County food-access profile · Michigan
Muskegon County, MI
Muskegon County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 43.0%
- low-access pop.
- 16
- food-desert tracts
- 19.4%
- on SNAP
- 176K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
43.0% of Muskegon County residents live in a low-access area, and 16 of its 42 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 26
- low-access tracts
- 30K
- food-desert residents
- 7.4%
- households, no vehicle
- 14.1%
- 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).
Muskegon County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 43.0% is well above the national share. 26 of the county's 42 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 74,104 people. 16 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 29,827 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 Muskegon County compares nationally
Muskegon County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 43.0% low-access share outpaces 90% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #316 most-affected nationwide.
Muskegon County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 42 census tracts in Muskegon County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Muskegon County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- Muskegon
Muskegon County, MI
43 % low-access
- Alcona 15.6
Alcona County, MI
15.6 % low-access
- Alger 12.8
Alger County, MI
12.8 % low-access
- Allegan
Allegan County, MI
20.8 % low-access
- Alpena 15.9
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 | 42 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 172,188 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 26 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 16 |
| Low-Access Population | 74,104 |
| Low-Access Share | 43.0%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 29,827 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 175,961 |
| Median Household Income | $65,024 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.1%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 13,107 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 19.4%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.4%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.2% |
About 19.4% of Muskegon County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 43.0% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 19.4% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 13,107 households here.
- 7.4% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 16 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 Muskegon County
well above the national share
16 of Muskegon County's 42 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 38.1% of all its tracts.
A further 10 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 26.
An estimated 74,104 residents, roughly 43.0% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 29,827 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 16 tracts (38.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Muskegon County
Muskegon County has 171 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 91 locations (53% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 91
- 814 wireless inc, muskegon
- a & a mini mart, muskegon
- admiral 5757, muskegon
- admiral shell 5808, muskegon
- admiral shell 5899, muskegon
- adventure ez mart 208, muskegon
- agam food mart, norton shores
- bluebird liquor, muskegon
- broadway liquor, muskegon
- cheema pump & pantry, muskegon
- cloverville e-z mart 348, muskegon
- discount liquor llc, muskegon
- elroyal party store, muskegon
- express lane, muskegon
- express lane marathon, muskegon
- fox lake general store, twin lake
- freshway foods, muskegon
- frontier mart, muskegon
- fruitvale ago 55, montague
- gas & go 3 llc, muskegon
- getty marathon, norton shores
- health hutt 1, muskegon
- health hutt 3, muskegon
- holton stop n shop, holton
- hometown convenience, casnovia
- j & h family stores - the lakes 146, muskegon
- j&h family stores - apple ave 166, muskegon
- j&h family stores - twin lake marathon 144, twin lake
- jass, muskegon
- johns market, twin lake
- k stop llc, twin lake
- korting, muskegon
- l&g family market, muskegon
- lakeshore liquor feat. waynes deli 1, muskegon
- laketon marathon, muskegon
- lane's grocery, norton shores
- los arcos mini mart, muskegon
- mgs convenience store 1, norton shores
- multani mart, muskegon
- maple island grocery llc, twin lake
- marathon, muskegon
- meijer gas station 19, norton shores
- meijer gas station 232, muskegon
- meijer gas station 71, muskegon
- mill iron marathon, muskegon
- muskegon family food, muskegon
- norton mini mart, muskegon
- norton shores ez mart 720, norton shores
- ozzie's, norton shores
- preet mart, muskegon
- punjab group muskegon inc, norton shores
- quickway downtown, muskegon
- raja mart, muskegon
- ravenna ago 56, ravenna
- ray's mini mart, muskegon
- roadside express, ravenna
- roadside express, muskegon
- russell rd ago 53, muskegon
- shell mart, muskegon
- sunny mart, muskegon
- sam's drink all, muskegon
- seaway liquors, muskegon
- shop n stop, muskegon
- speedway 6293, fruitport
- speedway 6297, muskegon
- speedway 6303, muskegon
- speedway 6304, ravenna
- speedway 6305, muskegon
- sunny mart, muskegon
- sunny mart discount store, muskegon
- super stop food store, muskegon
- wesco 02, muskegon
- wesco 03, muskegon
- wesco 13, muskegon
- wesco 15, whitehall
- wesco 18, muskegon
- wesco 19, whitehall
- wesco 21, fruitport
- wesco 26, muskegon
- wesco 30, muskegon
- wesco 31, muskegon
- wesco 37, muskegon
- wesco 48, montague
- wesco 49, muskegon
- wesco 5, fruitport
- wesco 57, whitehall
- wesco 68, norton shores
- wesco 8, ravenna
- whitehall 264, whitehall
- whitehall ago 54, whitehall
- wood st. liquor, muskegon
Combination Grocery/Other · 44
- benson drug company, muskegon
- cvs 6804, muskegon
- dollar general 10192, muskegon
- dollar general 14261, ravenna
- dollar general 14337, muskegon
- dollar general 18075, twin lake
- dollar general 18466, muskegon
- dollar general 7763, muskegon
- dollar general 8280, muskegon
- dollar general 8659, muskegon
- dollartree 9364, muskegon
- dollar general 13467, norton shores
- dollar general 14803, fruitport
- dollar general 15554, muskegon
- dollar general 16197, norton shores
- dollar general 16347, whitehall
- dollar general 21811, montague
- dollar general 24748, muskegon
- dollar general 25741, holton
- dollar general 30128, muskegon
- dollar general 31039, muskegon
- dollar general 6665, whitehall
- dollar tree 1547, muskegon
- dollar tree 4586, norton shores
- dollar tree 4889, muskegon
- dollar tree` 735, muskegon
- family dollar store 1791, muskegon
- family dollar store 2345, muskegon
- family dollar store 4011, muskegon
- family dollar store 4832, norton shores
- family dollar store 5052, muskegon
- family dollar store 5265, muskegon
- family dollar store 5449, muskegon
- ghezzis market, muskegon
- john drummonds bucher shop, muskegon
- moms, muskegon
- pot 63, muskegon
- valu time grocery inc, muskegon
- walgreens 04835, muskegon
- walgreens 05315, muskegon
- walgreens 6279, muskegon
- walgreens 07461, n muskegon
- walgreens 10079, muskegon
- walgreens 11417, whitehall
Super Store · 10
- costco wholesale 1744, muskegon
- meijer inc 071, north muskegon
- meijer inc 19, muskegon
- meijer inc 232, muskegon
- montague foods, montague
- sam's club 6562, muskegon
- target store 2327, norton shores
- walmart 2238, muskegon
- walmart 3458, whitehall
- walmart supercenter 3876, muskegon
Supermarket · 10
- aldi 67008 67008, muskegon
- aldi 67103, muskegon
- aldi 67157, whitehall
- aldi 67009, muskegon
- e&a pit stop inc, muskegon
- gordon food service store mp013, muskegon
- harding's market 165, muskegon
- orchard markets 567, fruitport
- save a lot 24310, muskegon
- supermercado san jose 2, muskegon
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- apple corner store, muskegon
- jacks quick stop 3, twin lake
- productos mexicanos, muskegon
- ravenna market, ravenna
Farmers' Market · 3
- city of muskegon farmers market, muskegon
- montague farmers market, montague
- muskegon heights farmer's market, muskegon
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- drummond meat processing, ravenna
- scott meats, muskegon
- the meat block inc, muskegon
Bakery Specialty · 2
- papa murphy's pizza mi030, muskegon
- schafer thrift 50022, norton shores
Small Grocery Store · 2
- gk market, muskegon
- jacks corner store #1, norton shores
Delivery Route · 1
- muskegon ymca mobile farmers market, muskegon
Large Grocery Store · 1
- e&a grocery #4, muskegon
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare Muskegon County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Muskegon 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 Muskegon County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Muskegon County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Muskegon County? ▼
Is Muskegon County a food desert? ▼
What share of Muskegon 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.