PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Michigan

Sanilac County, MI

Sanilac 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.

14.3%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
12.6%
on SNAP
40K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 MI

The food-access picture

14.3% of Sanilac County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

4
low-access tracts
2K
food-desert residents
5.9%
households, no vehicle
15.3%
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).

Sanilac County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 14.3% per the USDA Atlas. 4 of the county's 12 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 6,156 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 2,115 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 Sanilac County compares nationally

Sanilac County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 14.3% low-access share that beats 31% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,175).

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Sanilac County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 12 census tracts in Sanilac County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Sanilac County, MI USDA-defined food-access tiers: 8 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 1 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 12 tracts evaluated. 8 tracts adequate (66.7%) 1 tracts limited (8.3%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (25.0%) Adequate 67% Limited 8% Severe 25% Food-access tier distribution: Sanilac County, MI
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Sanilac County vs. other Michigan counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Sanilac County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts12
Atlas Population (2010 basis)43,114
Low-Access Tracts4
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population6,156
Low-Access Share14.3%below the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population2,115

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Sanilac County
IndicatorValue
Population40,462
Median Household Income$58,863
Poverty Rate15.3%near the national average
SNAP Households2,213
SNAP Participation Rate12.6%near the national average
Households Without a Vehicle5.9%below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.3%
SNAP participation in Sanilac County 12.6%

About 12.6% of Sanilac County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 14.3% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 12.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,213 households here.
  • 5.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 3 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 Sanilac County

near the national share

3 of Sanilac County's 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 25.0% of all its tracts.

A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 4.

An estimated 6,156 residents, roughly 14.3% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 2,115 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 8 tracts (66.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Sanilac County

Sanilac County has 55 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 28 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 28

  • argyle hardware & grocery, argyle
  • brown city gas station, brown city
  • carsonville market, carsonville
  • corner market, croswell
  • d & d's party store, snover
  • deckerville party store, deckerville
  • deo volente 3, port sanilac
  • foleys market, lexington
  • forward shell-cass city 187, cass city
  • hilltop truck stop, marlette
  • j & j peck, peck
  • j&d market, yale
  • j&d market - croswell, croswell
  • japar's junction, deckerville
  • main street c store llc, deckerville
  • sunrise stores llc 22, lexington
  • sunrise stores llc 57, lexington
  • sandusky party store, sandusky
  • scott's quik stop, marlette
  • speedway 8400, marlette
  • speedway 8730, croswell
  • speedyq markets 8212, sandusky
  • speedyq markets 8243, marlette
  • sunrise stores llc 37, peck
  • the party store, lexington
  • the store in applegate, applegate
  • the watertown party store, sandusky
  • treve's party store, brown city

Combination Grocery/Other · 14

  • dollar general 14206, lexington
  • dollar general 18566, peck
  • dollar general 19652, port sanilac
  • dollar general 5715, deckerville
  • dollar general 6189, cass city
  • dollar general 6521, brown city
  • dollar general 7010, marlette
  • dollar general 23652, decker
  • dollar general 6921, croswell
  • dollar tree 6455, sandusky
  • family dollar 1382, cass city
  • family dollar 1790, marlette
  • family dollar store 6357, croswell
  • family dollar store 7465, lexington

Super Store · 4

  • bens supercenter inc, brown city
  • bens supercenter markette llc, marlette
  • country view bulk foods, snover
  • walmart supercenter 3632, sandusky

Large Grocery Store · 3

  • deckerville village market, deckerville
  • jeff's marketplace, lexington
  • willis marketplace 636, port sanilac

Farmers' Market · 2

  • marlette farmers market, marlette
  • port sanilac farmers market, port sanilac

Supermarket · 2

  • bens supercenter fuelcenter bc, brown city
  • jeff's marketplace 4083, croswell

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • outback custom meats, snover

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • johnstons meats llc, peck

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Michigan

Alcona County
15.6% low-access · 12.5% SNAP
Alger County
12.8% low-access · 11.0% SNAP
Allegan County
20.8% low-access · 7.8% SNAP
Alpena County
15.9% low-access · 16.7% SNAP
Antrim County
0.2% low-access · 10.0% SNAP
Arenac County
0.0% low-access · 16.1% SNAP

Compare Sanilac County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →

Food access nationally, Michigan in context

Sanilac County sits inside Michigan (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Sanilac County has low food access? ▼
14.3% of residents in Sanilac County, MI live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Sanilac County? ▼
12.6% of households in Sanilac County receive SNAP, covering 2,213 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Sanilac County? ▼
The poverty rate in Sanilac County, MI is 15.3%, with a median household income of $58,863 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Sanilac County a food desert? ▼
3 of Sanilac County's 12 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Sanilac County households lack a vehicle? ▼
5.9% of households in Sanilac County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.