Signature · 34.5% low-access (80th pct)
Brown County, IL
Brown County sits in the upper national band on low-access (34.5%, +12.4 pts vs U.S.), with SNAP/vehicle context from ACS 2024.
- 34.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 12.1%
- on SNAP
- 6K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Brown County, IL
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ELEVATED 34.5% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +12.4 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 12.1% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 8.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Lake County ( -0.1 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Brown County sits in the upper national band (34.5%, #623 of 3,079).
- #623
- national by low-access %
- #20
- in IL
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 718
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 34.5% low-access (80th pct) (+12.4 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Brown County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Brown County's 34.5% low-access share is elevated, higher than 80% of them and ranked #623 most-affected nationwide.
Brown County's elevated USDA tier split
2 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
Brown County is mostly rural by USDA tract type (1 rural, 1 urban), so most tracts are held to the 10-mile test and only the 1 urban tract faces the 1-mile one.
Brown County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Illinois, not a full county-board reprint
- Scott
Scott 66.5%
66.5 % low-access
- Jackson
Jackson 34.9%
34.9 % low-access
- Brown
Brown 34.5%
34.5 % low-access
- Lake
Lake 34.4%
34.4 % low-access
- Peoria
Peoria 34.2%
34.2 % low-access
- Kendall
Kendall 33.8%
33.8 % low-access
- Putnam 0.1
Putnam 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 2 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 6,937 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 2,392 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.5%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 718 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 6,322 |
| Median Household Income | $67,917 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.2%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 247 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 12.1%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.5%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 30.6% |
Slim SNAP store book in Brown County
Brown County has 4 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 3 store categories. Supermarket lead with 2 locations (50% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
2 towns share the 4 authorized stores; Mount Sterling holds 75% of them. Every one of these towns has at least one grocery-grade outlet (2 across the county).
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Sterling | 3 | 1 |
| Mt Sterling | 1 | 1 |
Supermarket · 2
- dorothy's market, mount sterling
- mt sterling iga, mt sterling
Combination Grocery/Other · 1
- dollar general 1110, mount sterling
Convenience Store · 1
- casey's general store 3256, mount sterling
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Illinois
One of 101 counties in Illinois, 6 are shown here.
Compare Brown County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Illinois among East North Central states
Illinois ranks 5th of 5 East North Central states by population-weighted low-access (20.2%). Brown County, at 34.5%, runs 14.3 pts above the Illinois rate.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Brown County, IL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 17009. 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.