Signature · 8.1% SNAP (13th pct in ME)
York County, ME
York County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 17.3%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 8.1%
- on SNAP
- 217K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County York County, ME
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 17.3% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -4.8 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 4 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 8.1% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 10% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Penobscot County ( -1.6 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, York County ranks #1,928 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #2 of 16 counties in ME (17.3% low-access; 4 food-desert tracts).
- #1,928
- national by low-access %
- #2
- in ME
- 15
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- 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: 8.1% SNAP (13th pct in ME) (-4 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How York County compares nationally
York County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.3% low-access share that beats 38% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,928).
York County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
40 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 4 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, York County has 17 urban and 23 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
York County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Maine, not a full county-board reprint
- Cumberland
Cumberland 21%
21 % low-access
- York
York 17.3%
17.3 % low-access
- Penobscot
Penobscot 15.7%
15.7 % low-access
- Oxford
Oxford 15.1%
15.1 % low-access
- Franklin
Franklin 12.9%
12.9 % low-access
- Lincoln 2.6
Lincoln 2.6%
2.6 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 40 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 197,131 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 15 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 34,109 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.3%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 6,589 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 216,731 |
| Median Household Income | $88,333 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.7%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,364 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.1%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.6% |
Thick SNAP store book in York County
York County has 149 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 71 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 71
- 7 jacksons corner store, lyman
- 7-eleven #32536b, springvale
- 7-eleven store #32542 32542, old orchard beach
- 7-eleven #32540 b 32540 b, biddeford
- 7-eleven 23001, kittery
- alfred country store, alfred
- beachway market llc, saco
- big apple 1065, arundel
- big apple 1067, kennebunk
- big apple 1095, cornish
- big apple 1111, sanford
- big apple 1118, saco
- bradbury brothers market, ogunquit
- buxton mini mart inc, buxton
- cumberland farms 5559, kennebunk
- cumberland farms 5567, york
- cumberland farms 5568, south berwick
- cumberland farms 5576, north berwick
- cumberland farms 5584, berwick
- cumberland farms 5599, saco
- circle k 4707036, wells
- circle k 4707045, biddeford
- circle k 4707047, sanford
- circle k 4707049, york
- circle k 4707053, saco
- circle k 4707054, kennebunk
- circle k 4707062, eliot
- circle k 4707065, kittery
- cornish market, cornish
- cumberland farms 5560, ogunquit
- cumberland farms 5616, biddeford
- cumberland farms 5618, saco
- cumberland farms 5624, eliot
- cumberland farms 5625, wells
- cumberland farms 5626, sanford
- dayton country store llc, dayton
- downtown market, biddeford
- eastside convenience, sanford
- energy north 2329, wells
- friendly market, old orchard beach
- goodwin mills general store, lyman
- in and out convenience store, wells
- jaky's, biddeford
- k&d corner store, west newfield
- limerick village variety, limerick
- macdonald's beach convenience, old orchard beach
- main st convenience store, springvale
- nouria 1439 main street 1100, sanford
- nouria 1829 main street 1267, sanford
- nouria 222 narragansett trail 1259, buxton
- nouria 28 elm street 1264, saco
- nouria 4 goodwins mills road 1262, lyman
- nouria 411 sokokis trail 1290, east waterboro
- nouria 432 alfred road 1265, sanford
- nouria 6 plains road 1091, hollis center
- nouria 766 narragansett trail 1260, buxton
- nouria 845 main street 1266, sanford
- one stop shop llc, biddeford
- paul's ii, old orchard beach
- paul's variety, biddeford
- potvins quick stop llc, old orchard beach
- rusty lantern market 0003, kennebunk
- super sub shop llc, biddeford
- three ds variety store inc, biddeford
- the boonies, shapleigh
- the depot, springvale
- village variety 2344, parsonsfield
- waterboro market & cafe, east waterboro
- waterboro milk room llc, waterboro
- wells xtra mart 10102, wells
- your store next door, shapleigh
Combination Grocery/Other · 36
- cvs pharmacy 143, biddeford
- cvs pharmacy 7410, kennebunk
- cvs pharmacy 959, wells
- cvs pharmacy, inc. 523, sanford
- dollar general 17864, wells
- dollar general 18127, parsonsfield
- dollar tree 3119, wells
- dollar general 15393, north berwick
- dollar general 15532, buxton
- dollar general 15568, lyman
- dollar general 15940, eliot
- dollar general 16040, north waterboro
- dollar general 16771, limerick
- dollar general 18492, old orchard beach
- dollar general store 17003, limington
- dollar general store 17269, lebanon
- dollar tree 2409, biddeford
- dollar tree 2796, sanford
- dollar tree 7130, york
- family dollar 10201, old orchard beach
- family dollar 12063, waterboro
- family dollar 8286, cornish
- family dollar store 2984, sanford
- family dollar store 3048, biddeford
- ocean state job lot 473, sanford
- ocean state job lot 477, biddeford
- walgreens 12400, sanford
- walgreens 17450, buxton
- walgreens 18004, saco
- walgreens 18119, old orchard beach
- walgreens 18409, biddeford
- walgreens 18431, kennebunk
- walgreens 19251, cornish
- walgreens 19330, kittery
- walgreens 19606, springvale
- walgreens 19796, york
Super Store · 14
- call's shop n save, cornish
- hannaford food & drug 8221, waterboro
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8138, saco
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8225, biddeford
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8226, buxton
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8384, york
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8389, wells
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8390, sanford
- hannaford supermarket & pharmacy 8403, kennebunk
- hannaford supermarket 8437, north berwick
- market basket 75, biddeford
- target 2166, biddeford
- walmart supercenter 2153, biddeford
- walmart supercenter 1954, sanford
Farmers' Market · 8
- berwick winter farmers' market, berwick
- kennebunk farmers market association, kennebunk
- kittery community farmers' market, kittery
- saco farmers market #nafmnp, saco
- sanford farmers' market, sanford
- south berwick farmers market 2, south berwick
- tri-town farmers markets, eliot
- wells farmers market 3, wells
Medium Grocery Store · 7
- alhadidi market, biddeford
- cummings market, w kennebunk
- nature's way market, south berwick
- ray's market, biddeford
- rogers supa dolla, sanford
- spillers farm store, wells
- tran's market, biddeford
Supermarket · 6
- landry's shop n save 8821, old orchard beach
- one earth natural food store, shapleigh
- plummer, pw & sons inc, buxton
- shaw's supermarket 2626, saco
- shaw's supermarket 4560, sanford
- wells super food market, wells
Small Grocery Store · 4
- 77 convenience store inc, biddeford
- cornerstone country market, waterboro
- new morning natural foods, biddeford
- new morning natural foods, kennebunk
Large Grocery Store · 3
- jerrys market, sanford
- limerick supermarket, limerick
- sleepers supermarket limington, limington
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 York County vs Androscoggin County → · All Maine counties →
Nationwide peers for York County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for York County (8.1%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Maine.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside ME (17.3% here).
- Claiborne Parish, LA · 17.3% low-access
- Claiborne Parish, LA · 17.3% low-access
- Gilmer County, GA · 17.3% low-access
- Gilmer County, GA · 17.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside ME (8.1% here).
- Washington County, IA · 8.1% SNAP
- Washington County, IA · 8.1% SNAP
- Linn County, IA · 8.1% SNAP
- Linn County, IA · 8.1% 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.
Food access nationally, Maine in context
York County sits inside Maine (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
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 York County, ME are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 23031. 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.