Signature · 14.0% low-access (30th pct)
Iron County, MI
Iron County lands in the lower national band on low-access (14.0%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 14.0%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 13.3%
- on SNAP
- 12K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Iron County, MI
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 14.0% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -8.1 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-TYPICAL 13.3% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 20% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Sanilac County (+ 0.3 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Iron County lands in the lower national band (14.0%, #2,196 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,196
- national by low-access %
- #51
- in MI
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 684
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 14.0% low-access (30th pct) (-8.1 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Iron County compares nationally
Iron County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.0% low-access share that beats 30% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,204).
Iron County's lower-band USDA tier split
5 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Iron County has 1 urban and 4 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.
Iron County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Michigan, not a full county-board reprint
- Schoolcraft
Schoolcraft 46%
46 % low-access
- Sanilac 14.3
Sanilac 14.3%
14.3 % low-access
- Iron 14
Iron 14%
14 % low-access
- Branch 13.6
Branch 13.6%
13.6 % low-access
- Cass 13.3
Cass 13.3%
13.3 % low-access
- Roscommon 13.3
Roscommon 13.3%
13.3 % low-access
- Arenac 0
Arenac 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 5 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 11,817 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,658 |
| Low-Access Share | 14.0%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 684 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,667 |
| Median Household Income | $55,940 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.0%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 735 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.3%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.6%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.7% |
SNAP retailers in Iron County
Iron County has 14 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 6 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 6
- circle k 2746152, iron river
- krist food mart 004, crystal falls
- krist food mart 008, iron river
- krist food mart 028, caspian
- krist food mart 038, iron river
- northland food mart inc, caspian
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- dollar general 13494, iron river
- dollar general 17944, crystal falls
- family dollar store 4258, iron river
- family dollar store 6121, crystal falls
- jubilee foods, crystal falls
Supermarket · 2
- aa family foods, iron river
- super one foods 549, iron river
Small Grocery Store · 1
- tall pines, amasa
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 Iron County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Counties near Iron County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Iron 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 (14.0% here).
- Dodge County, MN · 14.0% low-access
- Dodge County, MN · 14.0% low-access
- Bell County, KY · 14.0% low-access
- Bell County, KY · 14.0% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (13.3% here).
- Appanoose County, IA · 13.3% SNAP
- Appanoose County, IA · 13.3% SNAP
- Camden County, NJ · 13.3% SNAP
- Camden County, NJ · 13.3% 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.
Iron County inside a lower low-access state context
Iron 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 Iron County, MI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 26071. 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.