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Signature · 7 LILA tracts (50% of tracts)

Jackson County, IL

Jackson County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 7 LILA tracts (50% of the book) alongside 34.9% low-access.

34.9%
low-access pop.
7
food-desert tracts
18.5%
on SNAP
53K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 IL

USDA FARA access plate

County Jackson County, IL

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

  • LA-ELEVATED 34.9% low-access
  • ABOVE-NATIONAL +12.8 pts vs US
  • LILA-CLUSTER 7 food-desert tracts
  • SNAP-HEAVY 18.5% SNAP
  • VEH-GAP 11.5% no vehicle
  • DENSITY-DENSE 50% tracts LILA

Nearest low-access peer: Brown County ( -0.4 pts)

Upper-band low-access

Jackson County sits in the upper national band (34.9%, #594 of 3,079) with 7 LILA tracts.

#594
national by low-access %
#19
in IL
9
low-access tracts
9K
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: 7 LILA tracts (50% of tracts) .

How Jackson County compares nationally

Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Jackson County's 34.9% low-access share is elevated, higher than 81% of them and ranked #596 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Jackson County's elevated USDA tier split

14 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 7 LILA.

Food access tier distribution for Jackson County, IL USDA-defined food-access tiers: 5 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 2 limited, 7 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 14 tracts evaluated. 5 tracts adequate (35.7%) 2 tracts limited (14.3%) 7 tracts severe / food desert (50.0%) Adequate 36% Limited 14% Severe 50% Food-access tier distribution: Jackson County, IL
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

By USDA urbanicity classification, Jackson County has 9 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.

Jackson 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 Jackson County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts14
Atlas Population (2010 basis)60,218
Low-Access Tracts9
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)7
Low-Access Population21,031
Low-Access Share34.9%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population9,114

ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Jackson County
IndicatorValue
Population53,064
Median Household Income$48,763
Poverty Rate21.0%above the national average
SNAP Households4,243
SNAP Participation Rate18.5%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle11.5%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population7.8%

Thick SNAP store book in Jackson County

Jackson County has 49 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 10 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 18 locations (37% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 18

  • am star, murphysboro
  • ava store, ava
  • casey's general store 3559, carbondale
  • cardinal corner, grand tower
  • casey's general store 1727, elkville
  • casey's general store 1891, murphysboro
  • casey's general store 2091, carbondale
  • circle k 4701231, murphysboro
  • circle k 4701357, murphysboro
  • circle k 4701592, carbondale
  • circle k 4701597, carbondale
  • huck's 204, murphysboro
  • huck's food & fuel 344, carbondale
  • main street liquors and tobacco, carbondale
  • marketplace shell, carbondale
  • murphysboro motomart 3137, murphysboro
  • the cupboard, campbell hill
  • the cupboard, campbell hill

Combination Grocery/Other · 14

  • dollar general 14043, de soto
  • dollar general 18736, elkville
  • dollar general 7180, carbondale
  • dollar general 9297, carbondale
  • dollar general 1112, murphysboro
  • dollar general 15849, ava
  • dollar general store 16875, carbondale
  • dollar tree 1317, carbondale
  • dollar tree 7692, murphysboro
  • one hot cookie, murphysboro
  • taste buds snacks llc, carbondale
  • walgreens 04219, carbondale
  • walgreens 12890, murphysboro
  • walgreens 13004, carbondale

Super Store · 5

  • kroger 714, carbondale
  • kroger l-660 660, murphysboro
  • schnucks carbondale #722 00722, carbondale
  • walmart supercenter #196 00196, carbondale
  • walmart supercenter 302, murphysboro

Medium Grocery Store · 3

  • el paisano grocery store, carbondale
  • farm fresh store, murphysboro
  • raawis store 1, carbondale

Farmers' Market · 2

  • carbondale community farmers market, carbondale
  • farmers market of carbondale, carbondale

Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2

  • daveli farms natural food market, elkville
  • elkville meat market, elkville

Supermarket · 2

  • aldi 41040 41040, carbondale
  • neighborhood coop grocery, carbondale

Delivery Route · 1

  • food works mobile farmers market, carbondale

Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1

  • fresh foods, carbondale

Small Grocery Store · 1

  • tienda y taqueria la paloma, carbondale

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 Jackson County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →

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

Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Jackson 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 (34.9% here).

Similar SNAP participation

Nearest household SNAP rates outside IL (18.5% 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.

Jackson County inside a higher low-access state context

Jackson 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 Jackson County, IL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 17077. 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.