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 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 #2,449).
Houghton County's lower-band USDA tier split
10 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
Houghton County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (6 rural, 4 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 4 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Houghton County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Michigan, not a full county-board reprint
- Schoolcraft
Schoolcraft 46%
46 % low-access
- Houghton 10.5
Houghton 10.5%
10.5 % low-access
- Manistee 9.6
Manistee 9.6%
9.6 % low-access
- Cheboygan 9.4
Cheboygan 9.4%
9.4 % low-access
- Oceana 9.3
Oceana 9.3%
9.3 % low-access
- Isabella 9.2
Isabella 9.2%
9.2 % low-access
- Arenac 0
Arenac 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 36,628 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,832 |
| Low-Access Share | 10.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,867 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 37,693 |
| Median Household Income | $58,899 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.5%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,383 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 11.6% |
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.
Where the store book sits, by town
10 towns share the 42 authorized stores; Houghton holds 29% of them. 6 of the 10 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Chassell, South Range, Dollar Bay, Hubbell, Laurium, Pelkie.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Houghton | 12 | 4 |
| Calumet | 11 | 1 |
| Hancock | 6 | 2 |
| Chassell | 4 | none |
| Lake Linden | 3 | 1 |
| South Range | 2 | none |
| Dollar Bay | 1 | none |
| Hubbell | 1 | none |
| Laurium | 1 | none |
| Pelkie | 1 | none |
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).
- Wabasha County, MN · 10.5% low-access
- Pike County, MS · 10.5% low-access
- Pottawatomie County, KS · 10.5% low-access
- Grafton County, NH · 10.5% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (9.7% here).
- Charles County, MD · 9.7% SNAP
- Pontotoc County, MS · 9.7% SNAP
- Nelson County, KY · 9.7% SNAP
- Neosho County, KS · 9.7% 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.
Michigan among East North Central states
Michigan ranks 3rd of 5 East North Central states by population-weighted low-access (23.2%). Houghton County, at 10.5%, runs 12.7 pts below the Michigan rate.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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.