County food-access profile · Maine
Androscoggin County, ME
Androscoggin County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 9.2%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 16.8%
- on SNAP
- 113K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
9.2% of Androscoggin County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 28 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 9.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.4%
- 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).
Androscoggin County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 9.2% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 28 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 9,957 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,657 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 Androscoggin County compares nationally
Androscoggin County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.2% low-access share that beats 19% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,552).
Androscoggin County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 28 census tracts in Androscoggin County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Androscoggin County vs. other Maine counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Maine
- Androscoggin
Androscoggin County, ME
9.2 % low-access
- Aroostook
Aroostook County, ME
10.9 % low-access
- Cumberland
Cumberland County, ME
21 % low-access
- Franklin
Franklin County, ME
12.9 % low-access
- Hancock 4
Hancock County, ME
4 % low-access
- Kennebec 5.2
Kennebec County, ME
5.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 28 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 107,702 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,957 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.2%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,657 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 113,423 |
| Median Household Income | $67,873 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.4%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,885 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 16.8%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 9.4%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.7% |
About 16.8% of Androscoggin County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 9.2% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 16.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,885 households here.
- 9.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Androscoggin County
near the national share
1 of Androscoggin County's 28 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 3.6% of all its tracts.
A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 9,957 residents, roughly 9.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,657 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 24 tracts (85.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Androscoggin County
Androscoggin County has 125 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 54 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 54
- 7 days market, lewiston
- 7-eleven 32544b 32544, lewiston
- big apple 1002, lisbon falls
- big apple 1008, lewiston
- big apple 1035, lewiston
- big apple 1074, auburn
- big apple 1096, poland
- big apple 1104, auburn
- big apple 1120, poland
- big apple turner 1116, turner
- brettun's variety, livermore
- cumberland farms 5579, livermore falls
- cumberland farms 5595, auburn
- cumberland farms 5598, mechanic falls
- cumberland farms 5614, sabattus
- circle k 4707013, auburn
- circle k 4707029, lewiston
- circle k 4707055, auburn
- circle k 4707056, auburn
- circle k 4707120, greene
- coast to coast, lewiston
- corner st variety, lewiston
- corner view variety, lewiston
- cumberland farms 5621, lewiston
- cumberland farms 5627, lewiston
- dee's corner store, lewiston
- dad's place, mechanic falls
- dave's place, lewiston
- ez mart, lisbon falls
- flowers bakery outlet 985, lewiston
- gga corp, lewiston
- gowell's variety, auburn
- house's market, no turner
- heathcos pizza & variety, auburn
- j&h variety, auburn
- lewiston variety, lewiston
- lisbon street news, lewiston
- long green variety, livermore
- mahant bear pond variety inc, turner
- minot country variety llc, minot
- mobil on the way, lewiston
- nouria 1103 lisbon street 1093, lewiston
- nouria 118 us route 202 1092, leeds
- nouria 449 sabattus street 1094, lewiston
- nouria 484 center street 1081, auburn
- nouria 828 minot avenue 1082, auburn
- oak hill cash market, sabattus
- rusty lantern 0689, lisbon falls
- rusty lantern market 0007, sabattus
- rusty lantern market 0063, turner
- rusty lantern market 1051, turner
- rusty lantern market 1247, livermore falls
- smarty mart, lewiston
- wheelers market, auburn
Combination Grocery/Other · 26
- cvs pharmacy , inc. 156, lewiston
- cvs pharmacy 2382, auburn
- cvs pharmacy 273, lewiston
- dollar tree 2837, lewiston
- dollar tree 3192, auburn
- dollartree 10343, auburn
- dollar general 15379, lewiston
- dollar general 15441, auburn
- dollar general 15456, turner
- dollar general 16300, lisbon
- dollar general 17961, livermore
- dollar general 19142, lewiston
- dollar general 19143, livermore falls
- dollar general 23050, poland
- family dollar 10785, lewiston
- family dollar 10912, greene
- family dollar 11033, sabattus
- family dollar 11396, auburn
- family dollar 12079, lewiston
- family dollar store 8003, lisbon falls
- ocean state job lot 480, auburn
- stejes shop, auburn
- walgreens 18414, livermore falls
- walgreens 19162, auburn
- walgreens 19802, lewiston
- walgreens 19908, lisbon falls
Medium Grocery Store · 11
- ak market, lewiston
- al qubus, lewiston
- ali halal market, lewiston
- castonguay meats, livermore
- future foods, mechanic falls
- global halal market llc, lewiston
- mogadishu store, lewiston
- moyo african supermarket, lewiston
- roy's foodland, auburn
- syon, lewiston
- webbs market no, lewiston
Small Grocery Store · 8
- al madina store, lewiston
- caribbean life grocery & gift store, lewiston
- dayah store, lewiston
- h&h halal store, lewiston
- main street market, sabattus
- matan shop, lewiston
- mile wholesale and retail llc, lewiston
- poirier's market, lewiston
Supermarket · 8
- food city, livermore falls
- food city lisbon, lisbon falls
- food city turner, turner
- gowell's shop n save, greene
- save-a-lot 23499, lewiston
- shaw's supermarket 2550, auburn
- shaw's supermarket 4559, lewiston
- wards neighborhood market 1, lewiston
Super Store · 7
- bj's wholesale club 310, auburn
- hannaford food & drug 8347, auburn
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8265, lewiston
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8428, turner
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8445, mechanic falls
- target store t2880, auburn
- walmart supercenter 1868, auburn
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 3
- bell farms, inc, auburn
- berry fruit farm, livermore falls
- liberation farms, wales
Large Grocery Store · 3
- axis natural foods, auburn
- blackies farm fresh produce, auburn
- bourques park and shop, lewiston
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- farmers' gate market 1, wales
- the sausage kitchen, lisbon falls
Seafood Specialty · 2
- always fresh larochelle seafood, auburn
- cantrell seafood ii 2, lewiston
Farmers' Market · 1
- lewiston farmers market nafmnp, lewiston
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Maine
Compare Androscoggin County vs Aroostook County → · All Maine counties →
Food access nationally, Maine in context
Androscoggin County sits inside Maine (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 Androscoggin County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Androscoggin County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Androscoggin County? ▼
Is Androscoggin County a food desert? ▼
What share of Androscoggin 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.