Signature · 60 SNAP-authorized stores
Ionia County, MI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Ionia 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).
- 27.3%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 13.6%
- on SNAP
- 67K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Ionia County, MI
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-ELEVATED 27.3% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +5.2 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 13.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 8% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Macomb County (+ 0.0 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Ionia County ranks #1,128 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #22 of 80 counties in MI (27.3% low-access; 1 food-desert tracts).
- #1,128
- national by low-access %
- #22
- in MI
- 4
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 60 SNAP-authorized stores .
How Ionia County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Ionia County's 27.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 64% of them and ranked #1,128 most-affected nationwide.
Ionia County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
13 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
Ionia County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (7 rural, 6 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 6 urban tracts face the 1-mile one.
Ionia County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Michigan, not a full county-board reprint
- Schoolcraft
Schoolcraft 46%
46 % low-access
- Lenawee
Lenawee 28.8%
28.8 % low-access
- Luce
Luce 28.5%
28.5 % low-access
- Ionia
Ionia 27.3%
27.3 % low-access
- Macomb
Macomb 27.3%
27.3 % low-access
- Shiawassee
Shiawassee 27.3%
27.3 % low-access
- Arenac 0
Arenac 0%
0 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 63,905 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 4 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 17,433 |
| Low-Access Share | 27.3%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,384 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 66,574 |
| Median Household Income | $75,611 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,177 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.6%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.1% |
Thick SNAP store book in Ionia County
Ionia County has 60 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
11 towns share the 60 authorized stores; Ionia holds 37% of them. 6 of the 11 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Orleans, Saranac, Clarksville, Hubbardston, Palo, Pewamo.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ionia | 22 | 4 |
| Belding | 9 | 3 |
| Portland | 7 | 1 |
| Lake Odessa | 5 | 1 |
| Orleans | 5 | none |
| Saranac | 5 | none |
| Muir | 3 | 1 |
| Clarksville | 1 | none |
| Hubbardston | 1 | none |
| Palo | 1 | none |
Top 10 of 11 towns by store count.
Convenience Store · 31
- 66 riverside llc, orleans
- admiral 5882, ionia
- belding ago 4, belding
- belding marathon, belding
- even more purks, ionia
- fabiano's westside grocery, portland
- ionia city market, ionia
- ionia marathon, ionia
- ionia shell 4380, ionia
- joe's market, palo
- lake o mart, lake odessa
- lake odessa express 83, lake odessa
- lake odessa shell 4450, lake odessa
- m-21 mobil, ionia
- m66 mobil, ionia
- more purks, ionia
- mays corner, ionia
- meijer gas station 303, ionia
- muir mini mart, muir
- om one stop shop, ionia
- orleans petroleum llc, orleans
- pilot travel center 23, ionia
- portland citgo ago 615720, portland
- portland shell 1755, portland
- sai belding oil llc, belding
- sai portland oil, portland
- seans pop shop, orleans
- speedway 2319, portland
- speedway 3592, saranac
- wesco 39, belding
- woods deli llc, pewamo
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- dollar general 6876, belding
- dollar general 7564, ionia
- dollar general 10781, saranac
- dollar general 17765, muir
- dollar general 20393, orleans
- dollar general 21381, clarksville
- dollar tree 3227, ionia
- family dollar store 2205, belding
- family dollar store 3746, portland
- family dollar store 5591, lake odessa
- jones farm market, saranac
- walgreens 07952, ionia
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 67027 67027, ionia
- carls market of lake odessa, lake odessa
- ken's farm market, llc, ionia
- leppinks inc 509, belding
- save a lot belding 456, belding
Farmers' Market · 4
- denny farms, saranac
- ionia farmers market, ionia
- ionia harvest marketplace, inc. n/a, ionia
- market on main, ionia
Super Store · 3
- meijer inc 303, ionia
- toms food center inc, portland
- walmart supercenter 5411, ionia
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- pinckney hill meat co, saranac
- yes deer pro, orleans
Large Grocery Store · 1
- sav-a-lot 23503, belding
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- muir village market, muir
Small Grocery Store · 1
- hubbardston market, hubbardston
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 Ionia County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Nationwide peers for Ionia County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Ionia 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 (27.3% here).
- St. Louis County, MN · 27.3% low-access
- Adair County, MO · 27.3% low-access
- Huntington County, IN · 27.3% low-access
- Lincoln County, OK · 27.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (13.6% here).
- McDonald County, MO · 13.6% SNAP
- Kennebec County, ME · 13.6% SNAP
- Wright County, MO · 13.6% SNAP
- Clark County, NV · 13.6% 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%). Ionia County, at 27.3%, runs 4.1 pts above 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 Ionia County, MI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 26067. 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.