County food-access profile · Illinois
Bureau County, IL
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Bureau County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 36.6%
- low-access pop.
- 1
- food-desert tracts
- 13.5%
- on SNAP
- 33K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
36.6% of Bureau County residents live in a low-access area, and 1 of its 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 6
- low-access tracts
- 3K
- food-desert residents
- 6.7%
- households, no vehicle
- 10.8%
- 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).
USDA data puts Bureau County's low-access share at 36.6%, above the national share. 6 of the county's 10 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 12,790 people. 1 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,426 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 Bureau County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Bureau County's 36.6% low-access share is elevated, higher than 83% of them and ranked #535 most-affected nationwide.
Bureau County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 10 census tracts in Bureau County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Bureau County vs. other Illinois counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Illinois
- Bureau
Bureau County, IL
36.6 % low-access
- Adams 16.5
Adams County, IL
16.5 % low-access
- Alexander
Alexander County, IL
49.6 % low-access
- Bond
Bond County, IL
20.8 % low-access
- Boone
Boone County, IL
31.5 % low-access
- Brown
Brown County, IL
34.5 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 34,978 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 6 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 1 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,790 |
| Low-Access Share | 36.6%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 3,426 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 32,866 |
| Median Household Income | $69,257 |
| Poverty Rate | 10.8%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,889 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 13.5%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.7%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
About 13.5% of Bureau County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 36.6% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 13.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,889 households here.
- 6.7% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 1 tract 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 Bureau County
above the national share
1 of Bureau County's 10 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 10.0% of all its tracts.
A further 5 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 6.
An estimated 12,790 residents, roughly 36.6% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 3,426 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 4 tracts (40.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Bureau County
Bureau County has 38 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 24 locations (63% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 24
- all saints, neponset
- beck's 13, princeton
- beck's 14, princeton
- casey's 4395, walnut
- casey's general store 1349, depue
- casey's general store 1836, ladd
- casey's general store 1837, princeton
- casey's general store 3048, spring valley
- casey's general store 3531, princeton
- caseys general store 1248, wyanet
- caseys general store 1258, sheffield
- caseys general store 1293, buda
- express lane gas & food mart 10, walnut
- expresslane 40, princeton
- fast stop, princeton
- ladd convenience, ladd
- lamoille fast stop, la moille
- lucero's supermarket, inc, spring valley
- ohio filling station, ohio
- road ranger 225, princeton
- spring valley mini market, spring valley
- shell spring valley, spring valley
- valley news, spring valley
- zig's station, tiskilwa
Combination Grocery/Other · 7
- dollar general 18385, sheffield
- dollar general 18739, walnut
- dollar general 2381, spring valley
- dollar general 7137, princeton
- dollartree 7196, princeton
- dollar general 20715, spring valley
- valley fresh harvest, ladd
Supermarket · 3
- aldi 68012, princeton
- spring valley supermkt, spring valley
- sullivan's foods 3167, princeton
Large Grocery Store · 1
- royal super mart, sheffield
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- ruiz food market, spring valley
Small Grocery Store · 1
- walnut acres country store, walnut
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 636, princeton
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Illinois
Compare Bureau County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Food access nationally, Illinois in context
Bureau County sits inside Illinois (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 Bureau County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Bureau County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Bureau County? ▼
Is Bureau County a food desert? ▼
What share of Bureau 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.