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PantryPath Research · WIC Coverage Atlas

WIC in New York

72.1% coverage

New York's WIC program reaches 72.1% of eligible residents — an estimated 410,000 participants out of 569,000 who qualify. That leaves 159,000 pregnant women, infants, and young children eligible but not receiving WIC's food package or nutrition counseling.

569K

WIC eligibles

410K

Participants (FY2024 avg)

159K

Unserved eligibles

62

Counties

New York 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 New York inherits the state's 72.1% 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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New York at a glance

Coverage rate

72.1%

Participants ÷ eligibles

Participation gap

27.9%

1 − coverage

Eligibles

569K

USDA FNS FY2022

Participants

410K

Monthly avg FY2024

Unserved

159K

Eligibles − participants

Kids < 6 low-income

435K

33.7% of universe

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 62 counties in New York.

Most WIC eligibles

Estimated eligible population

  1. 1 Kings 112K
  2. 2 Bronx 82K
  3. 3 Queens 64K
  4. 4 Erie 28K
  5. 5 New York 27K

Largest unserved gap

Eligibles not receiving WIC

  1. 1 Kings 31K
  2. 2 Bronx 23K
  3. 3 Queens 18K
  4. 4 Erie 8K
  5. 5 New York 8K

Highest child-poverty share

Children < 6 at ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 Bronx 57.2%
  2. 2 Delaware 56.3%
  3. 3 Chautauqua 54.1%
  4. 4 Cattaraugus 53.3%
  5. 5 Essex 49.4%

Every county in New York

All 62 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
Albany 6,661 4,799 1,862 5,091 28.1%
Allegany 1,501 1,081 420 1,147 43.4%
Bronx 82,103 59,160 22,943 62,756 57.2%
Broome 6,264 4,514 1,750 4,788 41.8%
Cattaraugus 3,714 2,676 1,038 2,839 53.3%
Cayuga 2,197 1,583 614 1,679 38.5%
Chautauqua 5,500 3,963 1,537 4,204 54.1%
Chemung 3,017 2,174 843 2,306 46.6%
Chenango 1,820 1,311 509 1,391 48.2%
Clinton 1,811 1,305 506 1,384 32.3%
Columbia 1,304 940 364 997 37.0%
Cortland 1,359 979 380 1,039 39.3%
Delaware 1,478 1,065 413 1,130 56.3%
Dutchess 5,000 3,603 1,397 3,822 23.4%
Erie 28,127 20,267 7,860 21,499 35.7%
Essex 912 657 255 697 49.4%
Franklin 1,337 963 374 1,022 38.2%
Fulton 1,408 1,014 394 1,076 37.2%
Genesee 1,438 1,036 402 1,099 31.7%
Greene 720 518 202 550 24.1%
Hamilton 77 56 21 59 32.8%
Herkimer 1,529 1,102 427 1,169 32.1%
Jefferson 5,433 3,915 1,518 4,153 42.6%
Kings 112,011 80,711 31,300 85,616 42.0%
Lewis 943 680 263 721 39.6%
Livingston 1,361 980 381 1,040 31.8%
Madison 1,739 1,253 486 1,329 34.8%
Monroe 21,865 15,755 6,110 16,713 35.5%
Montgomery 2,040 1,470 570 1,559 43.2%
Nassau 14,518 10,461 4,057 11,097 12.7%
New York 27,171 19,578 7,593 20,768 25.6%
Niagara 5,504 3,966 1,538 4,207 33.2%
Oneida 7,532 5,427 2,105 5,757 37.4%
Onondaga 15,035 10,834 4,201 11,492 37.8%
Ontario 2,297 1,655 642 1,756 26.8%
Orange 14,751 10,629 4,122 11,275 35.6%
Orleans 1,155 832 323 883 39.1%
Oswego 4,171 3,005 1,166 3,188 43.5%
Otsego 1,311 945 366 1,002 37.4%
Putnam 752 542 210 575 11.1%
Queens 63,782 45,959 17,823 48,752 32.0%
Rensselaer 4,052 2,920 1,132 3,097 34.4%
Richmond 12,231 8,813 3,418 9,349 28.9%
Rockland 20,738 14,943 5,795 15,851 46.9%
Saratoga 2,623 1,890 733 2,005 14.8%
Schenectady 4,325 3,117 1,208 3,306 29.9%
Schoharie 731 527 204 559 38.1%
Schuyler 396 286 110 303 31.9%
Seneca 956 689 267 731 34.7%
St. Lawrence 3,763 2,711 1,052 2,876 48.4%
Steuben 3,187 2,296 891 2,436 41.1%
Suffolk 19,919 14,353 5,566 15,225 16.5%
Sullivan 3,665 2,641 1,024 2,801 48.0%
Tioga 1,554 1,120 434 1,188 41.0%
Tompkins 2,100 1,513 587 1,605 34.7%
Ulster 3,224 2,323 901 2,464 26.6%
Warren 784 565 219 599 18.8%
Washington 1,388 1,000 388 1,061 32.1%
Wayne 2,492 1,796 696 1,905 32.9%
Westchester 16,320 11,759 4,561 12,474 19.9%
Wyoming 1,000 720 280 764 34.1%
Yates 907 653 254 693 38.4%

Apply for WIC in New York

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

New York WIC guide

Families with children

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

Families guide

New York SNAP

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

New York SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

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

New York 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