Signature · 6.5% low-access (13th pct)
Stephenson County, IL
Stephenson County lands in the lower national band on low-access (6.5%); supermarket distance is less binding than in the upper band, though local tracts can still diverge.
- 6.5%
- low-access pop.
- 0
- food-desert tracts
- 17.0%
- on SNAP
- 44K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Stephenson County, IL
LA-ADEQUATE · BELOW-NATIONAL · LILA-NONE · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-CLEAR
- LA-ADEQUATE 6.5% low-access
- BELOW-NATIONAL -15.6 pts vs US
- LILA-NONE 0 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 17.0% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 7.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-CLEAR 0% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Richland County ( -0.1 pts)
Lower-band low-access
Stephenson County lands in the lower national band (6.5%, #2,731 of 3,079); local tracts can still diverge from the county mean.
- #2,731
- national by low-access %
- #96
- in IL
- 1
- low-access tracts
- 809
- food-desert residents
Lower-band county means still leave tract outliers on the table below.
Signature read: 6.5% low-access (13th pct) (-15.6 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Stephenson County compares nationally
Food access in Stephenson County compares favorably nationally: its 6.5% low-access share is lower than the vast majority of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, higher than only 13% of them (rank #2,731).
Stephenson County's lower-band USDA tier split
13 census tracts grouped by USDA classification .
By USDA urbanicity classification, Stephenson County has 6 urban and 7 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.
Stephenson County vs nearby low low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Illinois, not a full county-board reprint
- Scott
Scott 66.5%
66.5 % low-access
- Cook 7.4
Cook 7.4%
7.4 % low-access
- De Witt 7.3
De Witt 7.3%
7.3 % low-access
- Christian 7
Christian 7%
7 % low-access
- Stephenson 6.5
Stephenson 6.5%
6.5 % low-access
- Richland 6.4
Richland 6.4%
6.4 % low-access
- Putnam 0.1
Putnam 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · lower low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 13 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 47,711 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 1 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 0 |
| Low-Access Population | 3,113 |
| Low-Access Share | 6.5%well below the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 809 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 43,768 |
| Median Household Income | $64,043 |
| Poverty Rate | 13.9%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,291 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 17.0%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 7.9%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
Thick SNAP store book in Stephenson County
Stephenson County has 42 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 20 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 20
- 1st stop, freeport
- ali's convenience inc., freeport
- boco freeport, freeport
- casey's 2434, dakota
- casey's general store 3482, lena
- casey's general store 3652, freeport
- cedarville mobil 16, cedarville
- circle k 4701429, freeport
- circle k 4701439, freeport
- express lane gas & food mart 47, davis
- expresslane 32, freeport
- expresslane 48, freeport
- fas mart 5223, freeport
- freeport mobil 17, freeport
- orangeville boco, orangeville
- pearl city boco, pearl city
- pride of freeport, freeport
- three brothers market, freeport
- west street mobil 15, freeport
- winslow boco, winslow
Combination Grocery/Other · 11
- cvs pharmacy 8533, freeport
- cvs pharmacy 8540, freeport
- dollar general 4335, freeport
- dollar general 6499, lena
- dollar general 14378, freeport
- dollar general 22301, orangeville
- dollar general 22535, pearl city
- dollar tree 1861, freeport
- family dollar store 4384, freeport
- walgreens 02584, freeport
- walgreens 12287, freeport
Supermarket · 4
- aldi 40059 40059, freeport
- cub foods #30914 1625, freeport
- sullivan's foods 3161, freeport
- sullivan's foods 3163, lena
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 3
- aj's lena maid meats, inc, lena
- arrow farm meats llc, rock city
- harbach's meat, freeport
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's il013, freeport
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- galena supermarket & restaurant, freeport
Small Grocery Store · 1
- horizon super market inc, freeport
Super Store · 1
- walmart supercenter 1740, freeport
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 Stephenson County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Counties near Stephenson County's lower low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Stephenson 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 (6.5% here).
- Adair County, KY · 6.5% low-access
- Adair County, KY · 6.5% low-access
- Los Angeles County, CA · 6.5% low-access
- Los Angeles County, CA · 6.5% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IL (17.0% here).
- McDuffie County, GA · 17.0% SNAP
- McDuffie County, GA · 17.0% SNAP
- Lafourche Parish, LA · 17.0% SNAP
- Lafourche Parish, LA · 17.0% 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.
Stephenson County inside a lower low-access state context
Stephenson 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 Stephenson County, IL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 17177. 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.