Signature · 2.5% low-access (6th pct)
Montcalm County, MI
Montcalm County lands in the lower national band on low-access (2.5%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 2.5%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 12.8%
- on SNAP
- 68K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Montcalm County, MI
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-ADEQUATE 2.5% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -19.6 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-TYPICAL 12.8% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 8% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Clare County (+ 0.2 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Montcalm County lands in the lower national band (2.5%, #2,938 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,938
- national by low-access %
- #74
- in MI
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 661
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 2.5% low-access (6th pct) (-19.6 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Montcalm County compares nationally
Food access in Montcalm County compares favorably nationally: its 2.5% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 6% of them (rank #2,940).
Montcalm County's lower-band USDA tier split
13 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Montcalm County has 1 urban and 12 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.
Montcalm County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Michigan, not a full county-board reprint
- Schoolcraft
Schoolcraft 46%
46 % low-access
- Clare 2.7
Clare 2.7%
2.7 % low-access
- Montcalm 2.5
Montcalm 2.5%
2.5 % low-access
- Oscoda 1.6
Oscoda 1.6%
1.6 % low-access
- Charlevoix 1.4
Charlevoix 1.4%
1.4 % low-access
- Lake 1.4
Lake 1.4%
1.4 % low-access
- Arenac 0
Arenac 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 63,342 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 1,580 |
| Low-Access Share | 2.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 661 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 67,816 |
| Median Household Income | $67,344 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.6%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,130 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.8%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.7%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.0% |
Thick SNAP store book in Montcalm County
Montcalm County has 84 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 43 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 43
- admiral 5870, edmore
- agam liquor store, howard city
- carson city citgo 24, carson city
- coral mart, coral
- crystal convenience store & gas station n/a, crystal
- greenville citgo 21, greenville
- greenville e-z mart 520, greenville
- howard city citgo 26, howard city
- j & h family stores - howard city mobil mart 117, howard city
- j & h family stores - stanton mobil mart 116, stanton
- j&h family stores m-46 102, howard city
- jb's country store, six lakes
- klinker's korner, sheridan
- m-46 citgo 22, howard city
- m-91 citgo 45, greenville
- m66minimart, stanton
- mac's rustic sport shop, howard city
- maple valley market, trufant
- mcbride country store, mcbrides
- meijer gas station 201, greenville
- murphy usa 7659, greenville
- new handy market, greenville
- next door food store 5037, carson city
- nuvu fuels greenville south 5, greenville
- om petroleaum, edmore
- pierson mobil mart 114, pierson
- pierson trading post, inc, pierson
- sheridan ago 615717, sheridan
- sheridan ez mart 836, sheridan
- sheridan marathon, sheridan
- sidney market, sidney
- spot party store, vestaburg
- stanton ago 615715, stanton
- the depot, edmore
- tri lakes general store, stanton
- trufant gas & party store, trufant
- turk lake market, greenville
- viking grocery mart 1, howard city
- wesco 45, greenville
- wesco 47, lakeview
- wilson's party store by mj, crystal
- zerka's general store, inc., stanton
- zerka's party store, stanton
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- dollar general 18141, stanton
- dollar general 5867, vestaburg
- dollar general 5868, stanton
- dollar general 5885, edmore
- dollar general 6181, carson city
- dollar general 6754, howard city
- dollar general 6810, greenville
- dollar general 19915, six lakes
- dollar general 22270, crystal
- dollar general 25207, howard city
- dollar general 25590, greenville
- dollar general 9884, lakeview
- dollar general store 13057, sheridn
- dollar tree 3053, greenville
- family dollar 13809, edmore
- family dollar 7532, howard city
- family dollar store 3700, greenville
- family dollar store 4991, stanton
- family dollar store 5423, lakeview
- rogers natural foods, edmore
- the meat shack, greenville
- walgreens 09132, greenville
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 67107, greenville
- blanchards thriftway, crystal
- leppinks food center, stanton
- leppinks inc 508, howard city
- save a lot stanton 444, stanton
- sheridan village market, sheridan
Super Store · 4
- carson village market, carson city
- leppinks food center, lakeview
- meijer inc 201, greenville
- walmart supercenter 3328, greenville
Large Grocery Store · 3
- daily deals iii 3, greenville
- edmore family foods, edmore
- save-a-lot 24139, stanton
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- jerky & more, howard city
- sage's meat processing catering, greenville
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- gowen general store, gowen
- jorgi's marketplace greenville 443, greenville
Farmers' Market · 1
- weaver farms frfl206905, sheridan
Small Grocery Store · 1
- farm country cheese house, lakeview
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 Montcalm County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Counties near Montcalm County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Montcalm 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 (2.5% here).
- Clayton County, IA · 2.5% low-access
- Clayton County, IA · 2.5% low-access
- Moultrie County, IL · 2.5% low-access
- Moultrie County, IL · 2.5% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (12.8% here).
- Warren County, KY · 12.8% SNAP
- Warren County, KY · 12.8% SNAP
- Grayson County, KY · 12.8% SNAP
- Grayson County, KY · 12.8% 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.
Montcalm County inside a lower low-access state context
Montcalm 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 Montcalm County, MI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 26117. 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.