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PantryPath Research · Rural & Persistent Poverty Atlas

Rural poverty in Michigan

1 persistent-poverty county

Michigan has 1 persistent-poverty counties and 53 nonmetro counties — home to 64,475 residents living in counties with 30+ years of 20%-or-higher poverty. The state's all-ages poverty rate is 13.1% and child poverty is 17.5%.

1

Persistent-poverty counties

53

Nonmetro counties (RUCC 4–9)

64K

Residents in PPCs

83

Total counties

Michigan by county

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Toggle between the rural hunger risk score, all-ages poverty, child poverty, the Rural-Urban Continuum Code, and the binary persistent-poverty flag. Hover a county for its ERS typology and ACS poverty rate.

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Michigan at a glance

Poverty rate

13.1%

All ages, ACS S1701

Child poverty

17.5%

Under 18

PPC share

1.2%

Of counties in state

Nonmetro share

63.9%

RUCC 4–9

Pantries / 100K

2.45

PantryPath verified

Risk score (mean)

0.22

Composite 0–1

"Pantries / 100K" divides Michigan's 246 verified PantryPath pantries by the state population — a minimum-density indicator, not a saturated census. See methodology.

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 83 in Michigan.

Highest rural hunger risk

Composite 0–1 score

  1. 1 Isabella 0.51
  2. 2 Lake 0.38
  3. 3 Montmorency 0.37
  4. 4 Ogemaw 0.37
  5. 5 Luce 0.37

Highest poverty rate

ACS all-ages

  1. 1 Isabella 23.2%
  2. 2 Clare 21.1%
  3. 3 Lake 20.6%
  4. 4 Wayne 20.1%
  5. 5 Mecosta 19.2%

Persistent-poverty counties

PPCs ranked by current poverty

  1. 1 Isabella 23.2%

Every county in Michigan

All 83 counties with RUCC, typology flags, and ACS poverty data.

County RUCC PPC Flags Poverty Child poverty Population Risk
Alcona 9 — Pop. loss, Retire. 14.3% 21.6% 10,310 0.36
Alger 9 — Low emp., Pop. loss 10.2% 5.7% 8,813 0.34
Allegan 4 — — 9.3% 14.0% 120,913 0.15
Alpena 7 — Pop. loss 17.0% 21.7% 28,908 0.29
Antrim 8 — Retire. 9.4% 13.4% 23,876 0.30
Arenac 8 — Pop. loss 13.4% 18.8% 15,054 0.32
Baraga 9 — Low emp. 13.5% 15.7% 8,249 0.35
Barry 1 — — 8.1% 10.0% 62,982 0.03
Bay 3 — Pop. loss 14.0% 18.4% 103,235 0.13
Benzie 3 — Retire. 10.2% 10.4% 18,177 0.12
Berrien 3 — Pop. loss 15.2% 22.7% 153,411 0.14
Branch 6 — Pop. loss 15.4% 21.4% 44,914 0.25
Calhoun 3 — Pop. loss 14.2% 20.3% 133,846 0.13
Cass 2 — — 13.2% 21.4% 51,606 0.09
Charlevoix 7 — — 8.7% 10.7% 26,143 0.26
Cheboygan 7 — Pop. loss, Retire. 12.8% 18.7% 25,778 0.28
Chippewa 7 — Pop. loss 15.6% 25.9% 36,448 0.29
Clare 8 — Pop. loss, Retire. 21.1% 28.4% 31,109 0.35
Clinton 2 — — 9.4% 11.3% 79,419 0.08
Crawford 9 — Pop. loss 14.8% 19.6% 13,271 0.36
Delta 5 — Pop. loss 14.0% 17.0% 36,829 0.21
Dickinson 7 — Pop. loss 9.8% 8.5% 25,940 0.26
Eaton 2 — — 7.7% 9.2% 109,000 0.07
Emmet 7 — — 9.3% 11.4% 34,159 0.26
Genesee 2 — Pop. loss 15.9% 21.7% 404,087 0.10
Gladwin 8 — Pop. loss, Retire. 13.2% 16.3% 25,543 0.32
Gogebic 7 — Pop. loss 15.0% 16.8% 14,348 0.28
Grand Traverse 3 — — 8.6% 12.5% 95,757 0.11
Gratiot 6 — — 14.3% 21.6% 41,478 0.24
Hillsdale 6 — — 15.5% 24.9% 45,658 0.25
Houghton 5 — — 15.9% 11.8% 37,428 0.21
Huron 9 — Pop. loss 12.2% 16.2% 31,258 0.35
Ingham 2 — Housing 16.4% 16.9% 282,015 0.10
Ionia 1 — — 11.4% 14.2% 66,706 0.05
Iosco 7 — Pop. loss, Retire. 16.6% 22.2% 25,333 0.29
Iron 9 — Pop. loss, Retire. 16.9% 25.5% 11,650 0.37
Isabella 4 Yes Housing 23.2% 21.5% 64,475 0.51
Jackson 3 — — 12.2% 16.9% 160,187 0.12
Kalamazoo 2 — — 13.3% 12.7% 261,437 0.09
Kalkaska 3 — — 14.1% 18.2% 18,116 0.13
Kent 1 — — 10.6% 13.8% 658,844 0.04
Keweenaw 9 — Pop. loss 8.7% 12.8% 2,106 0.33
Lake 9 — Low emp., Low ed., Housing, Retire. 20.6% 24.3% 12,393 0.38
Lapeer 1 — — 9.8% 13.1% 88,703 0.04
Leelanau 3 — Retire. 7.1% 11.6% 22,607 0.10
Lenawee 4 — — 11.6% 15.9% 98,823 0.16
Livingston 1 — — 4.9% 5.3% 195,143 0.02
Luce 9 — Low emp., Pop. loss 17.2% 28.0% 6,325 0.37
Mackinac 9 — Pop. loss 16.9% 28.5% 10,865 0.37
Macomb 1 — — 9.8% 13.7% 877,624 0.04
Manistee 6 — Retire. 11.8% 18.5% 25,247 0.23
Marquette 5 — — 13.6% 12.4% 66,430 0.20
Mason 7 — — 14.6% 27.7% 29,177 0.28
Mecosta 6 — — 19.2% 22.7% 40,321 0.26
Menominee 7 — Pop. loss 12.2% 12.9% 23,295 0.27
Midland 3 — — 10.9% 13.3% 83,641 0.12
Missaukee 8 — — 10.8% 13.3% 15,156 0.31
Monroe 3 — — 11.1% 14.4% 155,001 0.12
Montcalm 1 — — 12.0% 15.8% 67,174 0.05
Montmorency 9 — Pop. loss, Retire. 17.9% 24.4% 9,372 0.37
Muskegon 3 — — 12.6% 16.4% 175,378 0.13
Newaygo 6 — — 14.3% 19.7% 50,414 0.24
Oakland 1 — — 7.7% 8.8% 1,272,294 0.03
Oceana 8 — — 13.3% 18.4% 26,788 0.32
Ogemaw 9 — Retire. 17.5% 27.2% 20,853 0.37
Ontonagon 9 — Pop. loss 12.6% 16.3% 5,870 0.35
Osceola 9 — — 15.8% 19.9% 23,122 0.36
Oscoda 9 — Pop. loss, Retire. 15.8% 21.0% 8,338 0.36
Otsego 7 — — 9.6% 12.4% 25,352 0.26
Ottawa 1 — — 8.2% 7.1% 298,614 0.03
Presque Isle 9 — Pop. loss, Retire. 12.2% 15.5% 13,142 0.35
Roscommon 7 — Pop. loss, Retire. 15.4% 26.9% 23,639 0.29
Saginaw 3 — Pop. loss 18.1% 26.7% 189,210 0.15
Sanilac 8 — Pop. loss 14.0% 23.1% 40,574 0.32
Schoolcraft 9 — Pop. loss 14.8% 21.7% 8,093 0.36
Shiawassee 4 — Pop. loss 11.7% 16.4% 68,061 0.16
St. Clair 1 — Pop. loss 11.0% 14.7% 160,089 0.04
St. Joseph 4 — Pop. loss 12.0% 14.3% 60,870 0.16
Tuscola 6 — Pop. loss 12.6% 15.1% 53,071 0.24
Van Buren 6 — Pop. loss 13.8% 17.3% 75,681 0.24
Washtenaw 2 — Housing 13.8% 12.5% 368,394 0.09
Wayne 1 — Pop. loss, Housing 20.1% 29.7% 1,773,767 0.08
Wexford 6 — — 12.9% 17.2% 33,868 0.24

Find a food pantry in Michigan

Search Michigan's 246 verified pantries, food banks, and meal programs — filtered by city, open-now status, and service type.

Michigan pantry directory

Michigan SNAP

Income limits, application steps, and EBT card details for residents of persistent-poverty counties and beyond.

Michigan SNAP guide

Emergency food help

National hotlines, 211 referrals, and same-day food options — critical in rural counties where the nearest pantry may be 30+ miles away.

Emergency food

Food deserts atlas

Rural poverty and low food access often overlap. Compare persistent-poverty counties to USDA's low-income / low-access food desert designations.

Michigan food deserts

Methodology

How we combined USDA ERS typology codes, the Rural-Urban Continuum, ACS poverty data, and PantryPath's own pantry directory — plus the risk-score formula.

Full methodology