Signature · 154 SNAP-authorized stores
Whatcom County, WA
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Whatcom 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).
- 27.7%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 11.7%
- on SNAP
- 231K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Whatcom County, WA
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-ELEVATED 27.7% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +5.6 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 11.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 9% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Skagit County (+ 0.7 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Whatcom County ranks #1,104 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #14 of 38 counties in WA (27.7% low-access; 3 food-desert tracts).
- #1,104
- national by low-access %
- #14
- in WA
- 13
- low-access tracts
- 14K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 154 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Whatcom County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Whatcom County's 27.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 65% of them and ranked #1,104 most-affected nationwide.
Whatcom County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
34 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Whatcom County has 20 urban and 14 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Whatcom County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Washington, not a full county-board reprint
- Douglas
Douglas 55.5%
55.5 % low-access
- Whitman
Whitman 28.5%
28.5 % low-access
- Skagit
Skagit 28.4%
28.4 % low-access
- Whatcom
Whatcom 27.7%
27.7 % low-access
- Grant
Grant 25.8%
25.8 % low-access
- Pend Oreille
Pend Oreille 25.8%
25.8 % low-access
- San Juan 0
San Juan 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 34 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 201,140 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 13 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 55,784 |
| Low-Access Share | 27.7%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 14,367 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 230,503 |
| Median Household Income | $81,784 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.9%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 11,003 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.7%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.1% |
Thick SNAP store book in Whatcom County
Whatcom County has 154 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 82 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 82
- 7-eleven 23140 b, bellingham
- 7-eleven 19648e, bellingham
- 7-eleven 23138d, bellingham
- 7-eleven 20938d, ferndale
- airport road lc, bellingham
- alexa's market, nooksack
- arco ampm 7038, bellingham
- axton northwest market, bellingham
- bakerview shell, bellingham
- beachwood park general store, blaine
- bender shell, lynden
- bens market #17, blaine
- benson market, ferndale
- blaine mart, blaine
- blaine shell, blaine
- breckenridge dairy, llc, sumas
- cascade convenience, bellingham
- cherry st market, sumas
- cornwall corner store, bellingham
- crazy dazy 9, blaine
- da vinci's market, bellingham
- delta country market, lynden
- deming quick stop, deming
- europa food, bellingham
- edaleen dairy, blaine
- edaleen dairy 2, sumas
- elm st market, bellingham
- fast way, bellingham
- ferndale express lane #248, ferndale
- factory shell, custer
- fairhaven arco/ampm 205, bellingham
- ferndale arco, ferndale
- ferndale asian grocery corporation, ferndale
- ferndale mini market, ferndale
- fishermans cove store, bellingham
- fort bellingham market & deli, bellingham
- front street market, lynden
- goldenrock enterprises, bellingham
- hinote's gas up, lynden
- in & out food mart n/a, bellingham
- j's airport food mart, bellingham
- jj's in and out, bellingham
- kendall market, maple falls
- lakeway mobil, bellingham
- lucky fuel, bellingham
- lummi mini mart, ferndale
- lynden arco, lynden
- lynden shell 1, lynden
- maple market, bellingham
- maplefuels wash-a-ton, maple falls
- marathon bellingham, bellingham
- marine dr market, bellingham
- mediterranean specialties 1, bellingham
- meridian supermart inc 5927, bellingham
- mi rancho meat market, bellingham
- midway gas & food, lynden
- n state st market, bellingham
- n state st market 1, bellingham
- neighborhood market, bellingham
- neighborhood market & deli, bellingham
- nooksack market center 1, deming
- northwood market, lynden
- nurvi llc, blaine
- paradise market, deming
- park manor shell, bellingham
- pilot travel center 583, ferndale
- portal way station, ferndale
- quick e mart, ferndale
- rome store, bellingham
- sunrise grocery, custer
- sahota mart ii inc, bellingham
- salish village travel center, bellingham
- silver beach grocery, bellingham
- slater arco am/pm 205, bellingham
- smart stop shell, bellingham
- speed pro truck stop, lynden
- starvin sams 19, ferndale
- starvin' sam's xvii 17, blaine
- sunset sinclair, bellingham
- the islander store, lummi island
- truck border chevron, blaine
- york's #1, blaine
Combination Grocery/Other · 15
- cvs pharmacy 11633, blaine
- cvs pharmacy 11634, lynden
- cvs pharmacy 11661, ferndale
- cvs pharmacy 11693, bellingham
- dollar tree 3137, bellingham
- dollar tree 3917, blaine
- dollar tree 3924, ferndale
- dollar tree 5143, bellingham
- dollar tree 6094, lynden
- dollar tree 8846, bellingham
- los patrones market, bellingham
- walgreens 16095, bellingham
- walgreens 5911, bellingham
- walgreens 7390, bellingham
- walgreens 7782, ferndale
Supermarket · 14
- blaine cost cutter 489, blaine
- everson market 43, everson
- grocery outlet of lynden 374, lynden
- safeway 1930, lynden
- safeway 3285, bellingham
- safeway inc dba haggen 3430, bellingham
- safeway inc dba haggen 3439, bellingham
- safeway inc dba haggen 3449, bellingham
- safeway inc dba haggen 3460, bellingham
- safeway inc dba haggen 3493, ferndale
- sumas market, sumas
- trader joe's bellingham (north) 274, bellingham
- trader joe's 0151, bellingham
- winco foods 118, bellingham
Super Store · 13
- bellingham grocery outlet 115, bellingham
- community food co-op, bellingham
- community food coop 02, bellingham
- costco 1216, bellingham
- fred meyer 025, bellingham
- fred meyer 667, bellingham
- ferndale grocery outlet 275, ferndale
- point roberts international market pl, point roberts
- target store t-0348, bellingham
- the fair food pavilion 441, lynden
- the market at birch bay 256, blaine
- walmart 2450, bellingham
- whole foods market 10637, bellingham
Farmers' Market · 8
- bellingham farmers market, bellingham
- bellingham dockside market nafmnp, bellingham
- bellingham farmers market, bellingham
- en valley farmers market, everson
- lynden farmers market, lynden
- twin sisters market, maple falls
- twin sisters market, bellingham
- twin sisters markets, deming
Bakery Specialty · 7
- franz bakery outlet 9030, bellingham
- great harvest bread co., bellingham
- papa murphy's wa-024, bellingham
- papa murphy's wa-040, bellingham
- papa murphy's wa-121, lynden
- papa murphy's wa-129, bellingham
- papa murphy's wa-143, ferndale
Small Grocery Store · 7
- carniceria el chapin, ferndale
- crossroads grocery inc, maple falls
- india fiji supermarket, ferndale
- intercontinental foods, bellingham
- super markets rafa, bellingham
- the welcome store, deming
- youngerstock, bellingham
Medium Grocery Store · 5
- euro market, bellingham
- india mart 1, bellingham
- la gloria store no, sumas
- nugents corner market, everson
- west coast oriental market 1, bellingham
Delivery Route · 2
- dandelion organic delivery, bellingham
- twin sisters market, everson
Large Grocery Store · 1
- bay center market, blaine
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 Whatcom County vs Adams County → · All Washington counties →
Nationwide peers for Whatcom County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Whatcom 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 (27.7% here).
- Kanawha County, WV · 27.7% low-access
- Kanawha County, WV · 27.7% low-access
- Stutsman County, ND · 27.7% low-access
- Stutsman County, ND · 27.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside WA (11.7% here).
- Winchester city, VA · 11.7% SNAP
- Winchester city, VA · 11.7% SNAP
- Green Lake County, WI · 11.7% SNAP
- Green Lake County, WI · 11.7% 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.
Food access nationally, Washington in context
Whatcom County sits inside Washington (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 Whatcom County, WA are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 53073. 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.