County food-access profile · Hawaii
Maui County, HI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Maui 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).
- 27.0%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 10.4%
- on SNAP
- 165K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
27.0% of Maui County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 34 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 17
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 5.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.2%
- 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 Maui County's low-access share at 27.0%, above the national share. 17 of the county's 34 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 41,845 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,918 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 Maui County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Maui County's 27.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 63% of them and ranked #1,151 most-affected nationwide.
Maui County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 34 census tracts in Maui County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Maui County vs. other Hawaii counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Hawaii
- Maui
Maui County, HI
27 % low-access
- Hawaii
Hawaii County, HI
31.3 % low-access
- Honolulu
Honolulu County, HI
25.2 % low-access
- Kalawao 0
Kalawao County, HI
0 % low-access
- Kauai
Kauai County, HI
34.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 34 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 154,834 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 17 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 41,845 |
| Low-Access Share | 27.0%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,918 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 164,522 |
| Median Household Income | $97,161 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 5,781 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.4%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
About 10.4% of Maui County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 27.0% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 5,781 households here.
- 5.4% 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 Maui County
above the national share
3 of Maui County's 34 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 8.8% of all its tracts.
A further 14 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 17.
An estimated 41,845 residents, roughly 27.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,918 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 17 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Maui County
Maui County has 118 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 46 locations (39% of the total), followed by super store.
Convenience Store · 46
- 7-eleven 54216, kahului
- a touch of molokai, maunaloa
- abc store 43, lahaina
- abc store 47, lahaina
- abc store 48, lahaina
- abc store 51, kihei
- abc store 73, kihei
- abc store 74, kihei
- abc store 80, kihei
- aim kaahumanu shell 1334, kahului
- aim kahului hd maui 1118, kahului
- aim kihei shell 1321, kihei
- aim w maui shell 1320, lahaina
- aim waiehu shell 1322, wailuku
- accents 1490, lahaina
- dairy road tesoro, kahului
- hele hillside 61311, wailuku
- hele mauilani 61312, kahului
- hele stores 61071, kahului
- hele stores 61072, kihei
- hele stores 61073, kihei
- honolua store 89, lahaina
- island gourmet markets 92, kihei
- kihei 76, kihei
- kukui mini mart, kaunakakai
- lunch box u-turn, kaunakakai
- minit stop 1, kahului
- minit stop 10, kihei
- minit stop 11, lahaina
- minit stop 2, makawao
- minit stop 4, wailuku
- minit stop 5, paia
- minit stop 6, makawao
- minit stop 9, kahului
- molokai mini mart inc., kaunakakai
- paia shell, paia
- pauwela store, haiku
- port town texaco, kahului
- t komoda store & bakery, makawao
- the tobacco shack, maunaloa
- uptown texaco 91571, wailuku
- whaler's general store 1462, lahaina
- whalers general store 1211, lahaina
- whalers general store 1239, lahaina
- whalers general store 1252, kihei
- whalers general store 1260, kihei
Super Store · 18
- costco wholesale 0119, kahului
- foodland farms 42, lahaina
- foodland kaahumanu 20, kahului
- foodland kehalani 45, wailuku
- foodland kihei 23, kihei
- foodland pukalani 24, pukalani
- island grocery depot, kahului
- island grocery depot - lahaina, lahaina
- mana health foods, paia
- misaki's inc, kaunakakai
- napilli market napilihau st 1004, lahaina
- richard's market, lanai city
- tamura enterprises, inc., wailuku
- target store 2660, kahului
- times super mkt honokowai 24, lahaina
- times super mkt kihei 27, kihei
- walmart 3290, kahului
- whole foods market 10374, kahului
Combination Grocery/Other · 14
- cvs pharmacy 3059, makawao
- cvs pharmacy 9303, kihei
- cvs pharmacy 9663, kahului
- cvs pharmacy 9877, lahaina
- down to earth natural fd-kahului, kahului
- garcia's fishmarket inc, kahului
- hawaiian moons natural foods, kihei
- longs drugs 10060, wailuku
- pukalani superette, makawao
- rowena's produce, kahului
- something for everybody, kaunakakai
- walgreens 11192, lahaina
- walgreens 12786, kahului
- walgreens 15115, wailuku
Medium Grocery Store · 13
- 4-r oriental food mart & produce, kahului
- c. pascua store, kaunakakai
- cj mart 1, kahului
- da hotspot kaunakakai, kaunakakai
- hana ranch store, hana
- hanzawas variety store, haiku
- hasegawa general store, hana
- kalama mini mart, llc, wailuku
- mana'e goods & grindz, kaunakakai
- maunaloa general store by haleola, maunaloa
- philmart oriental & fastfood llc, kihei
- rexel pacific fish market & grocery llc, kahului
- sunrise food mart, kahului
Supermarket · 8
- friendly market center, kaunakakai
- haiku market 2809, haiku
- safeway 1222, lahaina
- safeway 1500, kihei
- safeway 280, kahului
- safeway 3092, wailuku
- seafood city supermarket 34, kahului
- takamiya market inc, wailuku
Small Grocery Store · 6
- 4a's mini mart 1, kahului
- 808 mini mart, wailuku
- mabuhay mart 8082507008, kihei
- maui asian minimart inc, wailuku
- oamil store, kaunakakai
- rodeo general store, makawao
Large Grocery Store · 5
- kualapuu market ltd, kualapuu
- maui greens market, kahului
- morihara store, kula
- pine isle market, lanai
- tj's warehouse outlet, wailuku
Delivery Route · 2
- maui hub, kahului
- sustainable molokai, kaunakakai
Farmers' Market · 2
- hana farmers market, hana
- the original wednesday farmers market nafmnp, makawao
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 2
- farmers market maui, kihei
- oko'a farms, makawao
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- molokai livestock cooperative, hoolehua
- uncle louie's sausage co, inc, kahului
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Hawaii
Compare Maui County vs Hawaii County → · All Hawaii counties →
Food access nationally, Hawaii in context
Maui County sits inside Hawaii (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 Maui County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Maui County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Maui County? ▼
Is Maui County a food desert? ▼
What share of Maui 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.