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Signature · 6 LILA tracts (50% of tracts)

Coles County, IL

Coles County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 6 LILA tracts (50% of the book) alongside 29.2% low-access.

29.2%
low-access pop.
6
food-desert tracts
19.0%
on SNAP
47K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 IL

USDA FARA access plate

County Coles County, IL

LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-DENSE

  • LA-ELEVATED 29.2% low-access
  • ABOVE-NATIONAL +7.1 pts vs US
  • LILA-CLUSTER 6 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-HEAVY 19.0% SNAP
  • VEH-TYPICAL 8.7% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-DENSE 50% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Iroquois County ( -0.1 pts)

Upper-band low-access

Coles County sits in the upper national band (29.2%, #979 of 3,079) with 6 LILA tracts.

#979
national by low-access %
#32
in IL
8
low-access tracts
6K
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: 6 LILA tracts (50% of tracts) .

How Coles County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Coles County's 29.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 69% of them and ranked #986 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Coles County's elevated USDA tier split

12 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 6 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Coles County, IL USDA-defined food-access tiers: 4 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 6 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 12 tracts evaluated. 4 tracts adequate (33.3%) 2 tracts limited (16.7%) 6 tracts severe / food desert (50.0%) Adequate 33% Limited 17% Severe 50% Food-access tier distribution: Coles County, IL
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Coles County has 10 urban and 2 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.

Coles County vs nearby high low-access peers

Poles + nearest peers in Illinois, not a full county-board reprint

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

FARA 2019 · elevated low-access

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Coles County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts12
Atlas Population (2010 basis)53,873
Low-Access Tracts8
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)6
Low-Access Population15,720
Low-Access Share29.2%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population5,608

ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Coles County
IndicatorValue
Population46,777
Median Household Income$56,478
Poverty Rate18.7%above the national average
SNAP Households3,947
SNAP Participation Rate19.0%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle8.7%near the national average
Group-Quarters Population8.1%

Thick SNAP store book in Coles County

Coles County has 42 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 17 locations (40% of the total), followed by convenience store.

Combination Grocery/Other · 17

  • b & d grocery inc, mattoon
  • cvs 8661, mattoon
  • cvs pharmacy 8638, charleston
  • charleston rural king supply 11, charleston
  • dollar general 4736, mattoon
  • dollar general 7181, charleston
  • dollar general 7954, mattoon
  • dollar tree 3633, mattoon
  • dollar general 11082, mattoon
  • dollar general 22312, mattoon
  • dollar general 31060, oakland
  • dollar tree 1910, charleston
  • family dollar 12083, oakland
  • family dollar store 1142, mattoon
  • mattoon rural king 1, mattoon
  • walgreens 05444, mattoon
  • walgreens 11542, charleston

Convenience Store · 15

  • casey's general store 1664, oakland
  • casey's general store 1722, mattoon
  • casey's general store 1878, charleston
  • circle k 4701232, mattoon
  • huck's 175, mattoon
  • huck's 250, charleston
  • huck's 407, charleston
  • i and i deli, ashmore
  • jack flash broadway 701, mattoon
  • lambo's amoco, mattoon
  • lanman oil company 1, charleston
  • mach 1 11, charleston
  • mattoon motomart 3147, mattoon
  • murphy usa 6565, charleston
  • shinemart inc, mattoon

Super Store · 5

  • county market 452, charleston
  • niemanns 450, mattoon
  • ruler 251, charleston
  • walmart 612, charleston
  • walmart supercenter 0481, mattoon

Supermarket · 2

  • aldi 68037 68037, mattoon
  • aldi 68073, charleston

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • morgans meat market, mattoon

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • the butcher shop, charleston

Medium Grocery Store · 1

  • mark's my store, mattoon

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.

Adams County
16.5% low-access · 12.4% SNAP
Alexander County
49.6% low-access · 26.8% SNAP
Bond County
20.8% low-access · 12.9% SNAP
Boone County
31.5% low-access · 14.3% SNAP
Brown County
34.5% low-access · 12.1% SNAP
Bureau County
36.6% low-access · 13.5% SNAP

Compare Coles County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →

Counties near Coles County's elevated low-access or SNAP band

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Coles County, both outside Illinois so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.

Similar low-access share

Nearest low-access rates outside IL (29.2% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside IL (19.0% here).

Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.

Coles County inside a higher low-access state context

Coles County sits inside Illinois (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

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 Coles County, IL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 17029. 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.