Signature · 4.9% low-access (10th pct)
Van Buren County, MI
Van Buren County lands in the lower national band on low-access (4.9%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 4.9%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 13.7%
- on SNAP
- 76K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Van Buren County, MI
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-SINGLE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-THIN
- LA-ADEQUATE 4.9% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -17.2 pts vs US
- LILA-SINGLE 1 food-desert tract
- SNAP-HEAVY 13.7% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.7% no vehicle
- DENSITY-THIN 7% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Kalkaska County ( -0.3 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Van Buren County lands in the lower national band (4.9%, #2,818 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,818
- national by low-access %
- #68
- in MI
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 4.9% low-access (10th pct) (-17.2 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Van Buren County compares nationally
Food access in Van Buren County compares favorably nationally: its 4.9% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 10% of them (rank #2,818).
Van Buren County's lower-band USDA tier split
15 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 1 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Van Buren County has 3 urban and 12 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.
Van Buren County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Michigan, not a full county-board reprint
- Schoolcraft
Schoolcraft 46%
46 % low-access
- Hillsdale 5.4
Hillsdale 5.4%
5.4 % low-access
- Van Buren 4.9
Van Buren 4.9%
4.9 % low-access
- Kalkaska 4.6
Kalkaska 4.6%
4.6 % low-access
- Missaukee 4.3
Missaukee 4.3%
4.3 % low-access
- Newaygo 4.3
Newaygo 4.3%
4.3 % low-access
- Arenac 0
Arenac 0%
0 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 15 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 76,258 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,751 |
| Low-Access Share | 4.9%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,301 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 75,795 |
| Median Household Income | $68,114 |
| Poverty Rate | 14.3%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,180 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.7%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.7%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.4% |
Thick SNAP store book in Van Buren County
Van Buren County has 90 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 46 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 46
- 7 mile stop & shop llc, decatur
- a&j jericho, south haven
- bangor shell value market 11, bangor
- bangor sunoco, bangor
- bloomingdale marathon value market 19, bloomingdale
- broadway marathon no, south haven
- broadway shell value market 29, south haven
- casey's 4611, hartford
- decatur one stop, decatur
- el mercado los 4 hermanos 0, paw paw
- el supermercado mi rosita llc, benton harbor
- express stop 4687, paw paw
- gms liquor spot, gobles
- gobles shell value market 13, gobles
- gs21, paw paw
- gsj family stores (hartford citgo), hartford
- halftime, mattawan
- hartford shell value market 22, hartford
- jb liquor and grocery, south haven
- jot petroleum, llc, paw paw
- keelers super stop, hartford
- m-140 shell value market 15, south haven
- mattawan ez mart 662, mattawan
- mattawan shell value market 25, mattawan
- max william llc, covert
- meijer gas station 271, south haven
- mr grocery, grand junction
- ns petroleum inc, paw paw
- pauls gas and liquor, lawrence
- paw diesel, paw paw
- paw paw citgo 615695, paw paw
- phoenix quick stop, south haven
- phoenix shell value market 30, south haven
- pit stop, paw paw
- port of call, mattawan
- quick and easy mart, hartford
- rax william, llc, covert
- short stop, decatur
- sister lakes marathon, dowagiac
- south haven marathon value market 26, south haven
- speedway 3562, paw paw
- speedway 6288, bangor
- speedway 6604, mattawan
- speedway 7786 7786, paw paw
- village market xpress 869, south haven
- walt & maries country market llc, paw paw
Combination Grocery/Other · 22
- barden's farm market, south haven
- dollar general 20395, hartford
- dollar general 6054, paw paw
- dollar general 6920, lawton
- dollar general 7006, marcellus
- dollar general 13438, covert
- dollar general 13472, bangor
- dollar general 16325, lawrence
- dollar general 17020, mattawan
- dollar general 17363, gobles
- dollar general 23824, south haven
- dollar general 25092, bloomingdale
- dollar general 6592, decatur
- dollar tree 3985, south haven
- dollar tree 7818, paw paw
- family dollar 11716, grand junction
- family dollar 4938, decatur
- family dollar store 1245, south haven
- family dollar store 5233, hartford
- village market 872, decatur
- walgreens 09691, south haven
- walgreens 12688, paw paw
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 67006, south haven
- harding's friendly market 916, decatur
- harding's friendly market 965, hartford
- harding's friendly market 966, gobles
- save a lot 24997, paw paw
- village market 874, gobles
- wagoners your hometown food store, lawton
Super Store · 6
- family fare 1980, paw paw
- hardings market, bangor
- meijer 271, south haven
- wagoners your hometown food store, mattawan
- walmart supercenter 1540, south haven
- walmart supercenter 4439, paw paw
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- bloomingdale bulk foods, bloomingdale
- el supermercado, hartford
- villalobos market, bangor
Farmers' Market · 2
- jeris farms, lawrence
- south haven farm market, south haven
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- bob's processing inc, south haven
- delille acres farm, paw paw
Large Grocery Store · 1
- wagoners your hometown food store, bloomingdale
Small Grocery Store · 1
- la rancherita, covert
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 Van Buren County vs Alcona County → · All Michigan counties →
Counties near Van Buren County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Van Buren 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 (4.9% here).
- Grant County, KY · 4.9% low-access
- Grant County, KY · 4.9% low-access
- Pike County, OH · 4.9% low-access
- Pike County, OH · 4.9% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside MI (13.7% here).
- Greene County, MS · 13.7% SNAP
- Greene County, MS · 13.7% SNAP
- Logan County, KY · 13.7% SNAP
- Logan County, KY · 13.7% 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.
Van Buren County inside a lower low-access state context
Van Buren 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 Van Buren County, MI are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 26159. 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.