County food-access profile · Maryland
Charles County, MD
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Charles 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).
- 37.4%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 9.7%
- on SNAP
- 171K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
37.4% of Charles County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 30 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 15
- low-access tracts
- 8K
- food-desert residents
- 3.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 6.9%
- 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 Charles County's low-access share at 37.4%, above the national share. 15 of the county's 30 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 54,847 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 7,597 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 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: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 30 census tracts in Charles County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Charles County vs. other Maryland counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Maryland
- Charles
Charles County, MD
37.4 % low-access
- Allegany
Allegany County, MD
30.4 % low-access
- Anne Arundel
Anne Arundel County, MD
33.7 % low-access
- Baltimore city 4.5
Baltimore city, MD
4.5 % low-access
- Baltimore
Baltimore County, MD
21.8 % low-access
- Calvert
Calvert County, MD
38.6 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| 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% |
About 9.7% of Charles County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 37.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,885 households here.
- 3.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 tracts 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 Charles County
above the national share
3 of Charles County's 30 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.0% of all its tracts.
A further 12 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 15.
An estimated 54,847 residents, roughly 37.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 7,597 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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 retailers.
Other Counties in Maryland
Compare Charles County vs Allegany County → · All Maryland counties →
Food access nationally, Maryland in context
Charles County sits inside Maryland (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 Charles County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Charles County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Charles County? ▼
Is Charles County a food desert? ▼
What share of Charles 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.