Signature · 9.7% SNAP (18th pct in MI)

Houghton County, MI

Houghton County lands in the lower national band on low-access (10.5%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.

10.5%
low-access pop.
2
food-desert tracts
9.7%
on SNAP
38K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MI

USDA FARA access plate

County Houghton County, MI

LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED

  • LA-MODERATE 10.5% low-access
  • BELOW-NATIONAL -11.6 pts vs US
  • LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-LIGHT 9.7% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 6.5% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Manistee County ( -0.9 pts)

Lower-band low-access

Houghton County lands in the lower national band (10.5%, #2,449 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.

#2,449
national by low-access %
#59
in MI
4
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents

Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.

Signature read: 9.7% SNAP (18th pct in MI) (-2.4 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .

How Houghton County compares nationally

Houghton County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 10.5% low-access share that beats 22% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,457).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Houghton County's lower-band USDA tier split

10 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Houghton County, MI USDA-defined food-access tiers: 6 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 2 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 10 tracts evaluated. 6 tracts adequate (60.0%) 2 tracts limited (20.0%) 2 tracts severe / food desert (20.0%) Adequate 60% Limited 20% Severe 20% Food-access tier distribution: Houghton County, MI
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Houghton 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.

Houghton County vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in Michigan, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Houghton County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts10
Atlas Population (2010 basis)36,628
Low-Access Tracts4
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)2
Low-Access Population3,832
Low-Access Share10.5%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population1,867

ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Houghton County
IndicatorValue
Population37,693
Median Household Income$58,899
Poverty Rate16.5%above the national average
SNAP Households1,383
SNAP Participation Rate9.7%below the national average
Households Without a Vehicle6.5%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population11.6%

Thick SNAP store book in Houghton County

Houghton County has 42 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 19 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 19

  • buckos party store, calumet
  • campioni convenience, houghton
  • campioni convenience, lake linden
  • campioni convenience, calumet
  • campioni convenience, south range
  • chassell general store, chassell
  • circle k 2746076, calumet
  • circle k 2746160, hancock
  • freedom houghton, houghton
  • harters party store, calumet
  • karvakko's market, chassell
  • krist food mart 015, houghton
  • krist food mart 017, houghton
  • krist food mart 025, hancock
  • krist food mart 032, chassell
  • kurts korner, pelkie
  • laurium marathon, laurium
  • north star bp, calumet
  • northern lights party store, hubbell

Combination Grocery/Other · 10

  • dollar tree 3251, houghton
  • dollar general 15307, calumet
  • dollar general 21465, chassell
  • dollar general 21739, lake linden
  • dollar general 23320, south range
  • dollar general 25573, dollar bay
  • dollar general 25975, calumet
  • family dollar store 2610, calumet
  • family dollar store 3893, hancock
  • walgreens 16254, houghton

Supermarket · 5

  • copper country iga, hancock
  • festival foods, houghton
  • keweenaw cooperative inc, hancock
  • lakes supermarket inc, lake linden
  • pats foods, calumet

Farmers' Market · 3

  • from the ground farmers market, calumet
  • from the ground farmers market hancock, hancock
  • from the ground farmers market houghton, houghton

Super Store · 2

  • tadych's marketplace foods 2753, houghton
  • walmart 2192, houghton

Bakery Specialty · 1

  • papa murphys mi055, houghton

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • jim's foodmart, houghton

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • frozen farms co, calumet

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 Houghton County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →

Counties near Houghton County's lower low-access or SNAP band

SNAP-led peer set first for Houghton County (9.7%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Michigan.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside MI (10.5% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (9.7% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Houghton County inside a lower low-access state context

Houghton 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 Houghton County, MI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 26061. 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.