Signature · 3 LILA tracts (30% of tracts)
Gratiot County, MI
Gratiot County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 3 LILA tracts (30% of the book) alongside 39.6% low-access.
- 39.6%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 15.1%
- on SNAP
- 41K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Gratiot County, MI
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 39.6% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +17.5 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 15.1% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 30% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Ingham County ( -1.6 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Gratiot County sits in the upper national band (39.6%, #411 of 3,079) with 3 LILA tracts.
- #411
- national by low-access %
- #3
- in MI
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 7K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 3 LILA tracts (30% of tracts) .
How Gratiot County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Gratiot County's 39.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 87% of them and ranked #415 most-affected nationwide.
Gratiot County's elevated USDA tier split
10 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Gratiot County has 4 urban and 6 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Gratiot County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Michigan, not a full county-board reprint
- Schoolcraft
Schoolcraft 46%
46 % low-access
- Muskegon
Muskegon 43%
43 % low-access
- Gratiot
Gratiot 39.6%
39.6 % low-access
- Ingham
Ingham 38%
38 % low-access
- Genesee
Genesee 35.9%
35.9 % low-access
- St. Clair
St. Clair 35.7%
35.7 % low-access
- Arenac 0
Arenac 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 42,476 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 16,807 |
| Low-Access Share | 39.6%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 7,029 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 41,385 |
| Median Household Income | $63,556 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.0%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,229 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.1%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 14.3% |
Thick SNAP store book in Gratiot County
Gratiot County has 36 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 20 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 20
- admiral 5869, alma
- admiral 5871, ithaca
- alma truck stop 223, alma
- beacon & bridge market 13, ithaca
- beacon & bridge market 17, ithaca
- beacon & bridge market 31, alma
- ithaca ez mart 620, ithaca
- marathon, breckenridge
- meijer gas station 270, alma
- middleton ez mart 678, middleton
- next door store 5050, breckenridge
- om petroleum 1, elm hall
- riverdale high hills, llc, riverdale
- shawn llc, sumner
- sky's outlet, alma
- speedway 3585 3585, alma
- speedway 8704, alma
- st louis marathon llc, saint louis
- sun up food mart, alma
- the keg party store, ithaca
Combination Grocery/Other · 10
- dollar general 16663, breckenridge
- dollar general 17710, middleton
- dollar general 25623, ashley
- dollar general 6794, alma
- dollar general 7876, saint louis
- dollar general 8681, ithaca
- dollar tree 3021, alma
- ric's food center, ithaca
- rogers natural foods pantry, alma
- tienda mexicana el cunao, saint louis
Farmers' Market · 2
- artesian well produce, elwell
- st. louis farmers market, saint louis
Super Store · 2
- meijer 270, alma
- walmart supercenter 1422, alma
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- brick house jerky outlet, ashley
Small Grocery Store · 1
- ashley village party store inc 1, ashley
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Michigan
One of 82 counties in Michigan, 6 are shown here.
Compare Gratiot County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Counties near Gratiot County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Gratiot County, both outside Michigan so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MI (39.6% here).
- St. John the Baptist Parish, LA · 39.6% low-access
- St. John the Baptist Parish, LA · 39.6% low-access
- Rockdale County, GA · 39.6% low-access
- Rockdale County, GA · 39.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (15.1% here).
- Garrett County, MD · 15.1% SNAP
- Garrett County, MD · 15.1% SNAP
- Taylor County, KY · 15.1% SNAP
- Taylor County, KY · 15.1% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Gratiot County inside a higher low-access state context
Gratiot County sits inside Michigan (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Gratiot County, MI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 26057. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.