Signature · 174 LILA tracts (4.46/county)
Food access in Washington
How far Washington residents live from a supermarket (23.1% low-access), where LILA tracts sit, and SNAP/vehicle context from USDA FARA 2019 + Census ACS 2024.
- 23.1%
- low-access pop.
- 174
- food-desert tracts
- 11.6%
- on SNAP
- 39
- counties
USDA FARA state access plate
State WA · Washington
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · BOOK-LIGHT
- LA-ELEVATED 23.1% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.0 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 174 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 11.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.9% no vehicle
- BOOK-LIGHT 39 counties
Nearest low-access peer: Michigan (+ 0.1 pts)
Where Washington sits by county inventory
Washington covers 39 counties among 51 states and DC (atlas inventory, not a food-access quality ranking). Orthogonal to the low-access / SNAP charts below.
Washington vs all states by county count
Where this state's county inventory sits among every tracked jurisdiction
39 33rd of 51 higher than 18 of 51 states
Jurisdictions, banded by county inventory
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USDA Food Access Research Atlas / Census county inventory · 2026-06-23
Mid-band statewide picture
About 1.6M Washington residents (23.1%) live low-access - #31 of 50, with 174 USDA food-desert tracts.
- #31
- among states by low-access
- 1.6M
- low-access residents
- 341K
- food-desert residents
- 6.9%
- households, no vehicle
Population-weighted tract shares. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural from a supermarket.
Where Washington sits on low-access
Washington ringed at #31 of 50 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
Signature read: 174 LILA tracts (4.46/county) .
Washington is in the middle third nationally on low-access (23.1% , #31 of 50). SNAP averages 11.6% of households and 6.9% have no vehicle , with 174 LILA tracts. County pressure peaks in Douglas County at 55.5%.
Nationwide peers for Washington's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Washington. Neighbourhood chart below is local poles; these panels are full-corpus nearest neighbours excluding this state.
Similar low-access share
Nearest population-weighted low-access rates (23.1% here).
- Michigan · 23.2% low-access
- Nevada · 23.0% low-access
- North Carolina · 22.9% low-access
- Maryland · 22.7% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates (11.6% here), deduped against the low-access panel.
- Texas · 11.6% SNAP
- Hawaii · 11.4% SNAP
- Connecticut · 11.8% SNAP
- Maine · 12.0% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Floor county_count ≥ 5.
Washington low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest state peers, not a full national reprint
- NM
NM 31.7%
31.7 % low-access
- MI
MI 23.2%
23.2 % low-access
- WA
WA 23.1%
23.1 % low-access
- NV
NV 23%
23 % low-access
- NC
NC 22.9%
22.9 % low-access
- MD
MD 22.7%
22.7 % low-access
- DC 4.6
DC 4.6%
4.6 % low-access
Highest low-access counties in Washington
Douglas County ~1.4% of statewide low-access residents
- Douglas
Douglas County, WA
55.5 % low-access
- Columbia
Columbia County, WA
49.1 % low-access
- Ferry
Ferry County, WA
48.6 % low-access
- Adams
Adams County, WA
41.7 % low-access
- Kitsap
Kitsap County, WA
40.7 % low-access
- Lincoln
Lincoln County, WA
39.4 % low-access
- Clallam
Clallam County, WA
38.2 % low-access
- Stevens
Stevens County, WA
36 % low-access
All counties in Washington
| County | Low-access | SNAP |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | 55.5% | 14.3% |
| Columbia County | 49.1% | 14.1% |
| Ferry County | 48.6% | 19.5% |
| Adams County | 41.7% | 18.9% |
| Kitsap County | 40.7% | 10.0% |
| Lincoln County | 39.4% | 14.7% |
| Clallam County | 38.2% | 13.0% |
| Stevens County | 36.0% | 15.0% |
| Pierce County | 33.7% | 12.3% |
| Thurston County | 33.4% | 11.2% |
| Franklin County | 31.6% | 18.8% |
| Whitman County | 28.5% | 10.9% |
| Skagit County | 28.4% | 12.4% |
| Whatcom County | 27.7% | 11.7% |
| Grant County | 25.8% | 16.5% |
| Pend Oreille County | 25.8% | 16.7% |
| Cowlitz County | 25.3% | 17.7% |
| Walla Walla County | 23.7% | 13.5% |
| Kittitas County | 23.5% | 12.3% |
| Snohomish County | 23.5% | 8.8% |
| Benton County | 22.8% | 14.8% |
| Clark County | 21.7% | 12.1% |
| Jefferson County | 19.2% | 8.1% |
| Chelan County | 18.1% | 12.0% |
| Grays Harbor County | 16.7% | 18.2% |
| King County | 16.7% | 8.2% |
| Spokane County | 16.7% | 15.8% |
| Lewis County | 16.2% | 16.4% |
| Wahkiakum County | 15.2% | 6.9% |
| Yakima County | 14.9% | 22.6% |
| Asotin County | 13.8% | 18.6% |
| Okanogan County | 13.6% | 19.3% |
| Mason County | 13.2% | 15.2% |
| Garfield County | 12.4% | 13.6% |
| Klickitat County | 11.8% | 12.0% |
| Pacific County | 11.5% | 15.1% |
| Island County | 11.4% | 7.7% |
| Skamania County | 4.2% | 12.3% |
| San Juan County | 0.0% | 5.7% |
Source: USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2024 5-year). Sorted by low-access share, highest first.
Figures from USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and Census ACS 2024 5-year. Compiled . Methodology · All states.
PlainFoodAccess renders this state summary 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. Statewide figures for Washington are population-weighted aggregates of county Atlas and ACS records. 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.