County food-access profile · Michigan
Ottawa County, MI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Ottawa 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).
- 31.4%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 6.0%
- on SNAP
- 301K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
31.4% of Ottawa County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 53 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 31
- low-access tracts
- 21K
- food-desert residents
- 3.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 8.3%
- 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 Ottawa County's low-access share at 31.4%, above the national share. 31 of the county's 53 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 82,799 people. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 20,727 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 Ottawa County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Ottawa County's 31.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 73% of them and ranked #854 most-affected nationwide.
Ottawa County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 53 census tracts in Ottawa County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Ottawa County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- Ottawa
Ottawa County, MI
31.4 % 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 | 53 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 263,801 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 31 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 82,799 |
| Low-Access Share | 31.4%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 20,727 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 301,203 |
| Median Household Income | $90,502 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.3%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 6,724 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 6.0%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.7%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.5% |
About 6.0% of Ottawa County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 31.4% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 6.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,724 households here.
- 3.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Ottawa County
above the national share
2 of Ottawa County's 53 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 3.8% of all its tracts.
A further 29 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 31.
An estimated 82,799 residents, roughly 31.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 20,727 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 22 tracts (41.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Ottawa County
Ottawa County has 154 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 66 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 66
- admiral 5847, allendale
- admiral shell 5747, coopersville
- beechtree party store, grand haven
- bottles & barrels, jenison
- bricks georgetown, grandville
- columbia ave one stop, holland
- conklin minimarket, conklin
- coopersville citgo 615730, coopersville
- d & w quick stop 766, grand haven
- dulceria izel 1, holland
- expo spring lake dr inc, spring lake
- expo spring lake inc, spring lake
- grand haven 266, grand haven
- health hutt 2, grand haven
- holland 269, holland
- holland ez mart 576, holland
- hudsonville citgo 9, hudsonville
- j & h family stores - olive 134, holland
- j & h family stores - allendale mobil mart 107, allendale
- j & h family stores - cottonwood express 133, jenison
- j & h family stores - countryside mobil mart 125, hudsonville
- j & h family stores - georgetown 149, jenison
- j & h family stores - jenison mobil mart 120, jenison
- j & h family stores - park mobil mart 121, holland
- j & h family stores - valley view 103, hudsonville
- j & h family stores - west shore mobil mart 118, holland
- j & h family stores - west side mobil mart 124, zeeland
- j&h family stores - 8th ave 154, grandville
- j&h family stores - coopersville 160, coopersville
- j&h family stores - oasis mobil 122, holland
- liquor cave east, holland
- love's travel stop 742, holland
- m45 llc dba market express, allendale
- meijer gas station 180, grand haven
- meijer gas station 217, holland
- meijer gas station 254, hudsonville
- meijer gas station 26, jenison
- meijer gas station 47, holland
- north river 267, holland
- port sheldon citgo 8, hudsonville
- rds liquor, holland
- south river 268, holland
- speedway 1810, holland
- speedway 1830, grand haven
- speedway 2308 2308, holland
- speedway 3559, holland
- speedway 3560 3560, holland
- speedway 3580 3580, holland
- speedway 3581, allendale
- speedway 5493, jenison
- speedway 5500 5500, holland
- speedway 6278, coopersville
- speedway 8776, jenison
- spinners corner, grand haven
- spring lake 265, spring lake
- stanton junction marathon (dba) petro & pantry inc 460, west olive
- supermarket rosie 1, holland
- the 2j's llc, holland
- washington square minit mart, holland
- wesco 04, holland
- wesco 07, grand haven
- wesco 16, spring lake
- wesco 27, grand haven
- wesco 66, hudsonville
- west olive one stop, west olive
- yellow jacket 450, west olive
Combination Grocery/Other · 35
- apple valley natural foods, holland
- cvs/pharmacy 10137, holland
- dollar general 10471, allendale
- dollar general 19343, zeeland
- dollar general 6281, spring lake
- dollar general 6390, holland
- dollar tree 4665, grand haven
- dollartree 10649, hudsonville
- dollartree 9466, holland
- dollar general 12062, zeeland
- dollar general 17783, grand haven
- dollar general 19159, holland
- dollar general 20194, holland
- dollar general 22252, west olive
- dollar general 24834, holland
- dollar general 25311, spring lake
- dollar general 25352, allendale
- dollar general 31439, coopersville
- dollar general 7493, holland
- dollar general 7670, holland
- dollar tree 1074, holland
- dollar tree 1490, jenison
- dollar tree 6596, holland
- dollar tree 7825, allendale
- family dollar 8410, holland
- family dollar store 5722, coopersville
- holland supermarket, holland
- super mercado la excelencia, holland
- walgreens 2905, holland
- walgreens 3349, grand haven
- walgreens 02825, holland
- walgreens 06911, holland
- walgreens 11415, allendale
- walgreens 12345, grand haven
- walgreens 5117, jenison
Super Store · 17
- d&w fresh market 1570, grand haven
- d&w fresh market 1574, holland
- family fare 108, zeeland
- family fare 122, holland
- family fare 137, allendale
- family fare 1589, jenison
- family fare 239, hudsonville
- family fare 635, coopersville
- meijer inc 047, holland
- meijer inc 180, grand haven
- meijer inc 217, holland
- meijer inc 26, jenison
- meijer's 254, hudsonville
- sam's club 6417, holland
- target store 1482, holland
- walmart 1942, holland
- walmart 5386, grand haven
Supermarket · 15
- aldi 67001, allendale
- aldi 67025 67025, holland
- aldi 67026 67026, jenison
- aldi 67031 67031, holland
- aldi 67108, hudsonville
- aldi 67144, grand haven
- daily deals food outlet 5, marne
- gordon food service store mp024, holland
- gordon food service store mp083, jenison
- harvest health foods, hudsonville
- harvest health foods 4, holland
- leppinks, ferrysburg
- orchard markets 757, spring lake
- save-a-lot 24588, holland
- the grocery outlet store hdsnvl, jenison
Medium Grocery Store · 6
- april & laurie market, holland
- db international market llc, holland
- frank's mkt meats & sausages inc, grand haven
- khmer grocery inc, holland
- la reina supermarket, holland
- mi favorita grocery, holland
Farmers' Market · 5
- georgetown township farmers market, jenison
- grand haven farmer's market, grand haven
- holland farmers market, holland
- palmbos farm market, zeeland
- terra square farmers market, hudsonville
Large Grocery Store · 5
- daily deals food outlet 4, allendale
- natures market, holland
- supermercado santa fe llc, holland
- tienda y taqueria azteca llc, holland
- wiersmas central park foods, holland
Bakery Specialty · 4
- papa murphy's pizza mi014, grand haven
- papa murphy's pizza mi042, jenison
- papa murphy's pizza mi047, holland
- ramirez bakery, holland
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- mike's processing, allendale
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare Ottawa County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
Ottawa 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 Ottawa County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Ottawa County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Ottawa County? ▼
Is Ottawa County a food desert? ▼
What share of Ottawa 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.