County food-access profile · Michigan
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)
The food-access picture
20.8% of Allegan County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 7
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 2.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.4%
- below poverty line
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, 1-and-10-mile measure).
USDA data puts Allegan County's low-access share at 20.8%, above the national share. 7 of the county's 24 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 23,161 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,267 low-income residents.
How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts
The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.
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
All 24 census tracts in Allegan County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Allegan County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- Allegan
Allegan County, MI
20.8 % low-access
- Alcona
Alcona County, MI
15.6 % low-access
- Alger
Alger County, MI
12.8 % low-access
- Alpena
Alpena County, MI
15.9 % low-access
- Antrim 0.2
Antrim County, MI
0.2 % low-access
- Arenac 0
Arenac County, MI
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 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| 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% |
About 7.8% of Allegan County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 20.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,532 households here.
- 2.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).
What the food-access data shows for Allegan County
above the national share
2 of Allegan County's 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 8.3% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 7.
An estimated 23,161 residents, roughly 20.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,267 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 17 tracts (70.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers 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 retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare Allegan County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Allegan County sits inside Michigan (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Allegan County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Allegan County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Allegan County? ▼
Is Allegan County a food desert? ▼
What share of Allegan County households lack a vehicle? ▼
Data Sources & Methodology
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).
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.