Signature · 70 SNAP-authorized stores
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)
USDA FARA access plate
County St. Joseph County, MI
LA-MODERATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-MODERATE 15.2% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -6.9 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 3 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.8% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 18% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Gogebic County ( -0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, St. Joseph County ranks #2,111 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #47 of 80 counties in MI (15.2% low-access; 3 food-desert tracts).
- #2,111
- national by low-access %
- #47
- in MI
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 70 SNAP-authorized stores .
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
17 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 3 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, St. Joseph County has 9 urban and 8 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
St. Joseph County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Michigan, not a full county-board reprint
- Schoolcraft
Schoolcraft 46%
46 % low-access
- Baraga 15.4
Baraga 15.4%
15.4 % low-access
- Delta 15.3
Delta 15.3%
15.3 % low-access
- Tuscola 15.3
Tuscola 15.3%
15.3 % low-access
- St. Joseph 15.2
St. Joseph 15.2%
15.2 % low-access
- Gogebic 15.1
Gogebic 15.1%
15.1 % low-access
- Arenac 0
Arenac 0%
0 % 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 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| 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% |
Thick SNAP store book 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 stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Michigan
One of 82 counties in Michigan, 6 are shown here.
Compare St. Joseph County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Nationwide peers for St. Joseph County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for St. Joseph County, both outside Michigan so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside MI (15.2% here).
- Jones County, MS · 15.2% low-access
- Jones County, MS · 15.2% low-access
- Perry County, MO · 15.2% low-access
- Perry County, MO · 15.2% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (14.8% here).
- Chickasaw County, MS · 14.8% SNAP
- Chickasaw County, MS · 14.8% SNAP
- Hinds County, MS · 14.8% SNAP
- Hinds County, MS · 14.8% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Food access nationally, Michigan in context
St. Joseph County sits inside Michigan (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for St. Joseph County, MI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 26149. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.