Signature · 4.4% SNAP (0th pct in IL)
Monroe County, IL
Monroe County sits in the upper national band on low-access (37.4%, +15.3 pts vs U.S.), with SNAP/vehicle context from ACS 2024.
- 37.4%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 4.4%
- on SNAP
- 35K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Monroe County, IL
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ELEVATED 37.4% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +15.3 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 4.4% SNAP
- VEH-OK 4.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: St. Clair County ( -0.6 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Monroe County sits in the upper national band (37.4%, #507 of 3,079).
- #507
- national by low-access %
- #14
- in IL
- 3
- low-access tracts
- 2K
- 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: 4.4% SNAP (0th pct in IL) (-7.7 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Monroe County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Monroe County's 37.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 84% of them and ranked #510 most-affected nationwide.
Monroe County's elevated USDA tier split
6 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Monroe County has 3 urban and 3 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.
Monroe 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
- Morgan
Morgan 38.5%
38.5 % low-access
- DeKalb
DeKalb 38.2%
38.2 % low-access
- Monroe
Monroe 37.4%
37.4 % low-access
- St. Clair
St. Clair 36.8%
36.8 % low-access
- Bureau
Bureau 36.6%
36.6 % low-access
- Putnam 0.1
Putnam 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 6 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 32,957 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 3 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 12,336 |
| Low-Access Share | 37.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 1,629 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 35,036 |
| Median Household Income | $102,880 |
| Poverty Rate | 5.0%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 615 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 4.4%well below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.0%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.9% |
SNAP retailers in Monroe County
Monroe County has 20 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 4 store categories. Combination Grocery/Other lead with 8 locations (40% of the total), followed by convenience store.
Combination Grocery/Other · 8
- cvs 6866, columbia
- dollar tree 4662, columbia
- dollar general 21954, valmeyer
- dollar general 23051, hecker
- dollar general 3611, columbia
- dollar general 4041, waterloo
- walgreens 5608, columbia
- walgreens 09441, waterloo
Convenience Store · 8
- circle k 4701363, waterloo
- columbia moto 3136, columbia
- huck's 343, waterloo
- midwest petroleum 56, columbia
- midwest petroleum 66, red bud
- wallis oil co 519, waterloo
- waterloo amoco, waterloo
- waterloo motomart 3128, waterloo
Super Store · 3
- schnucks 243, waterloo
- schnucks 244, columbia
- walmart supercenter 328, waterloo
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- columbia market, columbia
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 Monroe County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Counties near Monroe County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
SNAP-led peer set first for Monroe County (4.4%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Illinois.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IL (37.4% here).
- Telfair County, GA · 37.4% low-access
- Telfair County, GA · 37.4% low-access
- Charles County, MD · 37.4% low-access
- Charles County, MD · 37.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IL (4.4% here).
- Grundy County, IA · 4.4% SNAP
- Grundy County, IA · 4.4% SNAP
- Pottawatomie County, KS · 4.4% SNAP
- Pottawatomie County, KS · 4.4% 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.
Monroe County inside a higher low-access state context
Monroe 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 Monroe County, IL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 17133. 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.