County food-access profile · Michigan
St. Joseph County, MI
St. Joseph 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.
- 15.2%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 14.8%
- on SNAP
- 61K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
15.2% of St. Joseph County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 7.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.4%
- 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).
St. Joseph County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 15.2% per the USDA Atlas. 5 of the county's 17 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 9,299 residents who live far from a supermarket. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,378 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. Joseph County compares nationally
St. Joseph County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 15.2% low-access share that beats 33% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,113).
St. Joseph County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 17 census tracts in St. Joseph County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
St. Joseph County vs. other Michigan counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Michigan
- St. Joseph
St. Joseph County, MI
15.2 % 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 | 17 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 61,295 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 9,299 |
| Low-Access Share | 15.2%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,378 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 60,969 |
| Median Household Income | $66,425 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.4%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,501 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.8%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.9%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.1% |
About 14.8% of St. Joseph County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 15.2% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 14.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 3,501 households here.
- 7.9% 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 St. Joseph County
near the national share
3 of St. Joseph County's 17 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 17.6% of all its tracts.
A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 9,299 residents, roughly 15.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,378 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 12 tracts (70.6%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in St. Joseph County
St. Joseph County has 70 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 30 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 30
- 3 rivers food mart, three rivers
- citgo gas station, constantine
- centreville spee-d-mart 1090, centreville
- gas house, burr oak
- gilbert's shell, colon
- gill mart & gas, three rivers
- gk colon13 llc, colon
- klinger lake trading post, sturgis
- lightning quick gas n go 11, sturgis
- lightning quick gas n go 12, sturgis
- m-66 groceries, sturgis
- meijer gas station 175, three rivers
- meijer gas station 291, sturgis
- mendon shell 1660, mendon
- michigan g-mart 1, sturgis
- pan northside bev, three rivers
- paul's pantry, three rivers
- s&s food mart, sturgis
- sm sturgis, sturgis
- snappy food mart, sturgis
- speedway 7143, sturgis
- speedway 7428, white pigeon
- sturgis party store, sturgis
- sunny mart 3, sturgis
- sunoco, three rivers
- three rivers shell 1800, three rivers
- three rivers south shell 1820, three rivers
- three rivers west shell 1830, three rivers
- triple creek mart, three rivers
- white pigeon spee-d-mart 1950, white pigeon
Combination Grocery/Other · 19
- dollar general 31661, centreville
- dollar general 5875, white pigeon
- dollar general 6205, three rivers
- dollar general 7608, constantine
- dollar general 8169, sturgis
- dollar general 16737, mendon
- dollar general 19851, white pigeon
- dollar general 20143, colon
- dollar general 21996, burr oak
- dollar general 22837, sturgis
- dollar general 23164, three rivers
- dollar general 23893, three rivers
- dollar general 24569, sturgis
- dollar tree 3905, three rivers
- dollar tree 765, sturgis
- family dollar 5850, colon
- family dollar store 3056, sturgis
- walgreens 09146, sturgis
- walgreens 07934, three rivers
Medium Grocery Store · 6
- bullseye marketplace, three rivers
- central meat market inc, sturgis
- carniceria san miguel, sturgis
- hoffman street grocery, three rivers
- sandlake party store, nottawa
- sunrise discount, colon
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 67003, three rivers
- aldi 67113, sturgis
- harding's friendly market 941, colon
- hardings market 939, three rivers
- village market food centers 161, colon
- yoder's country market, centreville
Super Store · 4
- meijer 291, sturgis
- meijer inc 175, three rivers
- walmart 1771, sturgis
- walmart 3791, three rivers
Farmers' Market · 2
- huss project farmers market, three rivers
- sturgis farmers market, sturgis
Large Grocery Store · 2
- la esperanza, sturgis
- wagoner's your hometown food store, white pigeon
Small Grocery Store · 1
- dutch acres groceries llc, leonidas
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Michigan
Compare St. Joseph County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
St. Joseph 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. Joseph County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in St. Joseph County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in St. Joseph County? ▼
Is St. Joseph County a food desert? ▼
What share of St. Joseph 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.