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Signature · 12.2% SNAP (57th pct in MD)

Prince George's County, MD

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Prince George's 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).

24.0%
low-access pop.
25
food-desert tracts
12.2%
on SNAP
960K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MD

USDA FARA access plate

County Prince George's County, MD

LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-GAP · DENSITY-MIXED

  • LA-ELEVATED 24.0% low-access
  • ABOVE-NATIONAL +1.9 pts vs US
  • LILA-CLUSTER 25 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-TYPICAL 12.2% SNAP
  • VEH-GAP 9.2% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-MIXED 11% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Queen Anne's County ( -0.5 pts)

The food-access picture

According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Prince George's County ranks #1,368 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #12 of 24 counties in MD (24.0% low-access; 25 food-desert tracts).

#1,368
national by low-access %
#12
in MD
85
low-access tracts
30K
food-desert residents

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).

Signature read: 12.2% SNAP (57th pct in MD) (+0.1 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .

How Prince George's County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Prince George's County's 24.0% low-access share is elevated, higher than 56% of them and ranked #1,368 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Prince George's County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

218 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 25 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Prince George's County, MD USDA-defined food-access tiers: 133 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 60 limited, 25 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 218 tracts evaluated. 133 tracts adequate (61.0%) 60 tracts limited (27.5%) 25 tracts severe / food desert (11.5%) Adequate 61% Limited 28% Severe 11% Food-access tier distribution: Prince George's County, MD
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Prince George's County is mostly urban by USDA tract type (209 urban, 9 rural), so most of its low-access count comes from the 1-mile test; the 9 rural tracts are held to 10 miles.

Prince George's County low-access neighbourhood

Poles + nearest peers in Maryland, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Prince George's County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts218
Atlas Population (2010 basis)863,420
Low-Access Tracts85
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)25
Low-Access Population207,576
Low-Access Share24.0%near the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population29,867

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Prince George's County
IndicatorValue
Population959,754
Median Household Income$101,798
Poverty Rate10.8%below the national average
SNAP Households42,353
SNAP Participation Rate12.2%near the national average
Households Without a Vehicle9.2%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.0%

Other Counties in Maryland

One of 23 counties in Maryland, 6 are shown here.

Allegany County
30.4% low-access · 21.0% SNAP
Anne Arundel County
33.7% low-access · 6.5% SNAP
Baltimore city
4.5% low-access · 23.2% SNAP
Baltimore County
21.8% low-access · 11.3% SNAP
Calvert County
38.6% low-access · 5.1% SNAP
Caroline County
9.2% low-access · 17.6% SNAP

Compare Prince George's County vs Allegany County → · All Maryland counties →

Nationwide peers for Prince George's County's low-access or SNAP share

SNAP-led peer set first for Prince George's County (12.2%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Maryland.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside MD (24.0% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside MD (12.2% here).

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%). Prince George's County, at 24.0%, runs 1.3 pts above the Maryland rate.

  1. Georgia 30.9%
  2. South Carolina 28.7%
  3. Delaware 27.3%
  4. Florida 25.1%
  5. North Carolina 22.9%
  6. Maryland 22.7%
  7. West Virginia 21.3%
  8. Virginia 20.4%
  9. 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 Prince George's County, MD are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 24033. 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.