County food-access profile · Illinois
Clinton County, IL
Clinton County's food-access picture is close to the national norm, with pockets that qualify as low-access. This profile breaks down who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.
- 18.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 9.0%
- on SNAP
- 37K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
18.5% of Clinton County residents live in a low-access area, though none of its tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold.
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 1K
- food-desert residents
- 3.2%
- households, no vehicle
- 7.4%
- 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).
Clinton County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 18.5% per the USDA Atlas. 1 of the county's 8 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 6,979 residents who live far from a supermarket. None of them meet the low-income condition that would additionally classify them as food deserts.
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 Clinton County compares nationally
Clinton County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 18.5% low-access share that beats 42% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,819).
Clinton County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 8 census tracts in Clinton County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Clinton County vs. other Illinois counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Illinois
- Clinton 18.5
Clinton County, IL
18.5 % 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 | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 37,762 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 6,979 |
| Low-Access Share | 18.5%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,413 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 36,954 |
| Median Household Income | $86,588 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.4%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,311 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 9.0%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.2%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 5.8% |
About 9.0% of Clinton County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 18.5% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 9.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,311 households here.
- 3.2% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- Median household income is $86,588 with a 7.4% poverty rate.
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 Clinton County
near the national share
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 1.
An estimated 6,979 residents, roughly 18.5% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,413 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 7 tracts (87.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Clinton County
Clinton County has 39 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 18 locations (46% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 18
- breese motomart 3103, breese
- casey's 3373, new baden
- cc food mart 1, carlyle
- cc food mart 10, breese
- cc food mart 6, trenton
- cc food mart 8, carlyle
- casey's general store 1561, beckemeyer
- casey's general store 1638, albers
- casey's general store 1855, aviston
- casey's general store 1945, trenton
- casey's general store 2170, breese
- casey's general store 2190, centralia
- casey's general store 2191, carlyle
- dean's convenience, keyesport
- lakeside liquor & gas inc., carlyle
- love's travel stop 384, greenville
- new baden moto 3118, new baden
- fas mart 557, carlyle
Combination Grocery/Other · 12
- cvs 6929, carlyle
- dollar general 1079, centralia
- dollar general 2319, breese
- dollar general 2619, carlyle
- dollar general 7114, new baden
- dollar general 11655, germantown
- dollar general 19656, aviston
- dollar general 24563, keyesport
- dollar general 30579, beckemeyer
- dollar general store 17778, trenton
- family dollar 12926, carlyle
- farm fresh super market llc, breese
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- freshway iga 610108, trenton
- germantown market llc, germantown
- hoffman supermarket 1, hoffman
Super Store · 3
- schnucks 733, centralia
- walmart 1395, centralia
- walmart supercenter 436, carlyle
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- behrmann meat & processing inc., albers
- trenton processing center, trenton
Supermarket · 1
- carlyle iga, carlyle
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Illinois
Compare Clinton County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Food access nationally, Illinois in context
Clinton 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 Clinton County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Clinton County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Clinton County? ▼
Is Clinton County a food desert? ▼
What share of Clinton 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.