County food-access profile · Michigan
Berrien County, MI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Berrien 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).
- 25.2%
- low-access pop.
- 10
- food-desert tracts
- 14.2%
- on SNAP
- 153K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
25.2% of Berrien County residents live in a low-access area, and 10 of its 48 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 20
- low-access tracts
- 15K
- food-desert residents
- 8.0%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.1%
- 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 Berrien County's low-access share at 25.2%, above the national share. 20 of the county's 48 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 39,470 people. 10 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 14,995 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 Berrien County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Berrien County's 25.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 59% of them and ranked #1,282 most-affected nationwide.
Berrien County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 48 census tracts in Berrien County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Berrien County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- Berrien
Berrien County, MI
25.2 % low-access
- Alcona
Alcona County, MI
15.6 % low-access
- Alger
Alger County, MI
12.8 % low-access
- Allegan
Allegan County, MI
20.8 % low-access
- Alpena
Alpena County, MI
15.9 % low-access
- Antrim 0.2
Antrim County, MI
0.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 48 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 156,813 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 20 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 10 |
| Low-Access Population | 39,470 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.2%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 14,995 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 153,288 |
| Median Household Income | $65,425 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.1%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 9,057 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.2%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.0%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
About 14.2% of Berrien County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 25.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 14.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 9,057 households here.
- 8.0% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 10 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 Berrien County
above the national share
10 of Berrien County's 48 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 20.8% of all its tracts.
A further 10 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 20.
An estimated 39,470 residents, roughly 25.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 14,995 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 28 tracts (58.3%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Berrien County
Berrien County has 151 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 78 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 78
- 7 days party store, niles
- 921 main food and gas, saint joseph
- a & d liquor, benton harbor
- ask 21, benton harbor
- baroda party store, baroda
- baroda24, baroda
- benton harbor ez mart 261, benton harbor
- buchanan ez mart 298, buchanan
- casey's 4295, berrien springs
- crockers party store, niles
- casey's general store 3697, watervliet
- casey's general store 3956, bridgman
- cj's quick mart & deli, baroda
- coloma marathon value market 23, coloma
- discount liquor last stop, benton harbor
- downtown citgo 11, st joseph
- eau claire ez mart 398, eau claire
- el mercado, benton harbor
- expo empire mi, benton harbor
- expo niles inc, niles
- expo stevensville inc, stevensville
- fair ave bp station, benton harbor
- galien pro mart, galien
- gsj market bh exxon 102, benton harbor
- h&b beer and wine, benton harbor
- handy spot grocery, coloma
- hilltop marathon value market 14, saint joseph
- himmat, llc dba milburg trading post, benton harbor
- hs petroleum, benton harbor
- jds truck stop, niles
- k & s party store, benton harbor
- kings landing, sodus
- l&s grocery, benton harbor
- lakeshore shell 01, stevensville
- marathon plaza, benton harbor
- martin's express 723, saint joseph
- may street market, benton harbor
- meijer gas station 251, stevensville
- meijer gas station 41, benton harbor
- melendez imports, berrien springs
- millburg marathon value market 16, benton harbor
- mini mart, saint joseph
- ms petroleum inc, benton harbor
- murphy usa 6542, niles
- napier shell 02, benton harbor
- nav & roop petroleum, watervliet
- nd mini mart, niles
- new buffalo shell 1725, new buffalo
- niles grocery store, niles
- niles shell 1735, niles
- pilot travel center 666, benton harbor
- quality marathon, benton harbor
- r & h brothers llc, benton harbor
- r & h petroleum inc, watervliet
- redbud liquor and grocery, buchanan
- riverside food & liquor store, niles
- riverside shell value market 17, benton harbor
- roy's bp food mart, coloma
- sawyer market and deli, sawyer
- sgndj inc, benton harbor
- southtown citgo 12, saint joseph
- southtown shell value market 18, saint joseph
- speedway 6611, coloma
- speedway 6618 6618, bridgman
- speedway 7322, three oaks
- speedway 8537, niles
- speedway 8720, berrien springs
- st joseph petro, saint joseph
- stevensville ez mart 868, stevensville
- stevensville marathon value market 28, stevensville
- store 12, buchanan
- sunny's spot, benton harbor
- ta sawyer 116, sawyer
- the pit stop, buchanan
- vicky petroleum llc, benton harbor
- watervliet ez mart 893, watervliet
- wesco 06, coloma
- wesco 20, watervliet
Combination Grocery/Other · 48
- apple valley market, berrien springs
- cvs 10592, saint joseph
- clear water meats, eau claire
- dollar general 10048, new buffalo
- dollar general 10623, berrien springs
- dollar general 10723, niles
- dollar general 14489, buchanan
- dollar general 18334, coloma
- dollar general 19964, niles
- dollar general 8911, coloma
- dollar general 9111, bridgman
- dollar general 9896, stevensville
- dollar tree 0729, benton harbor
- dollar general 15701, watervliet
- dollar general 15934, eau claire
- dollar general 19147, benton harbor
- dollar general 19636, baroda
- dollar general 20924, niles
- dollar general 21244, saint joseph
- dollar general 22349, benton harbor
- dollar general 22519, galien
- dollar general 23941, saint joseph
- dollar general 24018, benton harbor
- dollar general 24202, niles
- dollar general 25478, niles
- dollar general 30178, benton harbor
- dollar general 30900, sawyer
- dollar tree 5556, niles
- dollar tree 6970, watervliet
- dollar tree 7416, saint joseph
- family dollar 11285, sawyer
- family dollar 13434, stevensville
- family dollar 4311, saint joseph
- family dollar 8399, three oaks
- family dollar 9095, benton harbor
- family dollar store 1209, niles
- family dollar store 1217, buchanan
- family dollar store 2018, benton harbor
- family dollar store 2414, berrien springs
- family dollar store 2747, coloma
- family dollar store 6143, benton harbor
- harding's friendly market 433, saint joseph
- la perla produce, benton harbor
- walgreens 03364, niles
- walgreens 04536, saint joseph
- walgreens 10078, benton harbor
- walgreens 11265, stevensville
- zeilke brothers farm, coloma
Super Store · 11
- barney's market, new buffalo
- harding's friendly market, bridgman
- lowerys meat & grocery, buchanan
- martin's super markets 2319, niles
- martin's super markets 2321, saint joseph
- martin's super markets 2323, stevensville
- meijer 251, stevensville
- meijer inc 041, benton harbor
- rogers, saint joseph
- walmart 2010, niles
- walmart 2062, benton harbor
Supermarket · 9
- aldi 67005 67005, benton harbor
- aldi 67119, stevensville
- gordon food service store mp053, benton harbor
- harding's friendly market 949, berrien springs
- hardings friendly market 909, niles
- hardings market 908, buchanan
- hardings market 936, coloma
- hardings market three oaks 362, three oaks
- save a lot, benton harbor
Bakery Specialty · 1
- aunt millie's bakery outlet 50024, niles
Farmers' Market · 1
- benton harbor farmers market, benton harbor
Large Grocery Store · 1
- harbor meat market, benton harbor
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- b & b outlet, llc, watervliet
Small Grocery Store · 1
- desi tadka south asian groceries, stevensville
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare Berrien County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Berrien 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 Berrien County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Berrien County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Berrien County? ▼
Is Berrien County a food desert? ▼
What share of Berrien 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.