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PantryPath Research · WIC Coverage Atlas

WIC in Maine

54.2% coverage

Maine's WIC program reaches 54.2% of eligible residents — an estimated 13,000 participants out of 24,000 who qualify. That leaves 11,000 pregnant women, infants, and young children eligible but not receiving WIC's food package or nutrition counseling.

24K

WIC eligibles

13K

Participants (FY2024 avg)

11K

Unserved eligibles

16

Counties

Maine by county

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Toggle between estimated WIC eligibles, unserved gap, low-income child counts, and child-poverty share. Hover a county for its exact value.

Note: USDA does not publish sub-state WIC participation, so every county in Maine inherits the state's 54.2% coverage rate. County-level eligibles are allocated from state totals in proportion to the county's share of low-income children under 6 (ACS B17024). See methodology.

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Maine at a glance

Coverage rate

54.2%

Participants ÷ eligibles

Participation gap

45.8%

1 − coverage

Eligibles

24K

USDA FNS FY2022

Participants

13K

Monthly avg FY2024

Unserved

11K

Eligibles − participants

Kids < 6 low-income

23K

31.1% of universe

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 16 counties in Maine.

Most WIC eligibles

Estimated eligible population

  1. 1 Androscoggin 3K
  2. 2 Kennebec 3K
  3. 3 Cumberland 3K
  4. 4 Penobscot 3K
  5. 5 York 2K

Largest unserved gap

Eligibles not receiving WIC

  1. 1 Androscoggin 2K
  2. 2 Kennebec 1K
  3. 3 Cumberland 1K
  4. 4 Penobscot 1K
  5. 5 York 1K

Highest child-poverty share

Children < 6 at ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 Washington 52.4%
  2. 2 Piscataquis 51.2%
  3. 3 Oxford 47.8%
  4. 4 Somerset 46.9%
  5. 5 Androscoggin 44.0%

Every county in Maine

All 16 counties with WIC eligibility estimates, unserved gap, and ACS child-poverty context.

County Eligibles est. Participants est. Unserved est. Kids < 6 low-income Poverty share
Androscoggin 3,356 1,818 1,538 3,231 44.0%
Aroostook 1,665 902 763 1,603 43.2%
Cumberland 2,793 1,513 1,280 2,689 15.9%
Franklin 609 330 279 586 40.3%
Hancock 799 433 366 769 27.4%
Kennebec 3,064 1,660 1,404 2,950 41.9%
Knox 633 343 290 609 31.3%
Lincoln 664 360 304 639 35.0%
Oxford 1,441 780 661 1,387 47.8%
Penobscot 2,749 1,489 1,260 2,647 32.8%
Piscataquis 431 233 198 415 51.2%
Sagadahoc 406 220 186 391 22.1%
Somerset 1,455 788 667 1,401 46.9%
Waldo 616 334 282 593 28.9%
Washington 939 509 430 904 52.4%
York 2,382 1,290 1,092 2,293 20.8%

Apply for WIC in Maine

Income limits, food-package rules, clinic locator, and application instructions specific to Maine's WIC agency.

Maine WIC guide

Families with children

Our population-specific guide: WIC, SNAP, school meals, Summer EBT, and pantry programs for families with kids in Maine.

Families guide

Maine SNAP

SNAP recipients are automatically income-eligible for WIC through adjunctive eligibility — often the fastest path to enrollment.

Maine SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search Maine's verified pantries — many partner with WIC clinics and distribute infant formula, baby food, and diapers.

Maine food pantries

WIC methodology

How we estimated county-level eligibles, why state coverage rates can't be disaggregated, and which data sources we used.

Full methodology