County food-access profile · Washington
Skagit County, WA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Skagit 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).
- 28.4%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 12.4%
- on SNAP
- 131K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
28.4% of Skagit County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 29 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 13
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 3.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.6%
- 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 Skagit County's low-access share at 28.4%, above the national share. 13 of the county's 29 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 33,188 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,894 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 Skagit County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Skagit County's 28.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,059 most-affected nationwide.
Skagit County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 29 census tracts in Skagit County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Skagit County vs. other Washington counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Washington
- Skagit
Skagit County, WA
28.4 % 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 | 29 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 116,901 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 13 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 33,188 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.4%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,894 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 131,328 |
| Median Household Income | $89,263 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,469 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
About 12.4% of Skagit County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 28.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 12.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,469 households here.
- 3.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 Skagit County
above the national share
4 of Skagit County's 29 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 13.8% of all its tracts.
A further 9 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 13.
An estimated 33,188 residents, roughly 28.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,894 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 16 tracts (55.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Skagit County
Skagit County has 107 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 60 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 60
- 7-eleven store 18488k, anacortes
- 7-eleven #19203a, burlington
- 7-eleven #41102a, mount vernon
- aj food mart, marblemount
- alger shell, bellingham
- anacortes health & nutrition, anacortes
- arco ampm 7060, burlington
- arco ampm 7116, burlington
- arco am/pm 82607, mount vernon
- baker lake grocery, concrete
- burlingon speedway 112, burlington
- burlington chevron, burlington
- cabo market, anacortes
- cedardale market, mount vernon
- chapala 2 lllp, mount vernon
- circle k stores 2709658, anacortes
- circle k stores 2709659, mount vernon
- college way chevron, mount vernon
- conway foods, conway
- country corner, anacortes
- del rancho, mount vernon
- eagleway market, mount vernon
- fairhaven market, burlington
- fourteenth street shell, anacortes
- gas and go chevron, burlington
- glenhaven county store, sedro woolley
- golden quick stop, mount vernon
- grandy creek grocery, concrete
- handy mart, sedro woolley
- jerry's grocery, mount vernon
- james market, sedro woolley
- kwik n kleen carwash and shell, mount vernon
- lincoln grocery, mount vernon
- little mountain gas & grocery, mount vernon
- la conner road shell, mount vernon
- lakeside market, mount vernon
- liberty bell market, sedro woolley
- logger landing, concrete
- los paisanos inc, mount vernon
- north cascade food mart, sedro woolley
- ok market, mount vernon
- old salts market & deli, anacortes
- quick stop market, sedro woolley
- reliance food mart, sedro woolley
- super duper foods, mount vernon
- section street market, mount vernon
- sedro wooley am/pm, sedro woolley
- sewa stores llc, mount vernon
- short stop market & deli, mount vernon
- skagit big mini mart, llc, burlington
- skagit food mart, mount vernon
- super duper foods 3, mount vernon
- swinomish markets at the casino, anacortes
- swinomish markets at the links, anacortes
- swinomish markets at the village 359405, la conner
- trail road shell, sedro woolley
- verma76 gas station no, mount vernon
- wd foods, bow
- westside shell 1, mount vernon
- young's market, concrete
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- cvs pharmacy 11635, sedro woolley
- country farms burlington, burlington
- dollar tree 3072, mount vernon
- dollar tree 5190, burlington
- family dollar 13722, darrington
- oriental mini mart, mount vernon
- walgreens 07131, anacortes
- walgreens 10994, sedro woolley
- walgreens 11300, burlington
Supermarket · 9
- carniceria los compadres, mount vernon
- concrete marketfresh, concrete
- mount vernon red apple market 1, mount vernon
- pioneer market, la conner
- pioneer marketplace, sedro woolley
- safeway 1472, mount vernon
- safeway 593, anacortes
- safeway inc dba haggen 3450, mount vernon
- safway inc dba haggen 3436, burlington
Super Store · 8
- costco wholesale 0662, burlington
- fred meyer 024, burlington
- grocery outlet of mount vernon 474, mount vernon
- sedro woolley food pavilion #22, sedro woolley
- skagit valley food co-op, mount vernon
- target store t-0696, burlington
- the market at anacortes 79, anacortes
- walmart 2596, mount vernon
Bakery Specialty · 5
- franz bakery outlet 9029, mount vernon
- papa murphy's wa-117, mount vernon
- papa murphy's wa-136, burlington
- papa murphy's wa-171, sedro woolley
- papa murphy's wa140, anacortes
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- cascades mercantile, lyman
- europe food store, mount vernon
- laura's carniceria & mexican store, sedro woolley
- samish bay cheese, bow
- shop n save america, concrete
Small Grocery Store · 5
- anacortes food co-op, anacortes
- casipi filipino store, mount vernon
- clear lake market, clearlake
- la raza, burlington
- shim shell, marblemount
Farmers' Market · 4
- anacortes farmers market, anacortes
- mount vernon farmers market, mount vernon
- sedro woolley farmers market, sedro woolley
- skagit community market association, concrete
Large Grocery Store · 1
- tienda y carniceria los guerreros 3, mount vernon
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- skagit's own fish market, burlington
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Washington
Compare Skagit County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Food access nationally, Washington in context
Skagit 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 Skagit County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Skagit County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Skagit County? ▼
Is Skagit County a food desert? ▼
What share of Skagit 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.