County food-access profile · Michigan
Grand Traverse County, MI
Grand Traverse County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 17.0%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 7.5%
- on SNAP
- 96K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
17.0% of Grand Traverse County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 4.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.6%
- 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).
Grand Traverse County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 17.0% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 16 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 14,814 residents who live far from a supermarket. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 4,662 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 Grand Traverse County compares nationally
Grand Traverse County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 17.0% low-access share that beats 38% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,948).
Grand Traverse County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 16 census tracts in Grand Traverse County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Grand Traverse County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- Grand Traverse
Grand Traverse County, MI
17 % 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 | 16 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 86,986 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 14,814 |
| Low-Access Share | 17.0%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,662 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 96,166 |
| Median Household Income | $81,647 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,009 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.5%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
About 7.5% of Grand Traverse County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 17.0% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,009 households here.
- 4.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Grand Traverse County
near the national share
1 of Grand Traverse County's 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 6.3% of all its tracts.
A further 4 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 14,814 residents, roughly 17.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,662 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (68.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Grand Traverse County
Grand Traverse County has 75 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 30 locations (40% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 30
- 7-eleven, inc. (a texas corporation) 36909, traverse city
- 7-eleven, inc. 36919, traverse city
- acme 258, williamsburg
- anami, llc, traverse city
- cherry knoll 257, traverse city
- chum's corner 254, traverse city
- circle k 2746255, traverse city
- eighth street 250, traverse city
- family fare 861, traverse city
- fast break ez mart 426, kingsley
- fife lake ez market, fife lake
- garfield 256, traverse city
- gas n shop, kingsley
- grawn 255, grawn
- meijer gas station 33, traverse city
- munson 251, traverse city
- northland speed mart llc, kingsley
- roy's general store, traverse city
- south airport 252, traverse city
- speedway 3588, traverse city
- speedway 44454, williamsburg
- speedway 5498 5498, traverse city
- speedway 8340, traverse city
- speedway 8868, traverse city
- super 7 inc, traverse city
- townhall 253, traverse city
- village pantry 5056, traverse city
- wings enterprises, traverse city
- williamsburg 259, williamsburg
- williamsburg east 275, williamsburg
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- cvs 6843, traverse city
- dollar general 10105, kingsley
- dollar general 6711, interlochen
- dollartree 8077, traverse city
- dollar general 12658, traverse city
- dollar general 24575, grawn
- dollar general 25880, traverse city
- dollar general 30738, williamsburg
- dollar tree 4194, traverse city
- dollar tree 853, traverse city
- oleson's food store 607, traverse city
- oryana community co-op west, traverse city
- oryana food cooperative, traverse city
- walgreens 07874, traverse city
- walgreen's 10186, traverse city
- walgreens 07369, traverse city
- walgreens 12894, traverse city
Super Store · 13
- costco wholesale 1279, traverse city
- family fare 641, traverse city
- family fare 642, traverse city
- kingsley food mart, kingsley
- meijer 236, williamsburg
- meijer inc 33, traverse city
- olesons food store 608, traverse city
- sam's club 6419, traverse city
- target store 671, traverse city
- tom's food markets 792, interlochen
- tom's food markets 797, traverse city
- toms food markets 793, traverse city
- walmart 2338, traverse city
Farmers' Market · 4
- east bay corners farmers market, traverse city
- kingsley farmers market, kingsley
- sara hardy downtown farmers market, traverse city
- village at grand traverse commons farmers market, traverse city
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- edson farms natural foods, traverse city
- mikowski's meat market & deli, llc, interlochen
- tc latino grocery, traverse city
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 67013, traverse city
- gordon food service store mp026, traverse city
- save a lot 24583, traverse city
Large Grocery Store · 2
- fresh coast market, traverse city
- the butcher's block by maxbauer, traverse city
Small Grocery Store · 2
- deerings market inc, traverse city
- traverse asian market 1, traverse city
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- wagner farms meat store, grawn
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare Grand Traverse County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Grand Traverse 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 Grand Traverse County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Grand Traverse County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Grand Traverse County? ▼
Is Grand Traverse County a food desert? ▼
What share of Grand Traverse 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.