County food-access profile · Michigan
Monroe County, MI
Monroe County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 15.9%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 10.0%
- on SNAP
- 156K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
15.9% of Monroe County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 10
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 4.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.5%
- 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).
Monroe County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 15.9% per the USDA Atlas. 10 of the county's 38 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 24,138 residents who live far from a supermarket. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Monroe County compares nationally
Monroe County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 15.9% low-access share that beats 35% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,046).
Monroe County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 38 census tracts in Monroe County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Monroe County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- Monroe
Monroe County, MI
15.9 % 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 | 38 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 152,021 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 10 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 24,138 |
| Low-Access Share | 15.9%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,886 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 155,505 |
| Median Household Income | $77,335 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.5%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,310 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 10.0% of Monroe County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 15.9% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,310 households here.
- 4.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $77,335 with a 10.5% poverty rate.
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 Monroe County
near the national share
A further 10 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 10.
An estimated 24,138 residents, roughly 15.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 4,886 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 28 tracts (73.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Monroe County
Monroe County has 116 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 68 locations (59% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 68
- 7-eleven 34545a, monroe
- ash market, carleton
- broadway market, monroe
- circle k 4706317, monroe
- carleton pharmacy, carleton
- carlton food mart llc, carleton
- chapp & bushey s03, south rockwood
- circle k 4706212, monroe
- circle k 4706213, carleton
- dixie food mart inc, monroe
- deep in the sky, maybee
- dexter marathon gas, milan
- dougs party store, lambertville
- dundee liquor store at 5points, dundee
- dundee mobil inc, dundee
- dundee party store, dundee
- ejs liquor store, monroe
- fermi iii, newport
- frenchtown mini mart, newport
- gerth's beef & deli, temperance
- highlander market, monroe
- ida petroleum, ida
- ida's party stop, ida
- independent dairy inc 1, monroe
- j r and s inc, monroe
- jay ram inc, lambertville
- kennys mini market, monroe
- lewis pizza & liquor, ida
- lightning quick gas n go 16, ottawa lake
- lightning quick gas and go petersburg 4, petersburg
- love's travel stop 645, monroe
- luna pier market 0, luna pier
- luna pier one stoop llc, luna pier
- ms fuels 5, monroe
- maybee c store, maybee
- meijer gas station 67, monroe
- midway grab and go, la salle
- mobil of monroe, monroe
- monroe beer cooler, monroe
- murphy usa 7592, monroe
- newport fuel stop, newport
- newport gas & go, llc, newport
- newport petro mart inc., newport
- partyville liquor, monroe
- pilot travel center 24, monroe
- pilot travel center 26, ottawa lake
- pilot travel center 284, monroe
- pirolli park party store, petersburg
- riverside mini mart, monroe
- roys mart, monroe
- s and g stores llc 24, monroe
- s and g stores llc 62, monroe
- sam stop, monroe
- simon z market, carleton
- simon z monroe, monroe
- simon z telegraph market, newport
- sns gas & more inc 0, erie
- speedway 2325, dundee
- speedway 5527, monroe
- speedway 7123, monroe
- speedway 8725, carleton
- stony point market inc, newport
- ta monroe, monroe
- tel 50 inc., monroe
- temperance fuel stop, inc., temperance
- wabash market, milan
- way station, monroe
- west elm inc., monroe
Combination Grocery/Other · 24
- cvs 8198, monroe
- dollar general 11118, temperance
- dollar general 14269, dundee
- dollar general 20177, ida
- dollar tree 4696, monroe
- dollartree 9939, monroe
- dollar general 13056, carleton
- dollar general 14643, carleton
- dollar general 17698, monroe
- dollar general 19547, erie
- dollar general 19632, lambertville
- dollar general 21256, maybee
- dollar general 24908, temperance
- dollar general 30410, monroe
- dollar general 30904, monroe
- dollar tree 0778, monroe
- dollar tree 6473, lambertville
- dollar tree 7080, carleton
- family dollar store 10061, monroe
- family dollar store 2224, monroe
- walgreens 5321, monroe
- walgreens 02023, monroe
- walgreens 10804, lambertville
- walgreens 12288, dundee
Super Store · 8
- food town, temperance
- kroger 577, dundee
- kroger 578, monroe
- kroger 579, monroe
- kroger 864, lambertville
- meijer inc 067, monroe
- walmart 1790, monroe
- yono hi lite, monroe
Supermarket · 5
- aldi 67116, monroe
- aldi 75085 75085, monroe
- danny's fine foods / danny's 2 no, monroe
- gordon food service store mp037, monroe
- kas market fresh, carleton
Farmers' Market · 4
- bedford farmers market, lambertville
- dundee farmers market, dundee
- ida west rd., petersburg
- monroe county farmers' market, monroe
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- bobs country market, petersburg
- erie grocery store inc none, erie
- orchard food coop, monroe
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- ciolino's, temperance
Large Grocery Store · 1
- danny's 2, monroe
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- howards meats, lambertville
Small Grocery Store · 1
- lees market of newport, newport
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare Monroe County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Monroe 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 Monroe County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Monroe County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Monroe County? ▼
Is Monroe County a food desert? ▼
What share of Monroe County households lack a vehicle? ▼
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.