County food-access profile · Washington
Thurston County, WA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Thurston 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).
- 33.4%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 11.2%
- on SNAP
- 299K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
33.4% of Thurston County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 49 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 23
- low-access tracts
- 17K
- food-desert residents
- 4.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.5%
- 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 Thurston County's low-access share at 33.4%, above the national share. 23 of the county's 49 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 84,272 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 17,435 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 Thurston County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Thurston County's 33.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 77% of them and ranked #715 most-affected nationwide.
Thurston County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 49 census tracts in Thurston County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Thurston County vs. other Washington counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Washington
- Thurston
Thurston County, WA
33.4 % 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 | 49 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 252,264 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 23 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 84,272 |
| Low-Access Share | 33.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 17,435 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 299,067 |
| Median Household Income | $96,563 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 13,304 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.2%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
About 11.2% of Thurston County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 33.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 13,304 households here.
- 4.7% 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 Thurston County
above the national share
3 of Thurston County's 49 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 6.1% of all its tracts.
A further 20 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 23.
An estimated 84,272 residents, roughly 33.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 17,435 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 26 tracts (53.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Thurston County
Thurston County has 177 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 96 locations (54% of the total), followed by supermarket.
Convenience Store · 96
- 4th ave shell, olympia
- 7-eleven #41884a, lacey
- 7-eleven 2361 18653, lacey
- 7-eleven 32832 c, tumwater
- 7-eleven 34563 a, lacey
- 7-eleven 34981b, tumwater
- arco am pm, yelm
- airport market, tumwater
- airport shell, tumwater
- arbor center chevron, olympia
- arco ampm 7033, lacey
- arco ampm 7035, olympia
- arco ampm 7063, olympia
- arco ampm 7190, lacey
- black lake grocery, olympia
- buddies grocery, olympia
- chambers center chevron, lacey
- chambers praire market shell, olympia
- chevron 1105, tumwater
- chevron 1126, lacey
- chevron food mart, olympia
- circle k stores 2709656, lacey
- clearwood market and deli, yelm
- come & go, olympia
- convenience corner, olympia
- cooper point chevron, olympia
- cooper point village mart, olympia
- day & night grocery, olympia
- day & night grocery, olympia
- dylans corner market, yelm
- evergreen valley grocery, olympia
- end of the trail ii, oakville
- four corner grocery, yelm
- food mart, lacey
- frog pond grocery, olympia
- grand mound am/pm mini market, rochester
- grand mound shell, rochester
- handy mart, olympia
- harry's market, lacey
- interlake grocery, lacey
- j2h asian fusion, lacey
- jj's quick stop, olympia
- jjp chevron food mart, olympia
- lacey arco, lacey
- lacey shell food mart, lacey
- liberty market, bucoda
- littlerock grocery & gas, littlerock
- lucky 7 grocery, olympia
- lucky seven food store, lacey
- martin way shell, olympia
- melody chevron, tumwater
- meridian corner & deli, olympia
- nisqually arco am/pm, olympia
- nisqually markets 2, olympia
- nisqually markets camas plaza 7, olympia
- nisqually valley grocery, olympia
- olympia campground, tumwater
- p.o.d. market at evergreen state college, olympia
- pit stop, olympia
- pacific avenue shell, olympia
- pacific mini mart, olympia
- pacific mini mart, olympia
- parks place grocery, yelm
- pilot travel center 151, turnwater
- puget pantry, olympia
- rainier chevron, yelm
- rainier food mart 1, rainier
- rainier market, rainier
- restover truck stop 1169, olympia
- road runner food mart, lacey
- rochester chevron, rochester
- rochester mercantile, rochester
- rocket #0695 695, chehalis
- rocket #5082 5082, lacey
- rocket #5497 5497, lacey
- royal mart 102, olympia
- s & s petroleum 62512, tumwater
- scott lake grocery, olympia
- shop fast, olympia
- short stop, tenino
- short stop mart, tumwater
- southend grocery, tumwater
- speedway grocery 1, rochester
- steamboat general store, olympia
- stop & go market, centralia
- summit lake stop inc 1, olympia
- tangle wild arco, olympia
- tenino food mart, tenino
- tri lake market, olympia
- tumwater convenience, tumwater
- tumwater deli mart, tumwater
- union mills grocery, lacey
- villa grove chevron, olympia
- westside jackpot, olympia
- whistlestop chevron, tenino
- yelm shell, yelm
Supermarket · 18
- albertsons 3417, olympia
- bailey's iga, rochester
- olympia food co-op, olympia
- safeway 1173, lacey
- safeway 1407, tumwater
- safeway 1464, olympia
- safeway 1503, tumwater
- safeway 1619, yelm
- safeway 1952, olympia
- safeway 1977, lacey
- safeway 543, lacey
- safeway fast stop 4616, olympia
- safeway inc dba haggen 3444, olympia
- spud's produce market, olympia
- spud's produce market, inc., tumwater
- trader joe's 156, olympia
- trader joe's lacey 292, lacey
- winco foods 0102, lacey
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- arirang asian market, olympia
- capital market & asian deli, olympia
- dollartree 9972, olympia
- dollar general 22739, rainier
- dollar tree 2249, lacey
- dollar tree 2729, olympia
- dollar tree 3210, lacey
- dollar tree 5261, yelm
- dollar tree 7002, tumwater
- lacey grocery outlet, lacey
- lattins country cider mill & farm, inc, olympia
- namaste bazaar, olympia
- the johnson's whistle depot, olympia
- walgreens 05571, olympia
- walgreens 06917, lacey
- walgreens 12453, tumwater
- walgreens 6083, lacey
Super Store · 17
- bayview thriftway, olympia
- costco wholesale 0064, tumwater
- costco wholesale 0740, lacey
- dave's thriftway 658, tenino
- fred meyer 00659, tumwater
- fred meyer 186, lacey
- grocery outlet of yelm 445, yelm
- olympia food co-op, olympia
- olympia grocery outlet, olympia
- qfc 126, lacey
- ralph's thriftway, olympia
- target store t-0607, olympia
- target store t-1355, lacey
- walmart 3531, lacey
- walmart 3705, yelm
- walmart 3850, tumwater
- walmart neighborhood market 4757, lacey
Bakery Specialty · 7
- franz bakery outlet 9033, olympia
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza wa088, lacey
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza wa125, lacey
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza wa130, olympia
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza wa152, lacey
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza wa162, yelm
- papa murphy's take 'n' bake pizza wa167, tumwater
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- ben thanh market llc, olympia
- khmer market, lacey
- los amigos mexican store, lacey
- rivera's meat y carniceria 02, lacey
- yelm food co-op, yelm
Small Grocery Store · 5
- country corner market, rochester
- gull harbor mercantile, olympia
- island market, olympia
- s. k market llc, olympia
- south bay grocery & deli, olympia
Farmers' Market · 4
- olympia farmers market, olympia
- tenino farmers market, tenino
- tumwater town center farmers market, tumwater
- yelm farmers market, yelm
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 4
- gibson's custom meats, olympia
- heritage meats n/a, rochester
- stewarts market, yelm
- western meats, tumwater
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 2
- jays farmstand, olympia
- rochester fruit, rochester
Large Grocery Store · 2
- cutz butchery & seafood, olympia
- hong phat market, lacey
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Washington
Compare Thurston County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Food access nationally, Washington in context
Thurston 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 Thurston County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Thurston County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Thurston County? ▼
Is Thurston County a food desert? ▼
What share of Thurston 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.