County food-access profile · Michigan
St. Clair County, MI
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of St. Clair 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).
- 35.7%
- low-access pop.
- 7
- food-desert tracts
- 13.3%
- on SNAP
- 160K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
35.7% of St. Clair County residents live in a low-access area, and 7 of its 49 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 23
- low-access tracts
- 20K
- food-desert residents
- 5.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.3%
- 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 St. Clair County's low-access share at 35.7%, above the national share. 23 of the county's 49 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 58,182 people. 7 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 19,967 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 St. Clair County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, St. Clair County's 35.7% low-access share is elevated, higher than 82% of them and ranked #564 most-affected nationwide.
St. Clair County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 49 census tracts in St. Clair County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
St. Clair County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- St. Clair
St. Clair County, MI
35.7 % low-access
- Alcona
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
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 | 49 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 163,040 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 23 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 7 |
| Low-Access Population | 58,182 |
| Low-Access Share | 35.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 19,967 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 160,221 |
| Median Household Income | $71,270 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.3%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 8,995 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.3%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.9%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
About 13.3% of St. Clair County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 35.7% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 8,995 households here.
- 5.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 7 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 St. Clair County
above the national share
7 of St. Clair County's 49 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 14.3% of all its tracts.
A further 16 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 23.
An estimated 58,182 residents, roughly 35.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 19,967 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 26 tracts (53.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in St. Clair County
St. Clair County has 160 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 94 locations (59% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 94
- 1st choice liquor, kimball
- aaa fuel and more, port huron
- algonac wine & liquor, algonac
- avajor investments, algonac
- avoca market, kenockee
- azars market, algonac
- beverage barrel party store, port huron
- barrels & vines st. clair, ira
- beach house, fort gratiot
- berville market, berville
- big guys mart, ira
- blue water fuels, port huron
- carroll fargo market llc, fargo
- casco convenience center inc, casco
- country market inc, kimball
- dannys liquor, algonac
- dollar treasure, port huron
- dry dock store, inc., marine city
- electric spirit shoppe, inc., port huron
- express liquor, port huron
- fays party port, fort gratiot
- fill n shop, kimball
- food mart & fuel furry, port huron
- i-69 truck stop travel center inc, riley
- industrial park marathon, port huron
- j&d market, jeddo
- jd's market, kimball
- joes party stop, port huron
- kma oil 1, fort gratiot
- kma oil inc, port huron
- keg & kone party store, saint clair
- lakeport mobil, burtchville
- life of riley, riley
- liquor palace, port huron
- love's travel stop 745, saint clair
- marine city gas and convenience station inc, marine city
- matthews beverage center, port huron
- meijer gas station 163, fort gratiot
- meijer gas station 229, marysville
- mike's food fair, port huron
- mobil, saint clair
- murphy usa 7364, fort gratiot
- ns 32nd street, port huron
- orchard food stores, cottrellville
- party express, port huron
- picolos liquor store, port huron
- pilot travel center 596, smiths creek
- pitstop convenience stores, casco
- port huron liquor, inc 1, port huron
- red barn market, kimball
- red barn market 2, casco
- red barn market inc. 5, saint clair
- red barn market no.7, inc., berlin
- ryan's party store, port huron
- s and g stores llc 107, casco
- sans souci market, harsens island
- sunrise stores llc 07, yale
- sunrise stores llc 18, marine city
- sunrise stores llc 26, port huron
- sunrise stores llc 29, riley
- sunrise stores llc 30, marysville
- sunrise stores llc 51, kimball
- sunrise stores llc 52, capac
- sunrise stores llc 53, port huron
- sunrise stores llc 54, marine city
- sunrise stores llc 55, fort gratiot
- sunrise stores llc 56, port huron
- sunrise stores llc 58, capac
- sunrise stores llc 60, saint clair
- smokey moe's liquor llc, marysville
- speedway 8702, algonac
- speedway 8783, kimball
- speedway 8804, marysville
- speedway 8824, port huron
- speedway 8825, port huron
- speedway 8826, port huron
- speedyq markets 8206, port huron
- speedyq markets 8207, port huron
- speedyq markets 8222, port huron
- speedyq markets 8237, east china
- speedyq markets 8238, kimball
- speedyq markets 8242, east china
- sunoco, saint clair
- sunrise stores llc 39, brockway
- tims party store, marine city
- the eggairy, port huron
- treeside market, columbus
- viking liquor store, saint clair
- vinnys market, burtchville
- wadham bp, kimball
- walsh's party store, marysville
- wolverine market huron, inc, port huron
- wolverine of marysville, marysville
- yale convenience inc, yale
Combination Grocery/Other · 45
- big lots 3004, port huron
- cvs 8053, marysville
- cvs 8149, marine city
- cvs 8246, saint clair
- cvs 8301, port huron
- dollar general 10743, port huron
- dollar general 18740, kimball
- dollar general 5717, brockway
- dollar general 8156, fort gratiot
- dollartree 8762, saint clair
- dollartree 9451, kimball
- dollar general 11034, marine city
- dollar general 16346, kimball
- dollar general 16705, saint clair
- dollar general 17884, fair haven
- dollar general 19785, emmett
- dollar general 19837, port huron
- dollar general 20035, saint clair
- dollar general 20798, port huron
- dollar general 20980, capac
- dollar general 21361, fort gratiot
- dollar general 21502, port huron
- dollar general 22492, columbus
- dollar general 22777, wales
- dollar general 23055, east china
- dollar general 24699, brockway
- dollar general 30045, saint clair township
- dollar general 30629, marine city
- dollar general 8259, marysville
- dollar general 8516, algonac
- dollar tree 122, fort gratiot
- dollar tree 4180, algonac
- dollar tree 4847, marysville
- dollar tree 6341, port huron
- dollar tree 683, port huron
- family dollar 13764, marine city
- family dollar 2694, port huron
- family dollar 3613, port huron
- family dollar 9268, capac
- lakeport market, lakeport
- natures living bounty, fort gratiot
- neimans family market st clair, saint clair
- vinckier food wadhams llc, kimball
- walgreens 05595, port huron
- walgreens 06053, port huron
Super Store · 9
- kroger store #715 715, port huron
- kroger store 515, port huron
- kroger 450, algonac
- meijer inc 163, fort gratiot
- meijer inc 229, marysville
- sam's club 6660, port huron
- target store 632, fort gratiot
- vg's 1934, cottrellville
- walmart 1611, fort gratiot
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 67047, kimball
- aldi 67050 67050, fort gratiot
- fronneys foods, mussey
- gordon food service store mp043, fort gratiot
- ph country style market, port huron
- vinckier foods inc, yale
Large Grocery Store · 2
- save a lot, port huron
- wallys supermarket, marysville
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- c roy inc, yale
- jimmy rankin meats, port huron
Farmers' Market · 1
- city of port huron farmers market, port huron
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- zimmermans meat market, marine city
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare St. Clair County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
St. Clair 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 St. Clair County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in St. Clair County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in St. Clair County? ▼
Is St. Clair County a food desert? ▼
What share of St. Clair 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.