County food-access profile · Illinois
Fulton County, IL
Fulton 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.
- 11.1%
- low-access pop.
- 2
- food-desert tracts
- 17.3%
- on SNAP
- 33K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
11.1% of Fulton County residents live in a low-access area, and 2 of its 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- food-desert residents
- 5.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 13.2%
- 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).
Fulton County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 11.1% per the USDA Atlas. 3 of the county's 12 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 4,103 residents who live far from a supermarket. 2 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 1,677 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 Fulton County compares nationally
Fulton County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 11.1% low-access share that beats 23% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #2,404).
Fulton County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 12 census tracts in Fulton County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Fulton County vs. other Illinois counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Illinois
- Fulton 11.1
Fulton County, IL
11.1 % 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 | 12 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 37,069 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 2 |
| Low-Access Population | 4,103 |
| Low-Access Share | 11.1%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,677 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 33,020 |
| Median Household Income | $60,599 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.2%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 2,393 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.3%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 6.4% |
About 17.3% of Fulton County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 11.1% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 17.3% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 2,393 households here.
- 5.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 2 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 Fulton County
near the national share
2 of Fulton County's 12 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 16.7% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 3.
An estimated 4,103 residents, roughly 11.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 1,677 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 9 tracts (75.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Fulton County
Fulton County has 31 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 14 locations (45% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 14
- 1 stop shop, astoria
- bp to go, cuba
- casey's 4509, lewistown
- casey's general store 1615, cuba
- casey's general store 1632, saint david
- casey's general store 2043, farmington
- casey's general store 2076, canton
- casey's general store 2932, canton
- caseys general store 1275, avon
- circle k 4701214, canton
- circle k 4701415, farmington
- lewistown mart, lewistown
- rekhanandi corporation, ipava
- table grove food & liquor, table grove
Combination Grocery/Other · 9
- dollar general 2399, lewistown
- dollar general 2415, canton
- dollar general 12400, cuba
- dollar general 16017, astoria
- dollar general 20180, table grove
- dollar general 24370, avon
- dollar general 7738, farmington
- dollar tree 4029, canton
- walgreens 09920, canton
Super Store · 5
- county market 453, farmington
- county market 458, lewistown
- hy-vee foods 1047, canton
- kroger j-317 317, canton
- walmart 1713, canton
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- harvester meat co., canton
Small Grocery Store · 1
- hamm's astoria meat market llc, astoria
Supermarket · 1
- aldi 68036 68036, canton
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Illinois
Compare Fulton County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Food access nationally, Illinois in context
Fulton 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 Fulton County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Fulton County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Fulton County? ▼
Is Fulton County a food desert? ▼
What share of Fulton 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.