Signature · 4.5% low-access (9th pct)
Piscataquis County, ME
Piscataquis County lands in the lower national band on low-access (4.5%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 4.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 17.9%
- on SNAP
- 17K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Piscataquis County, ME
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 4.5% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -17.6 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 17.9% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Hancock County ( -0.5 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Piscataquis County lands in the lower national band (4.5%, #2,840 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,840
- national by low-access %
- #14
- in ME
- 0
- low-access tracts
- 295
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 4.5% low-access (9th pct) (-17.6 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Piscataquis County compares nationally
Food access in Piscataquis County compares favorably nationally: its 4.5% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 9% of them (rank #2,840).
Piscataquis County's lower-band USDA tier split
8 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
All 8 of Piscataquis County's tracts are rural in the USDA classification, so every one is judged on the 10-mile test: a resident counts as low-access only when the nearest supermarket is more than 10 miles away.
Piscataquis 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 | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 17,535 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 0 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 781 |
| Low-Access Share | 4.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 295 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 17,263 |
| Median Household Income | $61,345 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.5%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,504 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
SNAP retailers in Piscataquis County
Piscataquis County has 25 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 11 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
8 towns share the 25 authorized stores; Dover Foxcroft holds 40% of them. 4 of the 8 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Brownville, Gilford, Monson, Parkman.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Dover Foxcroft | 10 | 2 |
| Milo | 6 | 1 |
| Guilford | 3 | 1 |
| Greenville | 2 | 1 |
| Brownville | 1 | none |
| Gilford | 1 | none |
| Monson | 1 | none |
| Parkman | 1 | none |
Convenience Store · 11
- a.e. robinson convenience store-dover-foxcroft 113, dover foxcroft
- ae robinson convenience store-brownville 105, brownville
- ae robinson convenience store-guilford 102, guilford
- ae robinson convenience store-monson 110, monson
- big apple 1061, greenville
- c & j variety, milo
- dover handy stop, dover foxcroft
- kc's country store, parkman
- ljs express, milo
- mountains market inc, dover foxcroft
- reuben market, milo
Combination Grocery/Other · 6
- back home farm-acy, dover foxcroft
- family dollar 10784, guilford
- family dollar 5208, dover foxcroft
- family dollar 5653, milo
- walgreens 17989, dover foxcroft
- walgreens 19253, milo
Farmers' Market · 2
- dover cove farmers market, dover foxcroft
- dover cove farmers market, dover foxcroft
Super Store · 2
- edwards brothers supermarkets dover 8827, dover foxcroft
- tradewinds marketplace, milo
Supermarket · 2
- indian hill trading post, greenville
- shaw's supermarket 629, dover foxcroft
Large Grocery Store · 1
- guilford market inc, guilford
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- herring bros inc, gilford
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 Piscataquis County vs Androscoggin County → · All Maine counties →
Counties near Piscataquis County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Piscataquis 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 (4.5% here).
- Baltimore city, MD · 4.5% low-access
- Whitley County, IN · 4.5% low-access
- Neshoba County, MS · 4.5% low-access
- Tippah County, MS · 4.5% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside ME (17.9% here).
- Vermilion Parish, LA · 17.9% SNAP
- Covington County, MS · 17.9% SNAP
- Jackson County, OR · 17.9% SNAP
- Blair County, PA · 17.9% 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.
Maine among New England states
Maine ranks 4th of 5 New England states by population-weighted low-access (13.4%). Piscataquis County, at 4.5%, runs 8.9 pts below the Maine rate.
- Massachusetts 27.8%
- New Hampshire 27.5%
- Rhode Island 23.6%
- Maine 13.4%
- Vermont 11.2%
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 Piscataquis County, ME are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 23021. 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.