County food-access profile · Michigan
Eaton County, MI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Eaton 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).
- 30.9%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 10.1%
- on SNAP
- 109K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
30.9% of Eaton County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 28 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 13
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 5.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.3%
- 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 Eaton County's low-access share at 30.9%, above the national share. 13 of the county's 28 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 33,309 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,479 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 Eaton County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Eaton County's 30.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 72% of them and ranked #882 most-affected nationwide.
Eaton County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 28 census tracts in Eaton County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Eaton County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- Eaton
Eaton County, MI
30.9 % 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 | 28 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 107,759 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 13 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 33,309 |
| Low-Access Share | 30.9%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,479 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 109,130 |
| Median Household Income | $79,597 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.3%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,579 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.1%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
About 10.1% of Eaton County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 30.9% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 4,579 households here.
- 5.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 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 Eaton County
above the national share
3 of Eaton County's 28 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.7% of all its tracts.
A further 10 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 13.
An estimated 33,309 residents, roughly 30.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,479 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (53.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Eaton County
Eaton County has 97 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 52 locations (54% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 52
- admiral 5769, lansing
- big 10 delta township 1, lansing
- brothers express mart, olivet
- charlotte shell 4080, charlotte
- citgo convenience, lansing
- cork & bottle liquor, charlotte
- dimondale express 82, dimondale
- dollar deal 12, lansing
- family fare express 886, eaton rapids
- fortino party store, grand ledge
- franks food mart potterville, potterville
- grand gas llc 1, mulliken
- grand ledge shell 4300, grand ledge
- iq fuel, lansing
- krish krisha 3, lansing
- lyle's party store, grand ledge
- lansing petroleum enterprises, dimondale
- lansing waverly st. ez mart 637, lansing
- love's travel stop 785, grand ledge
- m-50 liquor store, charlotte
- m-99 party store, eaton rapids
- marathon eaton rapids, eaton rapids
- meijer gas station 194, charlotte
- meijer gas station 210, grand ledge
- meijer gas station 23, lansing
- mikes corner mart, bellevue
- murphy usa 7601, charlotte
- north end party store, charlotte
- olivet petroleum, olivet
- potterville shell 1760, potterville
- quality dairy co 13, lansing
- quality dairy co 16, lansing
- quality dairy co 19, dimondale
- quality dairy co 23, eaton rapids
- quality dairy co 24, lansing
- quality dairy co 26, grand ledge
- quality dairy co 32, charlotte
- quality dairy co 33, lansing
- quickie convenience store, lansing
- ricks one stop party store, charlotte
- sams w party store, lansing
- speedway 2213, lansing
- speedway 2215, lansing
- speedway 7218, eaton rapids
- speedway 7383, grand ledge
- speedway 7515, charlotte
- speedway 8790, lansing
- the narrow lake country store, springport
- vermontville express 84, vermontville
- waverly party store, lansing
- west saginaw party store, lansing
- markos, sunfield
Combination Grocery/Other · 23
- cvs 8087, charlotte
- carls supermarket 141, dimondale
- dollar general 6274, olivet
- dollar general 10549, potterville
- dollar general 12213, bellevue
- dollar general 12345, lansing
- dollar general 14609, eaton rapids
- dollar general 19999, mulliken
- dollar general 21668, charlotte
- dollar general 22036, grand ledge
- dollar general 24450, sunfield
- dollar tree 2778, charlotte
- dollar tree 3266, lansing
- dollar tree 6139, grand ledge
- dollar tree 8660, lansing
- family dollar 13832, olivet
- family dollar 9208, lansing
- family dollar store 2922, charlotte
- family dollar store 4095, lansing
- llb asian market, lansing
- walgreens 5223, lansing
- walgreens 07770, lansing
- walgreens 13150, grand ledge
Super Store · 9
- bj's wholesale club, inc. 389, lansing
- family fare 1994, eaton rapids
- kroger co 888, lansing
- meijer inc 194, charlotte
- meijer inc 210, grand ledge
- meijer inc 23, lansing
- target store 616, lansing
- walmart 2869, lansing
- walmart supercenter 1642, charlotte
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 67017 67017, lansing
- better health market 14, lansing
- gordon food service store mp056, lansing
- horrocks farm market inc, lansing
- town & country market bellevue, inc, bellevue
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- eaton meat, charlotte
- hanna davis fine meats inc, sunfield
- honey baked ham & cafe 1708, lansing
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- meat on the west side, grand ledge
- milligan's whitetail market, olivet
- new save more, lansing
Farmers' Market · 2
- charlotte artisan and farmers market 0709836, charlotte
- dimondale farmers' market, dimondale
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare Eaton County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Eaton 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 Eaton County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Eaton County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Eaton County? ▼
Is Eaton County a food desert? ▼
What share of Eaton 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.