Signature · 37.4% low-access (84th pct)
Charles County, MD
Charles County sits in the upper national band on low-access (37.4%, +15.3 pts vs U.S.), with SNAP/vehicle context from ACS 2024.
- 37.4%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 9.7%
- on SNAP
- 171K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Charles County, MD
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 37.4% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +15.3 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 9.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 10% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Calvert County (+ 1.2 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Charles County sits in the upper national band (37.4%, #505 of 3,079) with 3 LILA tracts.
- #505
- national by low-access %
- #2
- in MD
- 15
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 37.4% low-access (84th pct) (+15.3 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Charles County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Charles County's 37.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 84% of them and ranked #510 most-affected nationwide.
Charles County's elevated USDA tier split
30 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Charles County has 19 urban and 11 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.
Charles County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Maryland, not a full county-board reprint
- Calvert
Calvert 38.6%
38.6 % low-access
- Charles
Charles 37.4%
37.4 % low-access
- Anne Arundel
Anne Arundel 33.7%
33.7 % low-access
- Worcester
Worcester 30.7%
30.7 % low-access
- Allegany
Allegany 30.4%
30.4 % low-access
- Kent 1.7
Kent 1.7%
1.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 30 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 146,551 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 15 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 54,847 |
| Low-Access Share | 37.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,597 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 170,527 |
| Median Household Income | $122,816 |
| Poverty Rate | 6.9%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,885 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.8% |
Thick SNAP store book in Charles County
Charles County has 95 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 34 locations (36% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 34
- 228 waldorf shell 660, waldorf
- 7-eleven inc f 15036d, waldorf
- 7-eleven inc f 23157c, waldorf
- 7-eleven inc f 32282, waldorf
- 7-eleven #42396a 42396a, la plata
- 7-eleven 35037a, waldorf
- 7-eleven 37697, waldorf
- 7-eleven 38380a, white plains
- 7-eleven 38943a, waldorf
- 7-eleven store 28930d 28930d, waldorf
- 7-eleven store 34237a, waldorf
- bryans road us fuel, bryans road
- dash in 034, bryans road
- dash in 1043, waldorf
- dash in 1064, indian head
- dash in 1086, waldorf
- dash in 1123, waldorf
- dash in 1130, white plains
- dash in 1171, la plata
- dash in 522, bryans road
- dash in food store 7035, la plata
- golden grocery asian market, waldorf
- hughesville korner express 640, hughesville
- j & a envios express 2, white plains
- la bendicion market llc, waldorf
- moreland produce & market, waldorf
- pisgah general store, indian head
- scotts 2, welcome
- sheetz 896, charlotte hall
- sunoco mart, waldorf
- super h- citgo, waldorf
- wawa 568, white plains
- wawa 584, la plata
- wawa food market 565, waldorf
Combination Grocery/Other · 23
- cvs pharmacy 1481, waldorf
- cvs pharmacy 1488, la plata
- cvs pharmacy 1621, waldorf
- cvs pharmacy 1796, white plains
- cvs pharmacy 1838, bryans road
- dollartree 11059, waldorf
- diamond international mart, llc, waldorf
- dollar general 12742, indian head
- dollar general 14140, waldorf
- dollar general 19869, marbury
- dollar general 22703, newburg
- dollar general 2696, bryans road
- dollar general 5700, waldorf
- dollar tree 4158, la plata
- dollar tree 626, waldorf
- dollar tree 6539, indian head
- dollar tree 8390, waldorf
- family dollar 12563, waldorf
- family dollar 8438, waldorf
- family dollar store 2986, la plata
- walgreens 09032, waldorf
- walgreens 09632, waldorf
- walgreens 10063, la plata
Super Store · 12
- b js wholesale club 72, waldorf
- giant food 304, waldorf
- lidl 1093, waldorf
- mom's organic market 10, waldorf
- nicks of clinton, waldorf
- sam's club 6655, waldorf
- shopper food warehouse 2414, waldorf
- super giant 339, la plata
- target store 1008, waldorf
- target stores 2133, la plata
- walmart 1717, waldorf
- walmart 2853, la plata
Supermarket · 12
- aldi 80077, waldorf
- aldi 80078, la plata
- food lion 1184, waldorf
- food lion 1316, bryans road
- food lion 2547, waldorf
- oasis fresh foods market, indian head
- safeway 105, waldorf
- safeway 1938, la plata
- safeway 2661, waldorf
- sprouts farmers market 923, waldorf
- weis markets 278, la plata
- world food supermarket, waldorf
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- grays market, marbury
- la bendicion market 2, bryans road
- la tiendona grocery, waldorf
- tienda y carniceria los compadres 2, white plains
Small Grocery Store · 4
- abuja international food market, waldorf
- oreofe international foods, waldorf
- shalimar grocery n/a, waldorf
- tienda karina spanish market ii, waldorf
Large Grocery Store · 2
- cobb island public market, cobb island
- los compadres llc, waldorf
Seafood Specialty · 2
- b & s seafood, waldorf
- southern maryland crabs & seafood, waldorf
Farmers' Market · 1
- la plata farmers market, la plata
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- chucks butcher shop, bryans road
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Maryland
One of 23 counties in Maryland, 6 are shown here.
Compare Charles County vs Allegany County → · All Maryland counties →
Counties near Charles County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Charles County, both outside Maryland so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MD (37.4% here).
- Monroe County, IL · 37.4% low-access
- Monroe County, IL · 37.4% low-access
- Telfair County, GA · 37.4% low-access
- Telfair County, GA · 37.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MD (9.7% here).
- Houghton County, MI · 9.7% SNAP
- Houghton County, MI · 9.7% SNAP
- Nelson County, KY · 9.7% SNAP
- Nelson County, KY · 9.7% 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.
Charles County inside a higher low-access state context
Charles County sits inside Maryland (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 Charles County, MD are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 24017. 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.