PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Illinois

Iroquois County, IL

Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Iroquois 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).

29.1%
low-access pop.
3
food-desert tracts
14.2%
on SNAP
26K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 IL

The food-access picture

29.1% of Iroquois County residents live in a low-access area, and 3 of its 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

5
low-access tracts
3K
food-desert residents
4.5%
households, no vehicle
12.5%
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 Iroquois County's low-access share at 29.1%, above the national share. 5 of the county's 9 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 8,637 people. 3 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 3,186 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 Iroquois County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Iroquois County's 29.1% low-access share is elevated, higher than 68% of them and ranked #999 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Iroquois County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 9 census tracts in Iroquois County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Iroquois County, IL USDA-defined food-access tiers: 4 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 3 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 9 tracts evaluated. 4 tracts adequate (44.4%) 2 tracts limited (22.2%) 3 tracts severe / food desert (33.3%) Adequate 44% Limited 22% Severe 33% Food-access tier distribution: Iroquois County, IL
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Iroquois County vs. other Illinois counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Illinois

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

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Iroquois County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts9
Atlas Population (2010 basis)29,718
Low-Access Tracts5
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)3
Low-Access Population8,637
Low-Access Share29.1%above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population3,186

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Iroquois County
IndicatorValue
Population26,449
Median Household Income$66,255
Poverty Rate12.5%below the national average
SNAP Households1,623
SNAP Participation Rate14.2%above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle4.5%well below the national average
Group-Quarters Population1.6%
SNAP participation in Iroquois County 14.2%

About 14.2% of Iroquois County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 29.1% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 14.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,623 households here.
  • 4.5% 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 Iroquois County

above the national share

3 of Iroquois County's 9 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 33.3% of all its tracts.

A further 2 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.

An estimated 8,637 residents, roughly 29.1% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 3,186 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 4 tracts (44.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Iroquois County

Iroquois County has 35 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 18 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 18

  • brake time, gilman
  • brake time 221623, ashkum
  • buckley food & liquor, buckley
  • casey's 2804, milford
  • casey's 4260, chebanse
  • casey's general store 1526, onarga
  • casey's general store 1626, crescent city
  • casey's general store 3495, watseka
  • chebanse general, chebanse
  • circle k 4701385, clifton
  • gas depot, watseka
  • k&h truck plaza 669, gilman
  • loda big mart inc, loda
  • luke's one stop, cissna park
  • pilot travel center 468, gilman
  • sky food mart inc, watseka
  • smr mart llc, watseka
  • sp market retails llc, onarga

Combination Grocery/Other · 11

  • cvs 6679, watseka
  • cvs pharmacy 10627, gilman
  • dollar general 2842, watseka
  • dollar general 16065, clifton
  • dollar general 24495, chebanse
  • dollar general 24762, milford
  • dollar general 25462, loda
  • dollar general 30115, sheldon
  • dollar general 31154, cissna park
  • dollar general 9498, gilman
  • mary's emporium, watseka

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • best supermarket, onarga
  • jensen's iga 1, clifton

Super Store · 2

  • berkot's super foods 321, watseka
  • walmart 1548, watseka

Large Grocery Store · 1

  • hometown shop n save, gilman

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1

  • berry's processing plant, watseka

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Illinois

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 Iroquois County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →

Food access nationally, Illinois in context

Iroquois County sits inside Illinois (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; 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

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Iroquois County has low food access? ▼
29.1% of residents in Iroquois County, IL live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Iroquois County? ▼
14.2% of households in Iroquois County receive SNAP, covering 1,623 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Iroquois County? ▼
The poverty rate in Iroquois County, IL is 12.5%, with a median household income of $66,255 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Iroquois County a food desert? ▼
3 of Iroquois County's 9 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Iroquois County households lack a vehicle? ▼
4.5% of households in Iroquois County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
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.