County food-access profile · Washington
Stevens County, WA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Stevens 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).
- 36.0%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 15.0%
- on SNAP
- 48K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
36.0% of Stevens County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 4.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.0%
- 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 Stevens County's low-access share at 36.0%, above the national share. 6 of the county's 12 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 15,665 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,443 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 Stevens County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Stevens County's 36.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 82% of them and ranked #554 most-affected nationwide.
Stevens County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 12 census tracts in Stevens County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Stevens County vs. other Washington counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Washington
- Stevens
Stevens County, WA
36 % 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 | 12 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 43,531 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 15,665 |
| Low-Access Share | 36.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,443 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 48,067 |
| Median Household Income | $69,327 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.0%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,915 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.0%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.1%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.5% |
About 15.0% of Stevens County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 36.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,915 households here.
- 4.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Stevens County
above the national share
5 of Stevens County's 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 41.7% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 15,665 residents, roughly 36.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,443 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 6 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Stevens County
Stevens County has 42 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 15 locations (36% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 15
- # 1 store, ford
- arden 1 stop, colville
- colville conoco, colville
- express mart chewelah, chewelah
- fruitland service inc, fruitland
- hico 1, chewelah
- loon lake exxon, loon lake
- loon lake self service, loon lake
- m&m's corner, fruitland
- rivers edge 1 stop, northport
- southtown 76, colville
- spoko fuel chewelah, chewelah
- suncrest mart, nine mile falls
- whitty's chevron, colville
- yellow pine chevron, kettle falls
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- columbia community creamery na, chewelah
- dollartree 10113, chewelah
- dollar general 23098, chewelah
- dollar general 23347, loon lake
- dollar general 23396, springdale
- dollar general 30343, nine mile falls
- dollar tree 2425, colville
- rosauers supermarket 150, nine mile falls
- super 1 foods 135, colville
Supermarket · 4
- divine corp 1, addy
- kettle falls harvest foods, kettle falls
- safeway 337, chewelah
- safeway 385, colville
Farmers' Market · 3
- chewelah farmers market, chewelah
- northeast washington farmer's market, colville
- suncrest landscape farmers market, nine mile falls
Small Grocery Store · 3
- all seasons grocery & hardware, loon lake
- bluecreek mercantile, chewelah
- hunters market llc, hunters
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- springdale grocery & hardware, springdale
- valley market, valley
Super Store · 2
- colville grocery outlet, colville
- walmart 2016, colville
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's wa169, colville
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- front porch produce & antiques, addy
Large Grocery Store · 1
- wellpinit trading post, wellpinit
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- gallo meats llc, colville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Washington
Compare Stevens County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Food access nationally, Washington in context
Stevens 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 Stevens County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Stevens County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Stevens County? ▼
Is Stevens County a food desert? ▼
What share of Stevens 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.