Signature · 5 LILA tracts (71.4% of tracts)
Fayette County, IL
Fayette County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 5 LILA tracts (71.4% of the book) alongside 39.3% low-access.
- 39.3%
- low-access pop.
- 5
- food-desert tracts
- 11.6%
- on SNAP
- 21K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Fayette County, IL
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-TYPICAL · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 39.3% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +17.2 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 5 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-TYPICAL 11.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.5% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 71% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Tazewell County (+ 0.0 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Fayette County sits in the upper national band (39.3%, #424 of 3,079) with 5 LILA tracts.
- #424
- national by low-access %
- #10
- in IL
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 4K
- 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: 5 LILA tracts (71.4% of tracts) .
How Fayette County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Fayette County's 39.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 86% of them and ranked #427 most-affected nationwide.
Fayette County's elevated USDA tier split
7 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 5 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Fayette County has 2 urban and 5 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.
Fayette 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
- Fayette
Fayette 39.3%
39.3 % low-access
- Tazewell
Tazewell 39.3%
39.3 % low-access
- Morgan
Morgan 38.5%
38.5 % low-access
- DeKalb
DeKalb 38.2%
38.2 % low-access
- Monroe
Monroe 37.4%
37.4 % low-access
- Putnam 0.1
Putnam 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 7 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 22,140 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 5 |
| Low-Access Population | 8,702 |
| Low-Access Share | 39.3%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 4,078 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 21,315 |
| Median Household Income | $60,944 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.5%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 909 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.6%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.5%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.6% |
SNAP retailers in Fayette County
Fayette County has 23 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 13 locations (57% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 13
- casey's 1960, saint elmo
- casey's general store 1677, ramsey
- casey's general store 1917, vandalia
- circle k 1227, vandalia
- jack flash - farina, farina
- jack flash vandalia 603, vandalia
- mach 1 16, vandalia
- murphy usa 7021, vandalia
- store 1219, vandalia
- sunshine health food store, vandalia
- vandalia fast stop 316, vandalia
- victory lane, brownstown
- fas mart 561, saint elmo
Combination Grocery/Other · 6
- dollar general 2171, vandalia
- dollar general 11707, farina
- dollar general 13106, ramsey
- dollar general 23825, brownstown
- dollar general store 12632, saint elmo
- dollar tree 4851, vandalia
Farmers' Market · 1
- vandalia, illinois farmers' market, vandalia
Small Grocery Store · 1
- ramsey country market n/a, ramsey
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 317, vandalia
Supermarket · 1
- aldi 41018 41018, vandalia
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 Fayette County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Counties near Fayette County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Fayette 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 (39.3% here).
- Colusa County, CA · 39.3% low-access
- Colusa County, CA · 39.3% low-access
- Lyon County, NV · 39.3% low-access
- Lyon County, NV · 39.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IL (11.6% here).
- Miami County, IN · 11.6% SNAP
- Miami County, IN · 11.6% SNAP
- Cowley County, KS · 11.6% SNAP
- Cowley County, KS · 11.6% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Fayette County inside a higher low-access state context
Fayette County sits inside Illinois (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
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 Fayette County, IL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 17051. 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.