Signature · 13.4% low-access (#46 of 50)
Food access in Maine
Maine lands in the lower third on population-weighted low-access (13.4%), so distance is less binding statewide than in the upper band - county pages still show local pockets.
- 13.4%
- low-access pop.
- 30
- food-desert tracts
- 12.0%
- on SNAP
- 16
- counties
USDA FARA state access plate
State ME · Maine
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · BOOK-THIN
- LA-MODERATE 13.4% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -8.7 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 30 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 12.0% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.8% no vehicle
- BOOK-THIN 16 counties
Nearest low-access peer: California ( -0.1 pts)
Maine's slim county book (16)
Maine covers 16 counties among 51 states and DC (atlas inventory, not a food-access quality ranking). Orthogonal to the low-access / SNAP charts below.
Maine vs all states by county count
Where this state's county inventory sits among every tracked jurisdiction
16 42nd of 51 higher than 9 of 51 states
Jurisdictions, banded by county inventory
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USDA Food Access Research Atlas / Census county inventory · 2026-06-23
Lower-band statewide picture
Maine stays in the lower third nationally (13.4%, #46 of 50) with ~178K low-access residents and 30 LILA tracts.
- #46
- among states by low-access
- 178K
- low-access residents
- 47K
- food-desert residents
- 6.8%
- households, no vehicle
Population-weighted tract shares. Lower-band statewide means still leave county outliers on the table below.
Maine on the national low-access cartogram
Maine ringed at #46 of 50 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
Signature read: 13.4% low-access (#46 of 50) (-8.7 pts vs U.S. low-access).
Maine lands in the lower third of states on population-weighted low-access (13.4% , #46 of 50). Distance is less binding statewide than in the upper band, yet Cumberland County still reaches 21.0% locally while SNAP sits at 12.0% on a slim 16-unit atlas book.
States near Maine's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Maine. Neighbourhood chart below is local poles; these panels are full-corpus nearest neighbours excluding this state.
Similar low-access share
Nearest population-weighted low-access rates (13.4% here).
- California · 13.3% low-access
- New York · 12.0% low-access
- Vermont · 11.2% low-access
- Oregon · 16.9% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates (12.0% here), deduped against the low-access panel.
- Connecticut · 11.8% SNAP
- Georgia · 12.2% SNAP
- Ohio · 12.3% SNAP
- Texas · 11.6% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Floor county_count ≥ 5.
Maine vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest state peers, not a full national reprint
- NM
NM 31.7%
31.7 % low-access
- OR
OR 16.9%
16.9 % low-access
- ME
ME 13.4%
13.4 % low-access
- CA
CA 13.3%
13.3 % low-access
- NY 12
NY 12%
12 % low-access
- VT 11.2
VT 11.2%
11.2 % low-access
- DC 4.6
DC 4.6%
4.6 % low-access
Highest low-access counties in Maine
Cumberland County ~33.2% of statewide low-access residents
- Cumberland
Cumberland County, ME
21 % low-access
- York
York County, ME
17.3 % low-access
- Penobscot
Penobscot County, ME
15.7 % low-access
- Oxford
Oxford County, ME
15.1 % low-access
- Franklin
Franklin County, ME
12.9 % low-access
- Waldo
Waldo County, ME
11.3 % low-access
- Washington
Washington County, ME
11.1 % low-access
- Aroostook
Aroostook County, ME
10.9 % low-access
All counties in Maine
| County | Low-access | SNAP |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County | 21.0% | 7.5% |
| York County | 17.3% | 8.1% |
| Penobscot County | 15.7% | 15.6% |
| Oxford County | 15.1% | 15.7% |
| Franklin County | 12.9% | 15.4% |
| Waldo County | 11.3% | 12.5% |
| Washington County | 11.1% | 18.8% |
| Aroostook County | 10.9% | 20.7% |
| Sagadahoc County | 10.7% | 8.7% |
| Somerset County | 9.3% | 17.7% |
| Androscoggin County | 9.2% | 16.8% |
| Knox County | 8.0% | 8.5% |
| Kennebec County | 5.2% | 13.6% |
| Piscataquis County | 4.5% | 17.9% |
| Hancock County | 4.0% | 8.4% |
| Lincoln County | 2.6% | 7.9% |
Source: USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2024 5-year). Sorted by low-access share, highest first.
Figures from USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and Census ACS 2024 5-year. Compiled . Methodology · All states.
PlainFoodAccess renders this state summary 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. Statewide figures for Maine are population-weighted aggregates of county Atlas and ACS records. 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.