PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Maryland

Carroll County, MD

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Carroll 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).

29.5%
low-access pop.
1
food-desert tracts
5.2%
on SNAP
175K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MD

The food-access picture

29.5% of Carroll County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 38 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

18
low-access tracts
5K
food-desert residents
3.3%
households, no vehicle
5.2%
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 Carroll County's low-access share at 29.5%, above the national share. 18 of the county's 38 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 49,324 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,028 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 Carroll County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Carroll County's 29.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 69% of them and ranked #967 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Carroll County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 38 census tracts in Carroll County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Carroll County, MD USDA-defined food-access tiers: 20 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 17 limited, 1 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 38 tracts evaluated. 20 tracts adequate (52.6%) 17 tracts limited (44.7%) 1 tracts severe / food desert (2.6%) Adequate 53% Limited 45% Severe 3% Food-access tier distribution: Carroll County, MD
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Carroll County vs. other Maryland counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Maryland

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Carroll County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts38
Atlas Population (2010 basis)167,134
Low-Access Tracts18
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)1
Low-Access Population49,324
Low-Access Share29.5%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population5,028

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Carroll County
IndicatorValue
Population175,321
Median Household Income$118,211
Poverty Rate5.2%well below the national average
SNAP Households3,352
SNAP Participation Rate5.2%well below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle3.3%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.3%
SNAP participation in Carroll County 5.2%

About 5.2% of Carroll County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 29.5% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 5.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,352 households here.
  • 3.3% 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 Carroll County

above the national share

1 of Carroll County's 38 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 2.6% of all its tracts.

A further 17 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 18.

An estimated 49,324 residents, roughly 29.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 5,028 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 20 tracts (52.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Carroll County

Carroll County has 79 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 34 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 34

  • 1 magna inc., westminster
  • 7-eleven #28957b 28957b, new windsor
  • 7-eleven inc f 28890, mount airy
  • 7-eleven inc f 28924, westminster
  • 7-eleven inc f 32785c, hampstead
  • 7-eleven #34747c 34747c, finksburg
  • 7-eleven #41343b 41343b, sykesville
  • 7-eleven 18127d, sykesville
  • 7-eleven 24347f, westminster
  • 7-eleven 28956b, union bridge
  • carroll fuel mart 1, westminster
  • hampstead jiffy mart 440, hampstead
  • highs of baltimore, llc 20, westminster
  • highs of baltimore, llc 23, manchester
  • highs of baltimore, llc 42, sykesville
  • highs of baltimore, llc 45, taneytown
  • highs of baltimore, llc 78, mount airy
  • highs of baltimore, llc 91, sykesville
  • jiffy mart, westminster
  • la usulteca, westminster
  • penny mart #06, westminster
  • reyes latinos market 1, westminster
  • royal farms 113, finksburg
  • royal farms 174, sykesville
  • royal farms 323, westminster
  • royal farms 62, westminster
  • sheetz 132, taneytown
  • sheetz 177, manchester
  • sheetz 652, westminster
  • smoking deals & gift corner, mount airy
  • taneytown sunoco, taneytown
  • victory 1 convenience, westminster
  • wawa 590, westminster
  • wawa store 8529, eldersburg,

Combination Grocery/Other · 18

  • a&w country meats, taneytown
  • cvs pharmacy 1330, westminster
  • cvs pharmacy 1446, mount airy
  • cvs pharmacy 4170, taneytown
  • cvs pharmacy 4220, hampstead
  • cvs pharmacy 5707, sykesville
  • dollar general 14165, taneytown
  • dollar general 14571, union bridge
  • dollar general 25244, hampstead
  • dollar general 25574, westminster
  • dollar tree 0043, westminster
  • dollar tree 3269, hampstead
  • dollar tree 6300, eldersburg
  • family dollar store 3328, taneytown
  • wagner's meats llc, mount airy
  • walgreens 07678, eldersburg
  • walgreens 13457, westminster
  • walgreens 17201, mount airy

Supermarket · 16

  • aldi 71084, eldersburg
  • aldi 71043, westminster
  • eldersburg grocery outlet 749, sykesville
  • food lion 2193, finksburg
  • food lion 2587, westminster
  • food lion 950, taneytown
  • grocery outlet of westminster 773, westminster
  • martins food market 6307, eldersburg
  • safeway 1616, westminster
  • safeway 1678, eldersburg
  • safeway 1815, mount airy
  • sprouts farmers market 922, westminster
  • weis markets 111, westminster
  • weis markets 128, hampstead
  • weis markets 139, hampstead
  • weis markets 292, eldersburg

Super Store · 9

  • b js wholesale club 131, westminster
  • giant food 109, westminster
  • kennies market inc 51420, taneytown
  • miller's food market inc, manchester
  • shoppers food warehouse 2374, westminster
  • target store 1000, westminster
  • walmart 1867, westminster
  • walmart supercenter 2436, sykesville
  • walmart supercenter 2850, hampstead

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • bullock meats, westminster

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • el gran tikal llc, westminster

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Maryland

Allegany County
30.4% low-access · 21.0% SNAP
Anne Arundel County
33.7% low-access · 6.5% SNAP
Baltimore city
4.5% low-access · 23.2% SNAP
Baltimore County
21.8% low-access · 11.3% SNAP
Calvert County
38.6% low-access · 5.1% SNAP
Caroline County
9.2% low-access · 17.6% SNAP

Compare Carroll County vs Allegany County → · All Maryland counties →

Food access nationally, Maryland in context

Carroll County sits inside Maryland (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Carroll County has low food access? ▼
29.5% of residents in Carroll County, MD live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Carroll County? ▼
5.2% of households in Carroll County receive SNAP, covering 3,352 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Carroll County? ▼
The poverty rate in Carroll County, MD is 5.2%, with a median household income of $118,211 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Carroll County a food desert? ▼
1 of Carroll County's 38 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Carroll County households lack a vehicle? ▼
3.3% of households in Carroll County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.