Signature · 4.0% low-access (8th pct)
Hancock County, ME
Hancock County lands in the lower national band on low-access (4.0%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 4.0%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 8.4%
- on SNAP
- 56K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Hancock County, ME
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ADEQUATE 4.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -18.1 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.4% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 12% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Piscataquis County (+ 0.5 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Hancock County lands in the lower national band (4.0%, #2,867 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,867
- national by low-access %
- #15
- in ME
- 2
- low-access tracts
- 897
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 4.0% low-access (8th pct) (-18.1 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Hancock County compares nationally
Food access in Hancock County compares favorably nationally: its 4.0% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 8% of them (rank #2,870).
Hancock County's lower-band USDA tier split
17 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Hancock County has 0 urban and 17 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.
Hancock County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Maine, not a full county-board reprint
- Cumberland
Cumberland 21%
21 % low-access
- Knox 8
Knox 8%
8 % low-access
- Kennebec 5.2
Kennebec 5.2%
5.2 % low-access
- Piscataquis 4.5
Piscataquis 4.5%
4.5 % low-access
- Hancock 4
Hancock 4%
4 % low-access
- Lincoln 2.6
Lincoln 2.6%
2.6 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 54,418 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 2 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,178 |
| Low-Access Share | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 897 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 56,460 |
| Median Household Income | $72,744 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.9%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,142 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.4%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.9% |
Thick SNAP store book in Hancock County
Hancock County has 57 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 27 locations (47% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 27
- amherst general store, amherst
- beech hill farm, mount desert
- big apple 1060, orland
- bucksport freshies 1830, verona island
- circle k 4707009, ellsworth
- circle k 4707058, bar harbor
- circle k 4707060, bucksport
- corner market, southwest harbor
- eggemoggin country store, sargentville
- ellsworth freshies 1904, ellsworth
- ellsworth market place, ellsworth
- franklin trading post, franklin
- hancock grocery, hancock
- hansen's outpost, bass harbor
- hilltop freshies 1905, ellsworth
- hulls cove general store, bar harbor
- lamoine general store, lamoine
- mc s marketplace, birch harbor
- mikes market ii, blue hill
- otis general store, otis
- swarnim, llc, bucksport
- the island market & supply, swans island
- the surry store, surry
- tideway market, inc., hancock
- tradewinds 2340, ellsworth
- tradewinds 2341, orland
- someville freshies 1906, mount desert
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- blue hill coop, blue hill
- dollar general 17825, sullivan
- dollar tree 6439, ellsworth
- family dollar 12061, blue hill
- family dollar store 5474, bucksport
- walgreens 11742, ellsworth
- walgreens 17149, bucksport
- walgreens 17708, blue hill
- walgreens 19967, bar harbor
Super Store · 6
- hannaford supermarket 8152, bucksport
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8123, ellsworth
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8224, bar harbor
- hannaford supermarket 8452, blue hill
- southwest food mart, southwest harbor
- walmart supercenter 1932, ellsworth
Supermarket · 6
- burnt cove market, stonington
- edwards brothers supermarkets 8817, trenton
- friends and family market, ellsworth
- john edwards natural foods, ellsworth
- shaw's supermarket 57, ellsworth
- the galley, deer isle
Farmers' Market · 5
- bar harbor's eden farmers market nafmnp, bar harbor
- blue hill farmers market #nafmnp, blue hill
- bucksport bay farmers market, bucksport
- ellsworth farmers market, ellsworth
- stonington farmers market nafmnp, stonington
Small Grocery Store · 2
- a&b naturals, bar harbor
- gotts store, southwest harbor
Large Grocery Store · 1
- winter harbor provisions, winter harbor
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- dunbar store, sullivan
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Maine
One of 15 counties in Maine, 6 are shown here.
Compare Hancock County vs Androscoggin County → · All Maine counties →
Counties near Hancock County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Hancock County, both outside Maine so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside ME (4.0% here).
- Russell County, KY · 4.0% low-access
- Russell County, KY · 4.0% low-access
- Fayette County, IA · 4.0% low-access
- Fayette County, IA · 4.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside ME (8.4% here).
- Hardin County, IA · 8.4% SNAP
- Hardin County, IA · 8.4% SNAP
- Meeker County, MN · 8.4% SNAP
- Meeker County, MN · 8.4% 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.
Hancock County inside a lower low-access state context
Hancock County sits inside Maine (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 Hancock County, ME are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 23009. 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.