Signature · 5 LILA tracts (55.6% of tracts)
Dorchester County, MD
Dorchester County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 5 LILA tracts (55.6% of the book) alongside 13.9% low-access.
- 13.9%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 21.0%
- on SNAP
- 33K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Dorchester County, MD
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-MODERATE 13.9% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -8.2 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 5 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 21.0% SNAP
- VEH-GAP 11.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 56% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Garrett County (+ 0.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Dorchester County lands in the lower national band (13.9%, #2,208 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,208
- national by low-access %
- #20
- in MD
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 5 LILA tracts (55.6% of tracts) .
How Dorchester County compares nationally
Dorchester County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 13.9% low-access share that beats 29% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,208).
Dorchester County's lower-band USDA tier split
9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 5 LILA.
Dorchester County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (6 rural, 3 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 3 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Dorchester County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Maryland, not a full county-board reprint
- Calvert
Calvert 38.6%
38.6 % low-access
- Somerset
Somerset 18.3%
18.3 % low-access
- Garrett 14.1
Garrett 14.1%
14.1 % low-access
- Dorchester 13.9
Dorchester 13.9%
13.9 % low-access
- Talbot 13.7
Talbot 13.7%
13.7 % low-access
- Caroline 9.2
Caroline 9.2%
9.2 % low-access
- Kent 1.7
Kent 1.7%
1.7 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 9 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 32,618 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,519 |
| Low-Access Share | 13.9%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,627 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 32,754 |
| Median Household Income | $61,839 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.1%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,849 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 21.0%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 11.6%above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Dorchester County
Dorchester County has 37 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 17 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
7 towns share the 37 authorized stores; Cambridge holds 70% of them. 5 of the 7 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: East New Market, Church Creek, Toddville, Woolford, Vienna.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | 26 | 4 |
| Hurlock | 5 | 1 |
| East New Market | 2 | none |
| Church Creek | 1 | none |
| Toddville | 1 | none |
| Woolford | 1 | none |
| Vienna | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 17
- bayly beverage, cambridge
- cambridge mart inc, cambridge
- eagle fuel shop 1, cambridge
- elijah's general store, toddville
- happy market, cambridge
- hayward mart, cambridge
- hoopers island general store, church creek
- hurlock goose creek #10 10, hurlock
- ocean mart, cambridge
- royal farms 131, cambridge
- stop shop, hurlock
- sailwinds station, cambridge
- short stop, cambridge
- snows turn goose creek 21, cambridge
- springdale food mart, east new market
- vienna mart, vienna
- wawa 563, cambridge
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- dollar general 20474, east new market
- dollar general 23658, hurlock
- dollar general 23758, cambridge
- dollar tree 456, cambridge
- family dollar 8010, hurlock
- family dollar 8293, cambridge
- jm clayton seafood, cambridge
- simmons center market, cambridge
- total fine foods outlet store, cambridge
- walgreens 10905, cambridge
Seafood Specialty · 3
- choptank river crab & oyster, cambridge
- kool ice and seafood, cambridge
- lindy's seafood, woolford
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- food rite, hurlock
- genesis food market, cambridge
Small Grocery Store · 2
- mercado latino 2, cambridge
- tienda mexicana velasquez llc, cambridge
Supermarket · 2
- aldi 71101, cambridge
- food lion 1158, cambridge
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 2272, cambridge
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 Dorchester County vs Allegany County → · All Maryland counties →
Counties near Dorchester County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Dorchester 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 (13.9% here).
- Amite County, MS · 13.9% low-access
- Scott County, IA · 13.9% low-access
- Decatur County, IN · 13.9% low-access
- Hendry County, FL · 13.9% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MD (21.0% here).
- Clay County, MS · 21.0% SNAP
- Lawrence County, OH · 21.0% SNAP
- Merced County, CA · 21.0% SNAP
- Humboldt County, CA · 21.0% 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.
Maryland among South Atlantic states
Maryland ranks 6th of 9 South Atlantic states by population-weighted low-access (22.7%). Dorchester County, at 13.9%, runs 8.8 pts below the Maryland rate.
- Georgia 30.9%
- South Carolina 28.7%
- Delaware 27.3%
- Florida 25.1%
- North Carolina 22.9%
- Maryland 22.7%
- West Virginia 21.3%
- Virginia 20.4%
- District of Columbia 4.6%
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Dorchester County, MD are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 24019. 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.