County food-access profile · Michigan
Lapeer County, MI
Most of Lapeer County sits within reach of a supermarket, better than most U.S. counties. This profile covers who, if anyone, qualifies as a food desert here, plus the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 7.5%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 11.4%
- on SNAP
- 89K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
7.5% of Lapeer County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 4.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 9.7%
- below poverty line
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, 1-and-10-mile measure).
By the USDA's measure, Lapeer County fares better than most: just 7.5% of residents live in a low-access tract, below the national share. Still, 5 of the county's 24 tracts meet that threshold, covering about 6,589 people who live far from a supermarket, and 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,827 low-income residents.
How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts
The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.
How Lapeer County compares nationally
Food access in Lapeer County compares favorably nationally: its 7.5% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 14% of them (rank #2,679).
Lapeer County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 24 census tracts in Lapeer County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Lapeer County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- Lapeer 7.5
Lapeer County, MI
7.5 % low-access
- Alcona
Alcona County, MI
15.6 % low-access
- Alger
Alger County, MI
12.8 % low-access
- Allegan
Allegan County, MI
20.8 % low-access
- Alpena
Alpena County, MI
15.9 % low-access
- Antrim 0.2
Antrim County, MI
0.2 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 24 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 88,319 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,589 |
| Low-Access Share | 7.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,827 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 88,837 |
| Median Household Income | $77,306 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.7%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,968 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.4%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
About 11.4% of Lapeer County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 7.5% of residents are low-access, below the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,968 households here.
- 4.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).
USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).
What the food-access data shows for Lapeer County
below the national share
3 of Lapeer County's 24 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 12.5% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 6,589 residents, roughly 7.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,827 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 19 tracts (79.2%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Lapeer County
Lapeer County has 73 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 40 locations (55% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 40
- 1stop 5087, lapeer
- b&b lapeer, llc, lapeer
- beacon & bridge market 9, lapeer
- bens supercenter fuel center mc, imlay city
- bp, lapeer
- burnside convenience inc., brown city
- cms fueling center #73, lapeer
- cms oil #24 24, lapeer
- countryside stop in, lapeer
- dks market, llc, attica
- east annrook party store, lapeer
- fick market, lapeer
- hadley store llc, hadley
- hilltop grocery, columbiaville
- idle spur market, attica
- imlay quickmart, imlay city
- lapeer fuel ventures inc, lapeer
- lapeer m21, inc, lapeer
- m&n market, north branch
- meijer gas station 140, lapeer
- metamora bp, metamora
- moores market, lapeer
- murphy usa 7845, lapeer
- odish brothers & family inc, lapeer
- otter lake station, otter lake
- pine knob mobil, metamora
- red barn market #10, north branch
- rogers pharmacy, lapeer
- sunrise stores llc 09, north branch
- sawdust corners, lapeer
- speedway 8391, imlay city
- speedway 8392, dryden
- speedway 8401, almont
- speedway 8772, imlay city
- speedyq markets 8241, almont
- sunoco, lapeer
- triple dy inc, lapeer
- village station, columbiaville
- walkers grocery, columbiaville
- westside party store, lapeer
Combination Grocery/Other · 17
- dollar general 17170, almont
- dollar general 18623, lapeer
- dollar general 19464, attica
- dollar general 8125, lapeer
- dollartree 8652, imlay city
- dollar general 16780, metamora
- dollar general 18961, columbiaville
- dollar general 19860, north branch
- dollar general 20872, lapeer
- dollar general 22931, imlay city
- dollar general 23018, otter lake
- dollar general 24993, metamora
- dollar general store 16516, north branch
- dollar general store 16670, dryden
- dollar tree 2706, lapeer
- family dollar 3673, imlay city
- walgreens 12971, lapeer
Super Store · 5
- bryans market, north branch
- kroger store 600, lapeer
- kroger 465, imlay city
- meijer inc 140, lapeer
- walmart 1987, lapeer
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 67045, lapeer
- andy's quality market, metamora
- country smoke house inc, almont
- vinckier foods, almont
Farmers' Market · 3
- glory lane farm market, silverwood
- historic farmers market of lapeer, lapeer
- imlay city farmers market, imlay city
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- rowleys grocery, attica
- the country market, lapeer
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- fick farms, lapeer
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- caldwells chop shoppe, lapeer
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare Lapeer County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Lapeer County sits inside Michigan (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Lapeer County has low food access? ▼
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Data Sources & Methodology
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →
Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).
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.