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PantryPath Research · WIC Coverage Atlas

WIC in Maryland

59.2% coverage

Maryland's WIC program reaches 59.2% of eligible residents — an estimated 84,000 participants out of 142,000 who qualify. That leaves 58,000 pregnant women, infants, and young children eligible but not receiving WIC's food package or nutrition counseling.

142K

WIC eligibles

84K

Participants (FY2024 avg)

58K

Unserved eligibles

24

Counties

Maryland 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 Maryland inherits the state's 59.2% 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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Maryland at a glance

Coverage rate

59.2%

Participants ÷ eligibles

Participation gap

40.8%

1 − coverage

Eligibles

142K

USDA FNS FY2022

Participants

84K

Monthly avg FY2024

Unserved

58K

Eligibles − participants

Kids < 6 low-income

113K

26.6% of universe

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 24 counties in Maryland.

Most WIC eligibles

Estimated eligible population

  1. 1 Prince George's 26K
  2. 2 Baltimore 24K
  3. 3 Baltimore 22K
  4. 4 Montgomery 20K
  5. 5 Anne Arundel 8K

Largest unserved gap

Eligibles not receiving WIC

  1. 1 Prince George's 11K
  2. 2 Baltimore 10K
  3. 3 Baltimore 9K
  4. 4 Montgomery 8K
  5. 5 Anne Arundel 3K

Highest child-poverty share

Children < 6 at ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 Caroline 55.9%
  2. 2 Allegany 55.0%
  3. 3 Wicomico 52.1%
  4. 4 Dorchester 51.4%
  5. 5 Kent 47.5%

Every county in Maryland

All 24 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
Allegany 2,715 1,606 1,109 2,159 55.0%
Anne Arundel 7,598 4,495 3,103 6,042 14.3%
Baltimore 22,232 13,151 9,081 17,679 30.6%
Baltimore 23,694 14,016 9,678 18,842 45.0%
Calvert 674 399 275 536 8.9%
Caroline 1,709 1,011 698 1,359 55.9%
Carroll 1,823 1,079 744 1,450 12.5%
Cecil 3,165 1,872 1,293 2,517 35.6%
Charles 2,311 1,367 944 1,838 16.5%
Dorchester 1,293 765 528 1,028 51.4%
Frederick 3,731 2,207 1,524 2,967 14.9%
Garrett 807 478 329 642 39.5%
Harford 4,181 2,473 1,708 3,325 19.2%
Howard 3,309 1,957 1,352 2,631 12.0%
Kent 586 347 239 466 47.5%
Montgomery 20,325 12,023 8,302 16,163 22.4%
Prince George's 25,894 15,317 10,577 20,591 29.8%
Queen Anne's 694 411 283 552 17.1%
Somerset 809 478 331 643 47.5%
St. Mary's 2,291 1,355 936 1,822 21.1%
Talbot 1,012 599 413 805 39.9%
Washington 5,015 2,967 2,048 3,988 38.2%
Wicomico 4,943 2,924 2,019 3,931 52.1%
Worcester 1,187 702 485 944 38.7%

Apply for WIC in Maryland

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

Maryland WIC guide

Families with children

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

Families guide

Maryland SNAP

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

Maryland SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

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

Maryland 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