Signature · 7.8% SNAP (10th pct in MI)
Allegan County, MI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Allegan County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 20.8%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 7.8%
- on SNAP
- 121K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Allegan County, MI
LA-ELEVATED · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-ELEVATED 20.8% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -1.3 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 7.8% SNAP
- VEH-OK 2.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 8% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Huron County (+ 0.3 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Allegan County ranks #1,611 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #34 of 80 counties in MI (20.8% low-access; 2 food-desert tracts).
- #1,611
- national by low-access %
- #34
- in MI
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA).
Signature read: 7.8% SNAP (10th pct in MI) (-4.3 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Allegan County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Allegan County's 20.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 48% of them and ranked #1,622 most-affected nationwide.
Allegan County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
24 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Allegan County has 9 urban and 15 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Allegan County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Michigan, not a full county-board reprint
- Schoolcraft
Schoolcraft 46%
46 % low-access
- Huron
Huron 21.1%
21.1 % low-access
- Allegan
Allegan 20.8%
20.8 % low-access
- Kent
Kent 20.3%
20.3 % low-access
- Chippewa
Chippewa 19.8%
19.8 % low-access
- Midland
Midland 19.4%
19.4 % low-access
- Arenac 0
Arenac 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 24 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 111,408 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 7 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 23,161 |
| Low-Access Share | 20.8%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,267 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 121,456 |
| Median Household Income | $83,283 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.4%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,532 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.8%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 2.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
Thick SNAP store book in Allegan County
Allegan County has 88 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 40 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 40
- allegan shell value market 27, allegan
- blue star shell value market 21, saugatuck
- brookside market, otsego
- burnips marathon llc, dorr
- circle k 4706303, plainwell
- depot hill, allegan
- dhillon gas, pullman
- dumont lake party store, allegan
- dunes view kwik shop, saugatuck
- express stop 4690, plainwell
- family fare express 835, holland
- fennville shell value market 12, fennville
- hill top food & fuel llc, dorr
- j & h family stores - dorr truck stop 132, wayland
- j & h family stores - hamilton 104, hamilton
- j & h family stores - tulip city truck stop 137, holland
- j & h family stores - windmill mobil mart 119, holland
- j&h family stores - otsego 162, otsego
- j&h family stores - martin marathon 140, martin
- joe's market plainwell, plainwell
- m-89 shell value market 24, fennville
- marathon marshall street, allegan
- meijer gas station 191, plainwell
- mighty midget convenience store, allegan
- monterey pines general store llc, hopkins
- new glenn store, fennville
- noonday market, wayland
- pilot travel center 1021, holland
- pine lake grocery, plainwell
- r store, plainwell
- riverside market, allegan
- speedway 3573, allegan
- speedway 3578, wayland
- speedway 6512, holland
- speedway 7181, allegan
- stop, shop, and roll enterprises llc., hopkins
- sunoco marshall street, allegan
- village express 868, allegan
- wayland shell 4900, wayland
- wesco 09, plainwell
Combination Grocery/Other · 24
- country life natural foods inc. no, pullman
- dollar general 10106, allegan
- dollar general 18180, dorr
- dollar general 18766, allegan
- dollar general 18891, plainwell
- dollar general 5816, otsego
- dollar general 5826, saugatuck
- dollar general 6193, hamilton
- dollar general 9954, wayland
- dollar tree 4533, holland
- dollartree 8643, allegan
- dollar general 16145, pullman
- dollar general 16886, martin
- dollar general 20254, plainwell
- dollar general 20266, plainwell
- dollar general 21497, wayland
- dollar tree 3248, plainwell
- family dollar store 1697, allegan
- family dollar store 3142, dorr
- family dollar store 4630, wayland
- family dollar store 7327, fennville
- family dollar store 7454, shelbyville
- walgreens 07484, plainwell
- walgreens 10515, holland
Super Store · 8
- family fare 123, holland
- hardings market 384, wayland
- lake vista super valu, douglas
- lakevista super valu, douglas
- meijer inc 191, plainwell
- the grocery outlet store, allegan
- village market 873, allegan
- walmart supercenter 2061, plainwell
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 43, plainwell
- hamilton food center 352, hamilton
- hardings friendly market, plainwell
- leppinks 523, dorr
- town & country supermarket gun lake, shelbyville
- wagoner's your hometown food store 1885, fennville
Farmers' Market · 4
- allegan farmers market, allegan
- farmers market at pullman mi, pullman
- the market at sca, saugatuck
- wayland farmers market, wayland
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- la media luna, fennville
- la poblanita llc, fennville
- preferred market, pullman
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphys mi051, plainwell
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- earls meats, holland
Small Grocery Store · 1
- swan lake store llc, allegan
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Michigan
One of 82 counties in Michigan, 6 are shown here.
Compare Allegan County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Nationwide peers for Allegan County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Allegan County (7.8%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Michigan.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MI (20.8% here).
- Ramsey County, MN · 20.8% low-access
- Ramsey County, MN · 20.8% low-access
- Salem County, NJ · 20.8% low-access
- Salem County, NJ · 20.8% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (7.8% here).
- McLeod County, MN · 7.8% SNAP
- McLeod County, MN · 7.8% SNAP
- Clinton County, MO · 7.8% SNAP
- Clinton County, MO · 7.8% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Allegan County sits inside Michigan (ringed). Each state is colored 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
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile 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. Figures for Allegan County, MI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 26005. 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.
Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.