State food-access profile · 24 counties
Food access in Maryland
How far Maryland residents live from a supermarket, where the food deserts are, and the SNAP, poverty, and vehicle-access context, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 22.7%
- low-access pop.
- 131
- food-desert tracts
- 10.9%
- on SNAP
- 24
- counties
The statewide picture
About 1.3M Maryland residents - 22.7% - live in a low-access area, and 131 census tracts across the state are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 1.3M
- low-access residents
- 205K
- food-desert residents
- 8.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.5%
- below poverty line
Shares are population-weighted across the state's tracts, not an average of county percentages. Low access = >1 mile (urban) / >10 miles (rural) from a supermarket.
Where Maryland stands nationally
Every state colored by its population-weighted low-access share, Maryland is ringed. Click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
The USDA Food Access Research Atlas evaluates every census tract in Maryland against the same rule used nationwide: a tract is low-access when many residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. Across 24 counties and 6.2M residents, Maryland's population-weighted low-access share is 22.7%.
A tract becomes a food desert only when its low-access residents are also low-income. That applies to 131 tracts in Maryland, home to roughly 205K low-income, low-access residents. SNAP participation across the state averages 10.9% of households, and 8.5% of households have no vehicle, the transport gap that turns distance into a real barrier. The county table below is sorted with the highest low-access share first, so the top rows are where distance, income, and vehicle gaps most consistently overlap.
Highest low-access counties in Maryland
Share of the population living in low-access areas, by county
- Calvert
Calvert County, MD
38.6 % low-access
- Charles
Charles County, MD
37.4 % low-access
- Anne Arundel
Anne Arundel County, MD
33.7 % low-access
- Worcester
Worcester County, MD
30.7 % low-access
- Allegany
Allegany County, MD
30.4 % low-access
- Wicomico
Wicomico County, MD
29.7 % low-access
- Carroll
Carroll County, MD
29.5 % low-access
- Washington
Washington County, MD
28.7 % low-access
All counties in Maryland
| County | Low-access | SNAP |
|---|---|---|
| Calvert County | 38.6% | 5.1% |
| Charles County | 37.4% | 9.7% |
| Anne Arundel County | 33.7% | 6.5% |
| Worcester County | 30.7% | 9.9% |
| Allegany County | 30.4% | 21.0% |
| Wicomico County | 29.7% | 17.2% |
| Carroll County | 29.5% | 5.2% |
| Washington County | 28.7% | 15.3% |
| Harford County | 28.2% | 7.4% |
| Frederick County | 25.9% | 7.4% |
| Cecil County | 24.7% | 13.4% |
| Prince George's County | 24.0% | 12.2% |
| Queen Anne's County | 23.5% | 7.2% |
| Howard County | 22.6% | 5.6% |
| Baltimore County | 21.8% | 11.3% |
| St. Mary's County | 21.7% | 11.2% |
| Montgomery County | 20.0% | 7.4% |
| Somerset County | 18.3% | 24.9% |
| Garrett County | 14.1% | 15.1% |
| Dorchester County | 13.9% | 21.0% |
| Talbot County | 13.7% | 10.3% |
| Caroline County | 9.2% | 17.6% |
| Baltimore city | 4.5% | 23.2% |
| Kent County | 1.7% | 12.3% |
Source: USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2024 5-year). Sorted by low-access share, highest first. USDA ERS Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + U.S. Census Bureau ACS (2024 5-year). Sorted by low-access share, highest first.
What this means for the state
- 22.7% of Maryland residents, about 1.3M people, live in a low-access area.
- 131 census tracts are USDA food deserts, home to roughly 205K low-income, low-access residents.
- 10.9% of households receive SNAP, and 8.5% have no vehicle.
- Calvert County has the state's highest low-access share at 38.6%.
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); SNAP, poverty, and vehicle context is the Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Maryland has low food access?▼
How many food deserts are in Maryland?▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Maryland?▼
Which county in Maryland has the worst food access?▼
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Food Access Research Atlas (2019 edition), 9,228 of roughly 71,700 U.S. census tracts meet the low-income, low-access food-desert threshold. The state and county figures on this page are aggregated from that tract-level data and joined to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates, released in December 2025. See our methodology for how the population-weighted shares are computed.
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage).