County food-access profile · Maryland
Wicomico County, MD
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Wicomico 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).
- 29.7%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 17.2%
- on SNAP
- 105K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
29.7% of Wicomico County residents live in a low-access area, and 5 of its 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 5.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.9%
- 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 Wicomico County's low-access share at 29.7%, above the national share. 10 of the county's 19 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 29,361 people. 5 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,940 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 Wicomico County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Wicomico County's 29.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 69% of them and ranked #956 most-affected nationwide.
Wicomico County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 19 census tracts in Wicomico County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Wicomico County vs. other Maryland counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Maryland
- Wicomico
Wicomico County, MD
29.7 % 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 | 19 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 98,733 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 29,361 |
| Low-Access Share | 29.7%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,940 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 104,914 |
| Median Household Income | $76,210 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.9%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,951 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.2%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.7%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.9% |
About 17.2% of Wicomico County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 29.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 17.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,951 households here.
- 5.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 5 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 Wicomico County
above the national share
5 of Wicomico County's 19 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 26.3% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 29,361 residents, roughly 29.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,940 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (47.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Wicomico County
Wicomico County has 108 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 42 locations (39% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 42
- 7-eleven 42027h, salisbury
- 7-eleven 41333a, salisbury
- 7-eleven 41704, salisbury
- autumn grove tiger mart 25, salisbury
- b & j market, salisbury
- beer cave inc. 27, delmar
- cedar hill general store and deli, llc, bivalve
- corner market, delmar
- country farm, salisbury
- country farm, salisbury
- cross road food mart, salisbury
- dash in, willards
- eagle express mart, salisbury
- eagle express mart, fruitland
- express market, salisbury
- royal farms 127, salisbury
- royal farms 137, salisbury
- royal farms 167, salisbury
- royal farms 283, salisbury
- royal farms 384, fruitland
- royal farms 5, salisbury
- royal farms 73, salisbury
- royal farms 83, salisbury
- salisbury exxon, inc. 24, salisbury
- shell quick stop, salisbury
- shore stop 207, salisbury
- shore stop 210, salisbury
- shore stop 211, salisbury
- shore stop 229, pittsville
- sunnyside beverage, parsonsburg
- super soda, salisbury
- tas group 2, salisbury
- thirsty's state line, delmar
- tiger mart 26, salisbury
- truitt street goose creek 23, salisbury
- umer inc, salisbury
- vintage beverage, salisbury
- wawa 555, salisbury
- wawa 561, salisbury
- west side cash market, salisbury
- winterplace market, salisbury
- wise mart ii, sharptown
Combination Grocery/Other · 27
- 1 fish 2 fish crabs & seafood, salisbury
- asian food center, salisbury
- cvs pharmacy 8281, salisbury
- dollar general 18578, sharptown
- dollar general 18996, willards
- dollartree 8754, salisbury
- dollar general 11709, salisbury
- dollar general 13193, pittsville
- dollar general 14710, mardela springs
- dollar general 16811, salisbury
- dollar general 25658, salisbury
- dollar general 30304, salisbury
- dollar general 4472, salisbury
- dollar general 544, salisbury
- dollar general 7568, fruitland
- dollar tree 1483, salisbury
- dollar tree 1703, salisbury
- dollar tree 766, salisbury
- family dollar 11035, salisbury
- family dollar 13634, salisbury
- family dollar store 1913, salisbury
- family dollar store 3871, salisbury
- family dollar store 4152, salisbury
- harris market, salisbury
- le bonberger food store, salisbury
- maude grocery store llc grocery, salisbury
- walgreens 09927, salisbury
Medium Grocery Store · 15
- alleuia lyna market, salisbury
- caribbean express market, salisbury
- discount supermarket & multy service, salisbury
- first caribbean market llc, salisbury
- glory caribbean express inc 0, salisbury
- good bless vernal's market, salisbury
- grocery and butchery, salisbury
- island bistro, salisbury
- la mixtequita llc 1, salisbury
- mercado international 2, salisbury
- papayo market #2, salisbury
- sanchez butcher shop llc, salisbury
- sophies super market inc, salisbury
- taly caribbean market, salisbury
- wazeline store, salisbury
Small Grocery Store · 8
- dada love caribbean market, fruitland
- delmarva mediterannean market, salisbury
- diez de mayo n/a, salisbury
- hebron food rite, hebron
- la mexicana ii, salisbury
- shoppers one stop market, salisbury
- spice bazaar, salisbury
- tienda y taqueria gonzalez, salisbury
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 71073, salisbury
- acme 896, salisbury
- family pride of salisbury llc 24574, salisbury
- food lion 1211, salisbury
- food lion 1268, salisbury
- food lion 1560, fruitland
- food lion 800, salisbury
Super Store · 5
- grocery outlet of salisbury 745, salisbury
- sam's club 6383, salisbury
- target store 1233, salisbury
- walmart supercenter 1890, salisbury
- walmart supercenter 2931, salisbury
Seafood Specialty · 3
- big blue llc, salisbury
- parker's produce & seafood, pittsville
- skipjack seafood, salisbury
Large Grocery Store · 1
- union latina llc, salisbury
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Maryland
Compare Wicomico County vs Allegany County → · All Maryland counties →
Food access nationally, Maryland in context
Wicomico 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 Wicomico County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Wicomico County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Wicomico County? ▼
Is Wicomico County a food desert? ▼
What share of Wicomico 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.