County food-access profile · Maryland
Howard County, MD
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Howard 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).
- 22.6%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 5.6%
- on SNAP
- 336K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
22.6% of Howard County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 55 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 26
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 3.6%
- 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 Howard County's low-access share at 22.6%, above the national share. 26 of the county's 55 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 64,739 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,427 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 Howard County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Howard County's 22.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 53% of them and ranked #1,480 most-affected nationwide.
Howard County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 55 census tracts in Howard County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Howard County vs. other Maryland counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Maryland
- Howard
Howard County, MD
22.6 % 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 | 55 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 287,085 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 26 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 64,739 |
| Low-Access Share | 22.6%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,427 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 336,328 |
| Median Household Income | $149,763 |
| Poverty Rate | 5.2%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,828 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 5.6%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.6%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.8% |
About 5.6% of Howard County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 22.6% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 5.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,828 households here.
- 3.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Howard County
above the national share
2 of Howard County's 55 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 3.6% of all its tracts.
A further 24 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 26.
An estimated 64,739 residents, roughly 22.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,427 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 29 tracts (52.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Howard County
Howard County has 117 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 41 locations (35% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 41
- 7 star food mart, savage
- 7-eleven #42119a 42119, glenelg
- 7-eleven 38648a, columbia
- 7-eleven 39135b, elkridge
- 7-eleven inc 39563a, columbia
- 7-eleven inc f 11725, ellicott city
- 7-eleven inc f 32975, laurel
- 7-eleven inc f 39371, elkridge
- 7-eleven inc f 39564a, elkridge
- 7-eleven #42063a 42063a, columbia
- 7-eleven 11704c, columbia
- 7-eleven 33290c, annapolis junction
- 7-eleven 38567a, ellicott city
- columbia shell 1893, columbia
- cradlerock mart, columbia
- dash in 1832, ellicott city
- dash in 1833, ellicott city
- elkridge shell, elkridge
- highs of baltimore, llc 25, cooksville
- highs of baltimore, llc 32, fulton
- highs of baltimore, llc 38, lisbon
- highs of baltimore, llc 40, ellicott city
- highs of baltimore, llc 65, west friendship
- highs of baltimore, llc 89, glenelg
- huntington deli market, columbia
- laurel mega convenience, laurel
- lolly, columbia
- masala bazaar, columbia
- montgomery exxon, elkridge
- mount airy shell, mount airy
- quick stop food mart, columbia
- royal farms 186, columbia
- royal farms 230, jessup
- royal farms 54, elkridge
- royal farms 75, jessup
- royal farms 76, glenelg
- royal farms 85, columbia
- sam's mart, columbia
- shell waterloo, ellicott city
- sherawali inc, elkridge
- ta baltimore south 151, jessup
Super Store · 24
- b js wholesale club 60, columbia
- costco wholesale 1000, elkridge
- giant food 111, columbia
- giant food 143, ellicott city
- giant food 155, columbia
- giant food 300, columbia
- giant food 344, elkridge
- giant food 348, clarksville
- giant food 2310, ellicott city
- green valley marketplace 51, elkridge
- h mart ellicott city, llc, ellicott city
- harris teeter 322, columbia
- harris teeter 323, fulton
- harris teeter 382, ellicott city
- la mart oakland mills, columbia
- lidl 1450, columbia
- lotte plaza, ellicott city
- mom's organic market 4, jessup
- roots market, clarksville
- target store 1042, ellicott city
- target store 1044, columbia
- walmart 5228, columbia
- walmart supercenter 2412, ellicott city
- whole foods market 10499, columbia
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- asarco international food store, jessup
- cvs pharmacy #10094 10094, columbia
- cvs pharmacey 10648, clarksville
- cvs pharmacy 10528, jessup
- cvs pharmacy 1909, elkridge
- cvs pharmacy 2043, ellicott city
- cvs pharmacy 7139, fulton
- dollar tree 3766, woodbine
- dollar tree 4970, jessup
- ks food, ellicott city
- myanmar asian market, jessup
- rehoboth ethiopian cafe and market, columbia
- roving radish market place, columbia
- walgreens 10539, clarksville
- walgreens 11949, columbia
- walgreens 15553, ellicott city
- walgreens 17966, elkridge
Supermarket · 16
- aldi 71083, elkridge
- columbia grocery outlet 772, columbia
- food lion 2501, scaggsville
- food lion 2611, woodbine
- punjab market and halal meat 2, columbia
- safeway 1281, ellicott city
- safeway 1459, ellicott city
- safeway 1553, columbia
- sprouts farmers market 916, ellicott city
- sysco discount food center, elkridge
- trader joe's 658, elkridge
- wegmans 47, columbia
- weis markets 122, laurel
- weis markets 287, elkridge
- weis markets 45, laurel
- weis markets 62, woodstock
Medium Grocery Store · 12
- afia international, elkridge
- bamyan halal meat 4433197639, columbia
- caspian supermarket, ellicott city
- chivalan llc a, elkridge
- ganesh brothers, ellicott city
- howard international market, columbia
- international food market 1, ellicott city
- mercadito express, llc, columbia
- nazar produce, columbia
- super 24 market, jessup
- superfresh halal meat house, ellicott city
- turkish family market, ellicott city
Large Grocery Store · 3
- boarman's meat market, highland
- columbia halal meat, elkridge
- triveni supermarket, ellicott city
Farmers' Market · 2
- clarksville commons farmers market, clarksville
- maplelawn farmers market nafmnp, fulton
Seafood Specialty · 1
- wild seafood, jessup
Small Grocery Store · 1
- sajed market, clarksville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Maryland
Compare Howard County vs Allegany County → · All Maryland counties →
Food access nationally, Maryland in context
Howard 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 Howard County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Howard County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Howard County? ▼
Is Howard County a food desert? ▼
What share of Howard 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.