Signature · 9.2% low-access (19th pct)
Isabella County, MI
Isabella County lands in the lower national band on low-access (9.2%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 9.2%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 11.4%
- on SNAP
- 65K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Isabella County, MI
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 9.2% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -12.9 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 2 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 11.4% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.2% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 13% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Oceana County (+ 0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Isabella County lands in the lower national band (9.2%, #2,548 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,548
- national by low-access %
- #63
- in MI
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 9.2% low-access (19th pct) (-12.9 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Isabella County compares nationally
Isabella County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.2% low-access share that beats 19% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,552).
Isabella County's lower-band USDA tier split
15 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 2 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Isabella County has 8 urban and 7 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.
Isabella 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 | 15 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 70,311 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,442 |
| Low-Access Share | 9.2%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,492 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 64,565 |
| Median Household Income | $55,237 |
| Poverty Rate | 21.9%well above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,830 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.2%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 8.1% |
Thick SNAP store book in Isabella County
Isabella County has 55 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 25 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 25
- 7-eleven 36940-a, mount pleasant
- beal city village store, mount pleasant
- borders corner store, mount pleasant
- coyne convenience store, mount pleasant
- goldsworthy's marathon 3, blanchard
- huggy bear's general store, mount pleasant
- j & m farm market & produce center, shepherd
- j&h family stores kountry korners 161, mount pleasant
- kings trading post, blanchard
- krist food mart 45, mount pleasant
- m brothers iii inc, mount pleasant
- meijer gas station 69, mount pleasant
- next door food store 5036, mt pleasant
- next door food store 5038, mount pleasant
- next door food store 5039, mount pleasant
- next door food store 5070, mount pleasant
- next door food store 5071, mount pleasant
- old mission wine cellar, mount pleasant
- pump n shop, mount pleasant
- rosebush ez mart 818, rosebush
- speedway 8810, mt pleasant
- speedway 8811, mt pleasant
- tgs party store, blanchard
- weidman ez mart 895, weidman
- winn ez mart 898, winn
Combination Grocery/Other · 15
- cvs 10098, mt pleasant
- dollar general 10305, mount pleasant
- dollar general 10348, shepherd
- dollar geneal 17917, mount pleasant
- dollar general 14987, weidman
- dollar general 22241, rosebush
- dollar general 22723, weidman
- dollar general 23177, mount pleasant
- dollar general 25324, mount pleasant
- dollar general 31101, farwell
- dollar tree 1754, mount pleasant
- family dollar 13327, weidman
- rosebush farm market, rosebush
- walgreens 07247, mt pleasant
- walgreens 12346, mount pleasant
Super Store · 5
- meijer inc 069, mt pleasant
- ric's food center, mt pleasant
- sam's club 4982, mount pleasant
- target store 924, mount pleasant
- walmart 1428, mt pleasant
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 67053, mount pleasant
- greentree cooperative, mount pleasant
- gordon food service store mp050, mt pleasant
- r & r family stores, weidman
Farmers' Market · 2
- mt. pleasant farmers' market, mount pleasant
- mt. pleasant farmers' market ii, mount pleasant
Bakery Specialty · 1
- schafer's bakery mt. pl 50043, mount pleasant
Large Grocery Store · 1
- country corner market and deli, mount pleasant
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- smith & sons meat processing inc, mount pleasant
Small Grocery Store · 1
- central international market, mount pleasant
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 Isabella County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Counties near Isabella County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Isabella 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 (9.2% here).
- Caroline County, MD · 9.2% low-access
- Caroline County, MD · 9.2% low-access
- Androscoggin County, ME · 9.2% low-access
- Androscoggin County, ME · 9.2% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (11.4% here).
- Ramsey County, MN · 11.4% SNAP
- Ramsey County, MN · 11.4% SNAP
- Pettis County, MO · 11.4% SNAP
- Pettis County, MO · 11.4% 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.
Isabella County inside a lower low-access state context
Isabella 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 Isabella County, MI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 26073. 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.