile · Washington
Lewis County, WA
Lewis County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 16.2%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 16.4%
- on SNAP
- 85K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
16.2% of Lewis County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 4.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.2%
- 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).
Lewis County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 16.2% per the USDA Atlas. 7 of the county's 20 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 12,194 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,803 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 Lewis County compares nationally
Lewis County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 16.2% low-access share that beats 36% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,016).
Lewis County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 20 census tracts in Lewis County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Lewis County vs. other Washington counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Washington
- Lewis 16.2
Lewis County, WA
16.2 % 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 | 20 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 75,455 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,194 |
| Low-Access Share | 16.2%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,803 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 85,154 |
| Median Household Income | $74,796 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,397 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.4%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
About 16.4% of Lewis County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 16.2% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,397 households here.
- 4.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Lewis County
near the national share
3 of Lewis County's 20 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 15.0% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 12,194 residents, roughly 16.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,803 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 13 tracts (65.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Lewis County
Lewis County has 100 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 61 locations (61% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 61
- 24-7 food mart, centralia
- airport depot, chehalis
- apex ii food store, centralia
- arco ampm 7103, centralia
- arco ampm 7172, chehalis
- arco ampm 7218, chehalis
- borst park texaco, centralia
- centralia chevron, centralia
- centralia food mart, centralia
- country store at cascade peaks campground, randle
- d9 country market, ethel
- dashmesh petroleum 13 inc., onalaska
- dashmesh petroleum inc, chehalis
- dashmesh petroleum inc, chehalis
- dashmesh petroleum inc 2, chehalis
- eagle plaza truck stop, chehalis
- exit59 chevron, toledo
- freeway deli mart, chehalis
- gene & barbs, randle
- good health nutrition center, centralia
- get n go mart, chehalis
- harrison market & smoke shop, centralia
- harrison super mart, centralia
- hillcrest food mart, chehalis
- i-5 shell, chehalis
- interstate chevron, chehalis
- justice general store, onalaska
- la perla tienda mexicana, centralia
- love's travel stop 454, napavine
- main street food mart and deli, chehalis
- mary's corner market, chehalis
- mead family market, glenoma
- midway rv park store, centralia
- mineral lake market, mineral
- mink's country market, centralia
- mossyrock fuel, mossyrock
- new days market, randle
- newaukum valley country store n/a, chehalis
- nicks ampm 5923, chehalis
- packwood chevron, packwood
- packwood food and gas, packwood
- pe ell country market, pe ell
- pearl street grocery & deli, centralia
- pioneer express - 1, chehalis
- pioneer express 2, centralia
- quicky mart shell llc., morton
- r & d petroleum 2 inc, centralia
- r&d petroleum llc, winlock
- randle one stop 1, randle
- run-a-muck mercantile, mossyrock
- rush road chevron, chehalis
- salkum super market, salkum
- silver creek buck stop 1, silver creek
- south tower chevron, centralia
- stanley store, onalaska
- super mini mart, napavine
- toledo short stop grocery, toledo
- tower street shell, centralia
- wecan corp, pe ell
- winlock food mart, winlock
- winlock shell subs and more, winlock
Combination Grocery/Other · 14
- cedar village iga, winlock
- cvs pharmacy 11636, centralia
- cvs pharmacy 11655, chehalis
- dollar general 20766, centralia
- dollar general 20770, napavine
- dollar general 20866, vader
- dollar general 21370, morton
- dollar general 22245, pe ell
- dollar general 22596, centralia
- dollar general 23192, centralia
- dollar tree 2264, chehalis
- farm + flourish, centralia
- smith & son grocery, mossyrock
- walgreens 10395, chehalis
Supermarket · 5
- blanton's market, packwood
- safeway 1495, centralia
- safeway 3525, chehalis
- toledo red apple market, toledo
- winco foods 174, centralia
Farmers' Market · 4
- centralia farmers market nafmnp, centralia
- community farmers market of chehalis, chehalis
- friends of the morton parks, morton
- toledo thursday market, toledo
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- brenda's country market, onalaska
- el amigo inc., centralia
- fischer's market, randle
- jj berry country store, chehalis
Small Grocery Store · 4
- annie's napavine country market, napavine
- doty general store, doty
- mayfield lake grocery, mossyrock
- winlock liquidation warehouse 2, winlock
Super Store · 4
- chehalis grocery outlet, chehalis
- fuller's market place, centralia
- morton country market, morton
- walmart 2249, chehalis
Bakery Specialty · 2
- franz bakery thrift 9022, centralia
- papa murphy's wa-041, centralia
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- bear ridge smokehouse llc, morton
- reicherts choice meats, centralia
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Washington
Compare Lewis County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Food access nationally, Washington in context
Lewis 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 Lewis County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Lewis County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Lewis County? ▼
Is Lewis County a food desert? ▼
What share of Lewis 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.