County food-access profile · Michigan
Oakland County, MI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Oakland County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 30.2%
- low-access pop.
- 9
- food-desert tracts
- 7.7%
- on SNAP
- 1.3M
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
30.2% of Oakland County residents live in a low-access area, and 9 of its 337 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 168
- low-access tracts
- 53K
- food-desert residents
- 5.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.7%
- 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).
USDA data puts Oakland County's low-access share at 30.2%, above the national share. 168 of the county's 337 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 363,393 people. 9 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 52,554 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 Oakland County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Oakland County's 30.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 71% of them and ranked #918 most-affected nationwide.
Oakland County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 337 census tracts in Oakland County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Oakland County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- Oakland
Oakland County, MI
30.2 % 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 | 337 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 1,202,362 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 168 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 9 |
| Low-Access Population | 363,393 |
| Low-Access Share | 30.2%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 52,554 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,279,825 |
| Median Household Income | $97,760 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.7%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 40,881 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 7.7%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.0% |
About 7.7% of Oakland County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 30.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 7.7% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 40,881 households here.
- 5.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 9 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 Oakland County
above the national share
9 of Oakland County's 337 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 2.7% of all its tracts.
A further 159 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 168.
An estimated 363,393 residents, roughly 30.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 52,554 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 169 tracts (50.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Oakland County
Oakland County has 861 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 193 locations (22% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 193
- 7-eleven 33716a, highland
- aditya grocers, rochester hills
- asia grocers, farmington hills
- cvs 11250, bloomfield hills
- cvs 1150, royal oak
- cvs 1748, south lyon
- cvs 287, rochester hills
- cvs 8002, walled lake
- cvs 8004, milford
- cvs 8020, west bloomfield
- cvs 8021, southfield
- cvs 8026, troy
- cvs 8030, troy
- cvs 8033, madison hts
- cvs 8034, southfield
- cvs 8036, rochester hills
- cvs 8038, waterford
- cvs 8044, farmington hills
- cvs 8048, farmington
- cvs 8049, waterford
- cvs 8058, southfield
- cvs 8066, south lyon
- cvs 8067, novi
- cvs 8068, royal oak
- cvs 8071, lake orion
- cvs 8074, berkley
- cvs 8076, rochester hills
- cvs 8084, w bloomfield
- cvs 8101, ferndale
- cvs 8103, hazel park
- cvs 8106, oak park
- cvs 8110, clawson
- cvs 8112, waterford
- cvs 8127, royal oak
- cvs 8129, lake orion
- cvs 8132, bloomfield hills
- cvs 8136, birmingham
- cvs 8140, novi
- cvs 8143, southfield
- cvs 8155, clarkston
- cvs 8161, novi
- cvs 8162, troy
- cvs 8174, clawson
- cvs 8178, farmington hills
- cvs 8180, ferndale
- cvs 8184, bloomfield hills
- cvs 8227, sylvan lake
- cvs 8234, oakland twp
- cvs 8239, west bloomfield
- cvs 8240, commerce twp
- cvs 8241, holly
- cvs 8242, troy
- cvs 8262, northville
- cvs 8299, white lake
- cvs 8304, south lyon
- cvs pharmacy 11244, birmingham
- cvs pharmacy 3538, clarkston
- crescent lake, waterford
- dollar general 6657, walled lake
- dollar general 6721, oxford
- dollar general 8212, southfield
- dollar general 9405, farmington hills
- dollar general 9565, oak park
- dollar tree 0667, pontiac
- dollar tree 0680, madison heights
- dollar tree 1849, bloomfield hills
- dollar tree 2164, ferndale
- dollar tree 4667, royal oak
- dollartree 10222, orchard lake
- dollartree 10718, farmington hills
- dollartree 10760, commerce
- dollartree 11007, novi
- dollartree 8638, oxford
- dollartree 9057, waterford
- dollartree 9290, auburn hills
- dollartree 9758, rochester hills
- dollartree 9962, highland
- dollar general 10877, waterford
- dollar general 12065, madison heights
- dollar general 12180, pontiac
- dollar general 12376, sylvan lake
- dollar general 12412, ortonville
- dollar general 14715, lake orion
- dollar general 15048, auburn hills
- dollar general 15741, holly
- dollar general 19025, ferndale
- dollar general 19157, hazel park
- dollar general 19162, oak park
- dollar general 21012, pontiac
- dollar general 23447, davisburg
- dollar general 23556, pontiac
- dollar general 30616, pontiac
- dollar general 30648, southfield
- dollar general 7318, ortonville
- dollar general 7905, waterford
- dollar tree 175, rochester hills
- dollar tree 2079, waterford
- dollar tree 2371, southfield
- dollar tree 3039, oak park
- dollar tree 3247, farmington
- dollar tree 3501, waterford
- dollar tree 3558, white lake
- dollar tree 3586, commerce township
- dollar tree 3613, novi
- dollar tree 3620, lake orion
- dollar tree 3623, south lyon
- dollar tree 3858, farmington hills
- dollar tree 3974, clarkston
- dollar tree 4061, troy
- dollar tree 4099, farmington hills
- dollar tree 4283, southfield
- dollar tree 4485, lake orion
- dollar tree 4504, southfield
- dollar tree 4534, rochester
- dollar tree 4731, bloomfield hills
- dollar tree 5054, orchard lake
- dollar tree 5238, waterford
- dollar tree 5465, southfield
- dollar tree 5546, hazel park
- dollar tree 6429, pontiac
- dollar tree 7120, madison heights
- dollar tree 7221, holly
- dollar tree 7563, wixom
- dollar tree 848, clawson
- dollar tree 8495, milford
- dollar tree 9188, rochester hills
- dollar tree 9920, troy
- family dollar 10397, oak park
- family dollar 10610, waterford
- family dollar 11757, pontiac
- family dollar 12075, pontiac
- family dollar 12540, southfield
- family dollar 12616, waterford
- family dollar 12718, oak park
- family dollar 1296, southfield
- family dollar 1619, pontiac
- family dollar 3742, hazel park
- family dollar 3848, holly
- family dollar 4869, southfield
- family dollar 4923, southfield
- family dollar 5971, pontiac
- family dollar 6391, pontiac
- family dollar 7843, pontiac
- family dollar 8239, madison heights
- family dollar 8360, southfield
- family dollar 8392, southfield
- family dollar 8821, southfield
- family dollar 9323, farmington hills
- farhat sweets bakery llc, troy
- glory supermarket, oak park
- holiday market select, birmingham
- imperial fresh market, southfield
- india grocers, farmington hills
- jungwon oriental grocery, troy
- k & f meat market, oak park
- keg & cask shoppe, madison hts
- kagopa asian market, southfield
- market square 1, birmingham
- market square 2, west bloomfield
- natural food patch, ferndale
- nutri foods, royal oak
- oak park rx, oak park
- patel brothers, farmington hills
- plum market, bloomfield hills
- spices of india, auburn hills
- subzi mandi, troy
- tenutas foodlane, waterford
- tiger market, southfield
- walgreens 04691, madison heights
- walgreens 05675, lake orion
- walgreens 07888, rochester hills
- walgreens 4244, waterford
- walgreens 4748, royal oak
- walgreens 5426, royal oak
- walgreens 5969, southfield
- walgreens 04412, troy
- walgreens 04454, novi
- walgreens 04660, rochester hills
- walgreens 04864, west bloomfield
- walgreens 05171, clarkston
- walgreens 05290, farmington hills
- walgreens 07208, southfield
- walgreens 09085, rochester
- walgreens 09124, commerce township
- walgreens 09125, rochester
- walgreens 09251, lake orion
- walgreens 09252, highland
- walgreens 09928, waterford
- walgreens 10778, south lyon
- walgreens 15391, birmingham
- walgreens 16098, farmington hills
- walgreens 21364, southfield
- walgreens 7094, west bloomfield
Convenience Store · 56
- (dba) dixie market, waterford
- 10 mile & lahser petromart, southfield
- 10 mile fuel, farmington hills
- 10 southfield sunoco, southfield
- 1052 e. lincoln, madison heights
- 11 and washington shell gas station, royal oak
- 19995 madina llc, southfield
- 7 eleven 15115-e, waterford
- 7 eleven 15558-a, royal oak
- 7 eleven 19057-e, troy
- 7 eleven 21447d, ferndale
- 7 eleven inc 32635, royal oak
- 7-eleven(franchise) 33170, commerce township
- 7-eleven 13437, troy
- 7-eleven 13461, pontiac
- 7-eleven 15116, waterford
- 7-eleven 17482, troy
- 7-eleven 17629, royal oak
- 7-eleven 21124b, royal oak
- 7-eleven 33327, waterford
- 7-eleven 33451d, wolverine lake
- 7-eleven 33512-c, waterford
- 7-eleven 33602-b, clarkston
- 7-eleven 34540b, southfield
- 7-eleven 36768-a, clawson
- 7-eleven inc f 13435e, madison heights
- 7-eleven # 32888 32888, white lake
- 7-eleven #33544e 33544e, commerce township
- 7-eleven 12995 12995, west bloomfield
- 7-eleven 13439g, madison heights
- 7-eleven 13467, farmington hills
- 7-eleven 13473g, novi
- 7-eleven 15485-d, berkley
- 7-eleven 15873f, farmington
- 7-eleven 20710b, ferndale
- 7-eleven 25441d, farmington hills
- 7-eleven 34347b, royal oak
- 7-eleven 36023-b, rochester hills
- 7-eleven 36710a, troy
- 7-eleven store #33148, commerce township
- 7-eleven store 13458f, oak park
- 7-eleven store 13486c, oak park
- 7-eleven store 17313g, troy
- 7-eleven, inc. store #20750 20750, madison heights
- 7-eleven, inc. store #32864c, southfield
- 7-eleven, inc.store #17460c, auburn hills
- 75 bp, inc, royal oak
- 75 joslyn llc, auburn hills
- a & l beverage inc, waterford
- a & m food mart, royal oak
- a&f auburn, auburn hills
- ace party store, highland
- auburn & martin mobil mart, pontiac
- aaa huron liquor, pontiac
- abe mini mart and petro llc, southfield
- adam oil llc, pontiac
Bakery Specialty · 1
- grand mid-east pastry, troy
Showing 250 of 861 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare Oakland County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Oakland 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 Oakland County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Oakland County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Oakland County? ▼
Is Oakland County a food desert? ▼
What share of Oakland 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.