Using the tool, in three steps

1. Type a Washington address or city (or click the map, or use your location) and pick a radius — 1, 3, or 5 miles.
2. Read the finding and the numbers in the left panel. Change the radius any time from the small 1 / 3 / 5 switch next to FINDING.
3. Tap any gold diamond or dot on the map to see that place’s name. Use “⊕ New location” to study a different spot.

What the map shows

• Gold diamonds — food banks and pantries. The scarcest resource on the map, so they get the biggest symbol and sit on top of everything.
• Green dots — groceries, supermarkets, farmers markets, butchers and produce stores.
• Red dots — convenience stores, fast food, gas-station food, dollar stores.
• Thin dark rings (zoom in to see them) — retailers verified by USDA to accept SNAP/EBT.
• Tract shading — each census tract is graded by the share of its graded outlets that are healthy: red = mostly convenience and fast food, green = mostly groceries and markets, gray = too few outlets to grade fairly.
• Blue dashed borders — tracts the federal (USDA) measure flags as low-income and low-access by driving distance. Switch to the “Federal measure” layer to see only this.

About the food bank data

Food bank and pantry locations come from Overture Maps, an open community dataset. Open data sees big chains well and small charities poorly — pantries move, change hours, or run from church basements that mapping data never learns about. This is the least complete layer on the map, and we say so rather than pretend otherwise. Verified SNAP retailers (USDA) and census figures are far stronger. If you know a food bank we’re missing — or see one that closed — telling us is the single most useful thing you can do for this map; every report is read and reviewed against its source before anything changes.

Common questions

Why don’t I see a store I know exists?

Outlet data is community-scale (Overture Maps, updated monthly) and can lag reality by months. Outlets in the same plaza also stack on one spot — twelve outlets can look like seven dots. The counts in the panel are exact for the data we have; the data itself is honest but imperfect.

What does “healthy share” mean?

Of the outlets we grade (restaurants excluded), what percentage are groceries, supermarkets, or markets rather than convenience, fast food, gas, or dollar stores. Tracts with fewer than five graded outlets say “too few to grade” instead of pretending.

What is the federal measure?

USDA’s 2025 SNAP-authorized Retailer Access Map: tracts that are low-income AND far from SNAP-authorized food by driving distance (1 mile urban / 10 miles rural). We show it exactly as published. It counts distance to retailers — not what kind of food they sell. That difference is what this tool exists to show.

Why do the population numbers have “±”?

They come from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which is a survey, not a headcount. The ± is the Bureau’s own published margin of error. When a figure is too uncertain to stand, we say so instead of showing it.

Is my search stored?

No. Analyses run in your browser. An address you type is sent only to the Census Bureau’s geocoder to find the location, and we keep nothing. Clicking the map sends nothing anywhere.

Can I get this for my county, my state, or my network?

That is the work Engageably does — this Washington map is a working demonstration. Verified state by state, branded for your organization, with your local knowledge folded in. Write to connect@engageably.com.

Free public data: US Census ACS 2020–2024 · USDA ERS SRAM 2025 · USDA FNA SNAP retailers · Overture Maps. Every number on screen carries its vintage. An Engageably Labs exhibit.