County food-access profile · Illinois
Rock Island County, IL
Rock Island 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.
- 16.8%
- low-access pop.
- 10
- food-desert tracts
- 15.9%
- on SNAP
- 143K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
16.8% of Rock Island County residents live in a low-access area, and 10 of its 40 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 18
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
- 8.6%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.5%
- 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).
Rock Island County's low-access share sits near the national share, at 16.8% per the USDA Atlas. 18 of the county's 40 census tracts are flagged low-access, covering roughly 24,730 residents who live far from a supermarket. 10 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 8,831 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 Rock Island County compares nationally
Rock Island County lands in the middle of the national distribution: a 16.8% low-access share that beats 37% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data (rank #1,967).
Rock Island County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 40 census tracts in Rock Island County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Rock Island County vs. other Illinois counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Illinois
- Rock Island 16.8
Rock Island County, IL
16.8 % 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 | 40 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 147,546 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 18 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 10 |
| Low-Access Population | 24,730 |
| Low-Access Share | 16.8%below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,831 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 142,757 |
| Median Household Income | $67,159 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.5%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 9,845 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 15.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.6%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.6% |
About 15.9% of Rock Island County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 16.8% of residents are low-access, near the national share for U.S. counties.
- 15.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 9,845 households here.
- 8.6% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 10 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 Rock Island County
near the national share
10 of Rock Island County's 40 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 25.0% of all its tracts.
A further 8 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 18.
An estimated 24,730 residents, roughly 16.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 8,831 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 22 tracts (55.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Rock Island County
Rock Island County has 152 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 11 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 74 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 74
- 11th street brothers mart llc, rock island
- 2nd avenue market dba district grocery, rock island
- 7-eleven 34460j, rock island
- 7-eleven store 34455k, rock island
- 7-eleven store 34458j, moline
- 7-eleven store 34459j, moline
- 7-eleven store 34461j, coal valley
- 7-eleven store 34462j, moline
- 7-eleven store 34466j, moline
- 7-eleven store 34467j, silvis
- 7-eleven store 34468j, east moline
- akal inc dba preet mini mart, moline
- andalusia mart, andalusia
- big 10 mart 15, carbon cliff
- big 10 mart 21, east moline
- casey's 4570, east moline
- casey's general store 1929, port byron
- casey's general store 1969, milan
- casey's general store 2074, carbon cliff
- casey's general store 2380, andalusia
- casey's general store 2382, reynolds
- central store llc, moline
- circle k 4701212, east moline
- circle k 4701230, rock island
- corner view, rock island
- danphe inc., moline
- express lane gas & food mart 24, milan
- express lane gas & food mart 29, east moline
- express lane gas & food mart 30, silvis
- express lane gas & food mart 31, moline
- express lane gas & food mart 39, moline
- express lane gas & food mart 50, hillsdale
- expresslane 23, rock island
- expresslane 72, coal valley
- expresslane 78, cordova
- gas n dash mart, east moline
- gasland food mart 1, rock island
- gemini food mart, rock island
- git-n-go 08, coal valley
- git-n-go 12, rock island
- git-n-go 13, rapids city
- git-n-go 15, east moline
- grand plaza, rock island
- h & s gas and food services inc, rock island
- hs convenience, rock island
- hampton mart no, hampton
- hy-vee gas 1416, moline
- hy-vee gas 5600, silvis
- hy-vee gas 5415, milan
- jesse's, east moline
- jesse's mart, rock island
- krishu convenience store inc., moline
- kum & shop na, rock island
- milan food mart, milan
- moline liquor tobacco & vape, moline
- porter's village rx, hampton
- q c mart - oak grove, milan
- qc mart, rapids city
- qc mart - silvis, silvis
- qc mart 17, east moline
- quick stop, rock island
- quickmart, moline
- riverside, rock island
- riya 1 llc, moline
- rock island fast and fresh express 5549, rock island
- roket stop inc, taylor ridge
- s & s oil, moline
- s&k-2 mini mart inc, east moline
- s&s twin oil, moline
- shop and go, rock island
- silvis mart, silvis
- stop and save, rock island
- super stop 1 inc, moline
- the green store, rock island
Combination Grocery/Other · 36
- cvs 8634, milan
- cvs pharmacy 8656, rock island
- dollar general 19534, hampton
- dollar general 3057, rock island
- dollar general 4054, moline
- dollar general 4104, east moline
- dollar general 4112, rock island
- dollar general 4160, coal valley
- dollar general 4478, milan
- dollar general 6165, port byron
- dollartree 9698, rock island
- dollar general 16319, andalusia
- dollar general 24388, milan
- dollar general 30818, rock island
- dollar general 9464, moline
- dollar general store 16865, oak gove
- dollar tree 7040, silvis
- dollar tree 8310, milan
- dollar tree 8376, rock island
- dollartree 531, moline
- dollartree 991, east moline
- family dollar 10563, rock island
- family dollar store 1452, rock island
- family dollar store 1717, east moline
- family dollar store 4509, moline
- m&j internationl food market, rock island
- mamma princess food market, rock island
- n&d international market llc 3704, moline
- t&t asian foods market, rock island
- walgreen 6067, moline
- walgreens 04332, rock island
- walgreens 03633, moline
- walgreens 04333, east moline
- walgreens 05720, moline
- walgreens 09267, milan
- walgreens 09515, east moline
Medium Grocery Store · 18
- derby city grocery hala foods, moline
- el mexicano, moline
- hoang-anh foods, east moline
- heritage natural food, moline
- jerry's market inc ltd, moline
- kanyaw oriental market, rock island
- karen asian market, rock island
- khai market, moline
- la imperial, moline
- la primavera, moline
- lucky's international general store, rock island
- martinez meat market & restaurant, east moline
- metro community food market mcfm1, rock island
- namaste plaza, moline
- qc global groceries, east moline
- san luis food market, silvis
- us & african food market 40978656, rock island
- world food market, east moline
Super Store · 8
- fareway stores, inc. 988, moline
- hy-vee foods 1416, moline
- hy-vee foods 1549, rock island
- hy-vee foods 1514, milan
- hy-vee foods 1600, silvis
- target store 926, moline
- walmart supercenter 2231, moline
- walmart supercenter 4511, silvis
Supermarket · 7
- aldi 68023 68023, moline
- aldi 68025 68025, rock island
- aldi 68033, moline
- aldi 67084, silvis
- jewel food store 122, moline
- jewel food store 3088, silvis
- jewel food store 3770, east moline
Small Grocery Store · 3
- bree asian market 1, rock island
- canaan market, rock island
- l.african.shine shop llc, moline
Large Grocery Store · 2
- meatheads meat market, milan
- supermercado monarca, east moline
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's il 009, moline
Farmers' Market · 1
- qc farmers' market, rock island
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- cattlemens meat market inc, east moline
Military Commissary · 1
- rock island arsenal commissary 2625, rock island
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Illinois
Compare Rock Island County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Food access nationally, Illinois in context
Rock Island 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 Rock Island County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Rock Island County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Rock Island County? ▼
Is Rock Island County a food desert? ▼
What share of Rock Island 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.