County food-access profile · Illinois
Peoria County, IL
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Peoria 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).
- 34.2%
- low-access pop.
- 16
- food-desert tracts
- 18.0%
- on SNAP
- 180K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
34.2% of Peoria County residents live in a low-access area, and 16 of its 48 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 24
- low-access tracts
- 25K
- food-desert residents
- 8.1%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.7%
- 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 Peoria County's low-access share at 34.2%, above the national share. 24 of the county's 48 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 63,830 people. 16 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 24,599 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 Peoria County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Peoria County's 34.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 79% of them and ranked #656 most-affected nationwide.
Peoria County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 48 census tracts in Peoria County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Peoria County vs. other Illinois counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Illinois
- Peoria
Peoria County, IL
34.2 % 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 | 48 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 186,494 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 24 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 16 |
| Low-Access Population | 63,830 |
| Low-Access Share | 34.2%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 24,599 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 179,645 |
| Median Household Income | $65,108 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.7%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 13,992 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 18.0%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.1%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.9% |
About 18.0% of Peoria County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 34.2% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 18.0% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 13,992 households here.
- 8.1% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 16 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 Peoria County
above the national share
16 of Peoria County's 48 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 8 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 24.
An estimated 63,830 residents, roughly 34.2% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 24,599 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 24 tracts (50.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Peoria County
Peoria County has 166 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 84 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 84
- 1108 main st mart inc, peoria
- 1900 knoxville inc, peoria
- 3 way food mart, peoria
- 4700123.0 123, peoria
- 7 days 309 inc, peoria
- 710 peroria mart inc, peoria
- alasari gas, peoria
- allen rd mart inc, peoria
- bartonville bp, bartonville
- beck's 28, chillicothe
- beck's 32, peoria heights
- belly buster pizza & wings corp, peoria
- bp food mart, peoria
- brake time 225633, bartonville
- brake time 225634, peoria
- bukila inc, peoria
- casey's 4506, dunlap
- cal-mart n deli, peoria
- casey's 3383, peoria
- casey's 3866, chillicothe
- casey's general store 1422, glasford
- casey's general store 2041, elmwood
- casey's general store 2218, west peoria
- casey's general store 2242, peoria
- casey's general store 2439, princeville
- casey's general store 2556, bellevue
- casey's general store 2564, hanna city
- casey's general store 3071, brimfield
- circle k 136, peoria
- circle k 4700158, west peoria
- circle k 4701206, bartonville
- circle k 4701229, chillicothe
- circle k 4701394, peoria
- circle k 4701420, peoria
- circle k 4701427, dunlap
- daily food mart, peoria
- dharm inc, peoria
- express liquors on farmington, west peoria
- family mini-mart & grocery llc 1, peoria
- farmington food & gas llc, west peoria
- farmington food and liquor, west peoria
- fatima ss inc, peoria
- four season grocery inc, peoria
- frye street inc, peoria
- glen oak quick stop, peoria
- griswold food market, peoria
- griswold grocery and liquor, peoria
- harmon highway gas, peoria
- huck's 249, peoria
- huck's 260, peoria
- huck's 358, peoria
- hy-vee c-store 5520, peoria
- hy-vee inc 1519, peoria
- j & l 66, dunlap
- king zone, peoria
- knoxville & archer ave inc, peoria
- lakemart, mapleton
- laramie street liquors, peoria
- louie legends, peoria
- main street liquors, peoria
- maklani food market inc, peoria
- mobile food mart, peoria
- new nebraska food mart, peoria
- noah market, peoria
- one stop discount, peoria
- one stop food mart, peoria
- one stop gas, peoria
- peoria market inc, peoria
- peoriaheights mobil, peoria heights
- r & j oil inc, peoria
- rbm mart, peoria
- santok 21 inc, peoria
- sheridan food mart, peoria
- sheridan fuel, peoria
- sherman liquors, peoria
- short stop food & liquors, peoria
- spring mega mart inc, peoria
- star food mart inc, peoria
- star liquors, peoria
- sterling ave mart inc, peoria
- tequilaria wine and spirits 1, peoria
- tonys market, peoria
- trace mart inc, peoria
- university convenience food mart & tobacco, peoria
Combination Grocery/Other · 40
- big jj fish & chicken market, peoria
- cvs 6446, bartonville
- cvs 6450, chillicothe
- cvs 6455, peoria
- cvs 7797, peoria
- dollar general 0856, chillicothe
- dollar general 10326, bartonville
- dollar general 13814, elmwood
- dollar general 19346, brimfield
- dollar general 4596, dunlap
- dollar general 9680, peoria
- dollartree 10595, peoria
- dollar general 15326, peoria
- dollar general 15778, peoria
- dollar general 16498, glasford
- dollar general 16789, hanna city
- dollar general 16968, princeville
- dollar general 22568, peoria
- dollar general 24654, peoria
- dollar general store 16479, peoria
- dollar tree 1739, peoria
- dollar tree 2915, peoria
- dollar tree 3842, peoria
- dollar tree 6899, bartonville
- dollar tree 704, peoria
- dollar tree 7119, peoria
- dollar tree 7479, chillicothe
- dollar tree 9061, peoria
- family dollar 11611, peoria
- family dollar store 1641, peoria
- family dollar store 2364, peoria
- md309az inc, peoria
- ufs savings center, inc., peoria
- walgreens #6604 06604, peoria
- walgreens 09508, west peoria
- walgreens 5544, peoria heights
- walgreens 6079, peoria
- walgreens 6408, peoria
- walgreens 02166, peoria
- walgreens 12367, peoria
Super Store · 14
- alwan bros co, peoria heights
- hy-vee 1520, peoria
- hy-vee 1519, peoria
- kroger #918 918, peoria
- kroger 531, bartonville
- kroger 677, chillicothe
- kroger 917, peoria
- kroger j-942, peoria
- schnucks 721, peoria
- sam's club 8128, peoria
- schnucks 741, peoria
- target store 871, peoria
- walmart 1323, peoria
- walmart 3460, peoria
Medium Grocery Store · 6
- alsaeedah market, peoria
- beitin market, peoria
- carniceria roman 1 llc, peoria
- international grocery inc, peoria
- mediterranean mart, peoria
- sunrise health foods, inc, peoria
Supermarket · 6
- aldi 68010 68010, peoria
- aldi 68070 68070, peoria
- aldi 68087, peoria
- gordon food service store mp109, peoria
- haddads w peoria mkt inc, west peoria
- pottstown meat & deli inc, peoria
Small Grocery Store · 5
- express meats, peoria
- la raza foodmart, peoria
- one stop gas, peoria
- sous llc - sous chef, peoria
- stop n save, peoria
Large Grocery Store · 4
- fresh asian market, peoria
- raber packing company, west peoria
- save-a-lot 24127, peoria hts
- swagat food & grocery, peoria
Farmers' Market · 3
- market 309, peoria
- market 309, peoria
- peoria riverfront market, peoria
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- echo valley meats inc, bartonville
- western meats inc, peoria
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's take n bake pizza il002, peoria
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- elmwood locker service 344, elmwood
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Illinois
Compare Peoria County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Food access nationally, Illinois in context
Peoria 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 Peoria County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Peoria County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Peoria County? ▼
Is Peoria County a food desert? ▼
What share of Peoria 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.