PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Washington

Pend Oreille County, WA

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Pend Oreille County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).

25.8%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
16.7%
on SNAP
14K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 WA

The food-access picture

25.8% of Pend Oreille County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

2
low-access tracts
1K
food-desert residents
3.8%
households, no vehicle
14.4%
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).

USDA data puts Pend Oreille County's low-access share at 25.8%, above the national share. 2 of the county's 5 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 3,348 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,309 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 Pend Oreille County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Pend Oreille County's 25.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 61% of them and ranked #1,234 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Pend Oreille County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 5 census tracts in Pend Oreille County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Pend Oreille County, WA USDA-defined food-access tiers: 3 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 0 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 5 tracts evaluated. 3 tracts adequate (60.0%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (40.0%) Adequate 60% Limited 0% Severe 40% Food-access tier distribution: Pend Oreille County, WA
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Pend Oreille County vs. other Washington counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Washington

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Pend Oreille County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts5
Atlas Population (2010 basis)13,001
Low-Access Tracts2
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population3,348
Low-Access Share25.8%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,309

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Pend Oreille County
IndicatorValue
Population14,050
Median Household Income$67,436
Poverty Rate14.4%near the national average
SNAP Households994
SNAP Participation Rate16.7%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle3.8%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population0.8%
SNAP participation in Pend Oreille County 16.7%

About 16.7% of Pend Oreille County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 25.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 16.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 994 households here.
  • 3.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 2 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 Pend Oreille County

above the national share

2 of Pend Oreille County's 5 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 40.0% of all its tracts.

An estimated 3,348 residents, roughly 25.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 1,309 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 3 tracts (60.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Pend Oreille County

Pend Oreille County has 12 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 5 locations (42% of the total), followed by medium grocery store.

Convenience Store · 5

  • diamond lake deli & more, llc, newport
  • dollars & deals, newport
  • store n more, newport
  • usk general store, usk
  • whitley oil 4, newport

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • bushel's, newport
  • the falls market, metaline falls

Combination Grocery/Other · 1

  • dollar general 30198, ione

Farmers' Market · 1

  • newport farmers market, newport

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • food court, ione

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • panther pit stop, cusick

Supermarket · 1

  • safeway 1159, newport

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Washington

Adams County
41.7% low-access · 18.9% SNAP
Asotin County
13.8% low-access · 18.6% SNAP
Benton County
22.8% low-access · 14.8% SNAP
Chelan County
18.1% low-access · 12.0% SNAP
Clallam County
38.2% low-access · 13.0% SNAP
Clark County
21.7% low-access · 12.1% SNAP

Compare Pend Oreille County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →

Food access nationally, Washington in context

Pend Oreille County sits inside Washington (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Pend Oreille County has low food access? ▼
25.8% of residents in Pend Oreille County, WA live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Pend Oreille County? ▼
16.7% of households in Pend Oreille County receive SNAP, covering 994 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Pend Oreille County? ▼
The poverty rate in Pend Oreille County, WA is 14.4%, with a median household income of $67,436 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Pend Oreille County a food desert? ▼
2 of Pend Oreille County's 5 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Pend Oreille County households lack a vehicle? ▼
3.8% of households in Pend Oreille County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.