Signature · 4 LILA tracts (28.6% of tracts)
Mason County, WA
Mason County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 4 LILA tracts (28.6% of the book) alongside 13.2% low-access.
- 13.2%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 15.2%
- on SNAP
- 68K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Mason County, WA
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 13.2% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -8.9 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 4 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 15.2% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 29% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Okanogan County (+ 0.4 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Mason County lands in the lower national band (13.2%, #2,258 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,258
- national by low-access %
- #33
- in WA
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 4 LILA tracts (28.6% of tracts) .
How Mason County compares nationally
Mason County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.2% low-access share that beats 28% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,258).
Mason County's lower-band USDA tier split
14 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 4 LILA.
Mason County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (10 rural, 4 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 4 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Mason 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
- Asotin 13.8
Asotin 13.8%
13.8 % low-access
- Okanogan 13.6
Okanogan 13.6%
13.6 % 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
- San Juan 0
San Juan 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 14 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 60,699 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,008 |
| Low-Access Share | 13.2%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,667 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 67,982 |
| Median Household Income | $83,270 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,954 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.2%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.4% |
Thick SNAP store book in Mason County
Mason County has 48 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 26 locations (54% of the total), followed by small grocery store.
Where the store book sits, by town
8 towns share the 48 authorized stores; Shelton holds 67% of them. 4 of the 8 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Elma, Lilliwaup, Matlock, Union.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Shelton | 32 | 6 |
| Belfair | 8 | 3 |
| Allyn | 2 | 1 |
| Hoodsport | 2 | 1 |
| Elma | 1 | none |
| Lilliwaup | 1 | none |
| Matlock | 1 | none |
| Union | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 26
- airport grocery, shelton
- agate store, shelton
- am/pm gas station, shelton
- bayshore shell corporation, shelton
- ben's deli mart, allyn
- bucks prairie mercantile, elma
- dayton store, shelton
- deer creek store, shelton
- eldon store 3, lilliwaup
- food mart, shelton
- hillcrest shell, shelton
- james food mart, shelton
- la guatemalteca, belfair
- la loma meat market, shelton
- lake cushman store, hoodsport
- matlock general store, matlock
- micky's deli, shelton
- olympic food mart, shelton
- olympic texaco, shelton
- randy's short stop 1, belfair
- spencer lake grocery, shelton
- sunset beach grocery & deli, belfair
- taylor town store and subway, shelton
- third generation limerick market, shelton
- twin totems deli & grocery, shelton
- union food mart, union
Small Grocery Store · 5
- jay's farmstand 3, shelton
- mi pueblo market 1, shelton
- shelton fruits corp, shelton
- shelton latino market, shelton
- tienda mi tierra guatemala llc 1, belfair
Super Store · 5
- belfair grocery outlet 609, belfair
- fred meyer 603, shelton
- hood canal market fresh, hoodsport
- qfc 101, belfair
- walmart 2121, shelton
Combination Grocery/Other · 3
- dollar tree 3217, shelton
- elena's tienda 1, shelton
- rivera's mini-mart, shelton
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- allyn market, allyn
- rivera's markets 01, shelton
- shelton shop and hop, llc, shelton
Bakery Specialty · 2
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza wa173, shelton
- papa murphys belfair wa175, belfair
Supermarket · 2
- safeway 1571, belfair
- safeway 585, shelton
Farmers' Market · 1
- shelton farmers market, shelton
Large Grocery Store · 1
- home meat service, shelton
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 Mason County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Counties near Mason County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Mason 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 (13.2% here).
- Jefferson Parish, LA · 13.2% low-access
- Marshall County, IL · 13.2% low-access
- Sebastian County, AR · 13.2% low-access
- Lincoln County, WI · 13.1% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside WA (15.2% here).
- Lynchburg city, VA · 15.2% SNAP
- Nottoway County, VA · 15.2% SNAP
- McNairy County, TN · 15.2% SNAP
- Columbiana County, OH · 15.2% 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%). Mason County, at 13.2%, runs 9.9 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 Mason County, WA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 53045. 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.