County food-access profile · Illinois
Champaign County, IL
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Champaign 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).
- 21.8%
- low-access pop.
- 3
- food-desert tracts
- 9.1%
- on SNAP
- 209K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
21.8% of Champaign County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 43 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 15
- low-access tracts
- 10K
- food-desert residents
- 12.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 19.1%
- 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 Champaign County's low-access share at 21.8%, above the national share. 15 of the county's 43 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 43,741 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 9,680 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 Champaign County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Champaign County's 21.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 51% of them and ranked #1,544 most-affected nationwide.
Champaign County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 43 census tracts in Champaign County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Champaign County vs. other Illinois counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Illinois
- Champaign
Champaign County, IL
21.8 % 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 | 43 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 201,081 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 15 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 3 |
| Low-Access Population | 43,741 |
| Low-Access Share | 21.8%near the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 9,680 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 208,741 |
| Median Household Income | $63,683 |
| Poverty Rate | 19.1%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,764 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.1%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 12.8%well above the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 7.2% |
About 9.1% of Champaign County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 21.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.1% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,764 households here.
- 12.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 3 tracts 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 Champaign County
above the national share
3 of Champaign County's 43 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 7.0% of all its tracts.
A further 12 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 15.
An estimated 43,741 residents, roughly 21.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 9,680 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 28 tracts (65.1%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Champaign County
Champaign County has 155 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 69 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 69
- anjanisut inc, champaign
- black fox convenient & liquor, urbana
- black hawk liquor, champaign
- blue star liquor, champaign
- brake time 221625, mahomet
- bspirits n/a, urbana
- casey's 1661, philo
- casey's 2031, sidney
- casey's general store 1492, thomasboro
- casey's general store 1669, gifford
- casey's general store 1770, saint joseph
- casey's general store 2007, mahomet
- casey's general store 2021, rantoul
- casey's general store 2057, fisher
- casey's general store 2224, homer
- casey's general store 2558, tolono
- casey's general store 2930, rantoul
- casey's general store 3234, urbana
- champaign food & liquor, champaign
- champaign mini mart, champaign
- circle k 159, urbana
- circle k 4700100, champaign
- circle k 4700103, champaign
- circle k 4701226, champaign
- circle k 4701300, champaign
- circle k 4701301, urbana
- circle k 4701399, champaign
- circle k 4701400, savoy
- circle k 4701401, mahomet
- circle k 4701403, champaign
- circle k 4701406, champaign
- circle k 4701413, urbana
- circle k 4701430, rantoul
- circle k 4701432, mahomet
- circle k 4701434, urbana
- circle k 4701438, champaign
- circle k 4701442, champaign
- circle k 4701443, champaign
- circle k 4701445, rantoul
- circle k 70, champaign
- city market, champaign
- haymakers 715, champaign
- haymakers 718, champaign
- hollywood liquors, champaign
- illini convenience store, urbana
- jack flash - st joe 705, st. joseph
- mach 1 19, champaign
- maligaya's store inc, champaign
- mattis food mart, champaign
- meijer gas station 146, champaign
- meijer gas station 247, urbana
- mid america market, mahomet
- murphy usa 6724, savoy
- one quik stop, champaign
- one stop food and liquor, champaign
- piccadilly beverage shop, champaign
- piccadilly liquor, champaign
- pranam maa llc, urbana
- prospect mini mart, champaign
- quick shop, urbana
- quiktrip 7194, champaign
- road ranger 132, champaign
- starfox food and liquor, champaign
- thorntons #222386 222386, champaign
- thorntons 385, savoy
- tienda guatemala, llc, urbana
- university food & liquor, champaign
- urbana mini mart, urbana
- vine street food mart, urbana
Combination Grocery/Other · 35
- annapoorna store, champaign
- cvs 5887, savoy
- cvs 6935, mahomet
- cvs 8683, champaign
- cvs pharmacy 6933, rantoul
- dollar general 14229, mahomet
- dollar general 2277, champaign
- dollar general 4590, rantoul
- dollar general 7187, champaign
- dollar general 9960, tolono
- dollar general 15852, fisher
- dollar general 16570, champaign
- dollar general 16572, philo
- dollar general 21242, urbana
- dollar general 21312, thomasboro
- dollar general 22773, homer
- dollar general 23808, urbana
- dollar general 25333, gifford
- dollar general 30119, champaign
- dollar general 30487, ogden
- dollar general 30605, champaign
- dollar tree 2460, savoy
- dollar tree 5114, rantoul
- dollar tree 5414, urbana
- dollar tree 546, champaign
- dollar tree 6399, champaign
- family dollar store 1248, rantoul
- old time meat & deli shoppe, champaign
- walgreens 1156, champaign
- walgreens 09851, champaign
- walgreens 09852, urbana
- walgreens 09921, champaign
- walgreens 09965, rantoul
- walgreens 12868, mahomet
- walgreens 4409, champaign
Super Store · 21
- costco wholesale 1384, champaign
- county market 515, champaign
- county market 518, champaign
- county market 568, rantoul
- h mart urbana, llc, urbana
- haymakers 786, mahomet
- meijer inc 146, champaign
- meijer inc 247, urbana
- ruler 290, champaign
- ruler's 249, champaign
- schnucks 720, urbana
- schnucks champaign store 707, champaign
- sam's club 8197, champaign
- schnucks 709, mahomet
- schnucks 730, savoy
- target store 943, champaign
- target store t3341, champaign
- walmart supercenter 1734, champaign
- walmart supercenter 3255, savoy
- walmart supercenter 5403, urbana
- walmart supercenter 1093, rantoul
Medium Grocery Store · 10
- asian supermarket, champaign
- best of africa food store llc 2, champaign
- chandler company unlimited, llc, fisher
- el progreso discounts, rantoul
- el progreso latino, champaign
- salt & light, urbana
- the best of africa food store, urbana
- tienda latina los paisas, champaign
- tienda y carniceria el progreso, urbana
- world harvest international, urbana
Supermarket · 8
- aldi 68090 68090, champaign
- aldi 68092, savoy
- aldi 75030 75030, urbana
- bombay market, champaign
- common ground food co op, urbana
- gordon food service store mp152, champaign
- harvest market 572, champaign
- st joseph iga, st joseph
Small Grocery Store · 5
- ashar african market, urbana
- best of africa food store llc 1, urbana
- el mercadito mexican store n/a, rantoul
- far-east food company, champaign
- jackpot deli, urbana
Farmers' Market · 4
- champaign farmers market, champaign
- champaign-urbana winter farmers market, urbana
- rantoul farmers market, rantoul
- urbana's market at the square, urbana
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's pizza il046, champaign
Large Grocery Store · 1
- fresh international market, champaign
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- allens farm quality meats, homer
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Illinois
Compare Champaign County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Food access nationally, Illinois in context
Champaign 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 Champaign County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Champaign County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Champaign County? ▼
Is Champaign County a food desert? ▼
What share of Champaign 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.