County food-access profile · Michigan
Dickinson County, MI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Dickinson 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).
- 25.7%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 8.3%
- on SNAP
- 26K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
25.7% of Dickinson County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 7 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 7.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.5%
- 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 Dickinson County's low-access share at 25.7%, above the national share. 4 of the county's 7 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 6,719 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,000 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 Dickinson County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Dickinson County's 25.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 60% of them and ranked #1,241 most-affected nationwide.
Dickinson County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 7 census tracts in Dickinson County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Dickinson County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- Dickinson
Dickinson County, MI
25.7 % 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 | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 26,168 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,719 |
| Low-Access Share | 25.7%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 2,000 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 25,954 |
| Median Household Income | $65,156 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 994 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.3%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
About 8.3% of Dickinson County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 25.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 994 households here.
- 7.3% 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 Dickinson County
above the national share
2 of Dickinson County's 7 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 28.6% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.
An estimated 6,719 residents, roughly 25.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 2,000 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 3 tracts (42.9%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Dickinson County
Dickinson County has 26 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 10 locations (38% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 10
- andersons nordic grocery, felch
- circle k 2746249, iron mountain
- krist food mart 007, iron mountain
- krist food mart 019, iron mountain
- krist food mart 021, iron mountain
- krist food mart 033, norway
- krist food mart 43, quinnesec
- kwik trip 1214, kingsford
- kwik trip 1256, iron mountain
- mirjan real estate llc, norway
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- dollar general 19580, iron mountain
- dollar general 22691, norway
- dollar general 22844, sagola
- dollar general 30854, kingsford
- dollar tree 955, iron mountain
- family dollar store 2995, kingsford
- family dollar store 5716, norway
- walgreens 11953, iron mountain
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 64141, iron mountain
- pat's foods, norway
- super one foods 545, iron mountain
Super Store · 2
- tadych's marketplace foods 2752, iron mountain
- walmart 2434, iron mountain
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's take n bake pizza, iron mountain
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- borderland specialty meats, norway
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- central super market, inc., kingsford
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare Dickinson County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Dickinson 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 Dickinson County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Dickinson County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Dickinson County? ▼
Is Dickinson County a food desert? ▼
What share of Dickinson 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.