Signature · 9.6% low-access (20th pct)

Manistee County, MI

Manistee County lands in the lower national band on low-access (9.6%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.

9.6%
low-access pop.
0
food-desert tracts
12.1%
on SNAP
25K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MI

USDA FARA access plate

County Manistee County, MI

LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR

  • LA-MODERATE 9.6% low-access
  • BELOW-NATIONAL -12.5 pts vs US
  • LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-TYPICAL 12.1% SNAP
  • VEH-OK 4.8% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Cheboygan County ( -0.2 pts)

Lower-band low-access

Manistee County lands in the lower national band (9.6%, #2,514 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.

#2,514
national by low-access %
#60
in MI
1
low-access tracts
527
food-desert residents

Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.

Signature read: 9.6% low-access (20th pct) (-12.5 pts vs U.S. low-access).

How Manistee County compares nationally

Manistee County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 9.6% low-access share that beats 20% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,517).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Manistee County's lower-band USDA tier split

9 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .

Food access tier distribution for Manistee County, MI USDA-defined food-access tiers: 8 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 0 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 9 tracts evaluated. 8 tracts adequate (88.9%) 1 tracts limited (11.1%) Adequate 89% Limited 11% Severe 0% Food-access tier distribution: Manistee County, MI
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Manistee County has 3 urban and 6 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.

Manistee County vs nearby low low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in Michigan, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

FARA 2019 · lower low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Manistee County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts9
Atlas Population (2010 basis)24,733
Low-Access Tracts1
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)0
Low-Access Population2,367
Low-Access Share9.6%well below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population527

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Manistee County
IndicatorValue
Population25,350
Median Household Income$63,516
Poverty Rate12.7%below the national average
SNAP Households1,275
SNAP Participation Rate12.1%near the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.8%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population5.8%

Thick SNAP store book in Manistee County

Manistee County has 28 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 12 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 12

  • b c 2 256, bear lake
  • brethren ez mart 292, brethren
  • copemish e-z mart 360, copemish
  • dublin ez mart 396, wellston
  • family fare express 711, manistee
  • filer e-z mart 432, manistee
  • kaleva party store, kaleva
  • meijer gas station 279, manistee
  • onekama ez market 734, onekama
  • orchard lane country store, bear lake
  • wesco 33, manistee
  • wesco 36, manistee

Combination Grocery/Other · 9

  • dollar general 6328, manistee
  • dollar general 6632, bear lake
  • dollar general 12354, wellston
  • dollar general 19959, kaleva
  • dollar general 24436, bear lake
  • dollar general store 12652, copemish
  • dollar tree 1531, manistee
  • family dollar store 2622, manistee
  • walgreens 11310, manistee

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • bear lake market, bear lake
  • saddle up gas & grocery, bear lake

Super Store · 2

  • family fare 647, manistee
  • meijer 279, manistee

Farmers' Market · 1

  • manistee farmers market, manistee

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • m-55 market, wellston

Supermarket · 1

  • dublin general store, wellston

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 Manistee County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →

Counties near Manistee County's lower low-access or SNAP band

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Manistee 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 (9.6% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (12.1% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Manistee County inside a lower low-access state context

Manistee 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 Manistee County, MI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 26101. 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.