Signature · 44.5% low-access (91st pct)
Will County, IL
Will County sits in the upper national band on low-access (44.5%, +22.4 pts vs U.S.), with SNAP/vehicle context from ACS 2024.
- 44.5%
- low-access pop.
- 16
- food-desert tracts
- 10.1%
- on SNAP
- 701K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Will County, IL
LA-SEVERE · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-LIGHT · VEH-OK · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-SEVERE 44.5% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +22.4 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 16 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-LIGHT 10.1% SNAP
- VEH-OK 3.9% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 11% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: McHenry County ( -0.2 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Will County sits in the upper national band (44.5%, #293 of 3,079) with 16 LILA tracts.
- #293
- national by low-access %
- #5
- in IL
- 85
- low-access tracts
- 50K
- 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: 44.5% low-access (91st pct) (+22.4 pts vs U.S. low-access).
How Will County compares nationally
Will County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 44.5% low-access share outpaces 91% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #293 most-affected nationwide.
Will County's elevated USDA tier split
151 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 16 LILA.
Will County is mostly urban by USDA tract type (136 urban, 15 rural), so most of its low-access count comes from the 1-mile test; the 15 rural tracts are held to 10 miles.
Will 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
- Will
Will 44.5%
44.5 % low-access
- McHenry
McHenry 44.3%
44.3 % low-access
- Hancock
Hancock 43.2%
43.2 % low-access
- Edgar
Edgar 41.9%
41.9 % low-access
- Madison
Madison 41.8%
41.8 % low-access
- Putnam 0.1
Putnam 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 151 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 677,560 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 85 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 16 |
| Low-Access Population | 301,286 |
| Low-Access Share | 44.5%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 49,798 |
ACS 2024 · lower SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 701,462 |
| Median Household Income | $109,984 |
| Poverty Rate | 7.3%well below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 24,658 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.1%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.2% |
Thick SNAP store book in Will County
Will County has 411 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 211 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Where the store book sits, by town
28 towns share the 411 authorized stores; Joliet holds 22% of them. 9 of the 28 towns have no grocery-grade outlet, only convenience or dollar/combination stores: Channahon, Monee, University Park, Steger, Elwood, Aurora and 3 more.
| Town | SNAP stores | Grocery-grade |
|---|---|---|
| Joliet | 91 | 24 |
| Bolingbrook | 45 | 14 |
| Plainfield | 37 | 11 |
| New Lenox | 24 | 6 |
| Romeoville | 22 | 6 |
| Frankfort | 18 | 5 |
| Lockport | 17 | 4 |
| Crest Hill | 16 | 4 |
| Naperville | 16 | 3 |
| Shorewood | 16 | 6 |
Top 10 of 28 towns by store count.
Convenience Store · 211
- 310 foodmart inc, joliet
- 4706760.0 6760, homer glen
- 500 food mart inc, steger
- 7-eleven #33031, joliet
- 7-eleven 13333, romeoville
- 7-eleven 33800b, frankfort
- 7-eleven 35054j, crest hill
- 7-eleven 38958h, plainfield
- 7-eleven store 29910j, bolingbrook
- 7-eleven store 33894h, shorewood
- 7-eleven #35048b 35048b, monee
- 7-eleven 33334c, new lenox
- 7-eleven 33379c, aurora
- 7-eleven 33905c, joliet
- bj's food & liquor 33859b, plainfield
- bady petroleum,inc, joliet
- bolingbrook bp inc, bolingbrook
- bp, crete
- bp, joliet
- bp romeoville, romeoville
- braidwood fuel inc, braidwood
- brake time, joliet
- brake time 221602, monee
- brake time 221603, manhattan
- brake time 221605, elwood
- brake time 221611, braidwood
- brake time 221615, wilmington
- casey's 2162, peotone
- casey's 3969, channahon
- casey's 6547, bolingbrook
- casey's 3390, beecher
- casey's 3981, new lenox
- casey's 6548, plainfield
- casey's general store 1984, braidwood
- chicago dreams food and liquor, joliet
- circle k 4700182, peotone
- circle k 4700185, wilmington
- circle k 4700193, beecher
- circle k 4701387, beecher
- circle k 4706703, mokena
- circle k 4706705, crete
- circle k 4706717, bolingbrook
- circle k 4706718, frankfort
- circle k 4706733, plainfield
- circle k 4706745, joliet
- circle k 4706749, romeoville
- circle k 4706751, steger
- circle k 4706792, monee
- circle k 4706798, bolingbrook
- circle k 4706821, shorewood
- circle k 4706825, plainfield
- circle k 4706832, lockport
- circle k 4706863, plainfield
- circle k 4706870, naperville
- circle k 6707, bolingbrook
- circle k 6826, romeoville
- circle k 6877, plainfield
- citgo fuel & mini mart, bolingbrook
- citgo gas and carwash, joliet
- crest hill grab & go, crest hill
- crete golo llc 105, crete
- delta-sonic, joliet
- diamond gas and wash, coal city
- diya patel inc., naperville
- dona concha bakery, joliet
- exotic minimart llc, joliet
- exxon fuel & food mart, joliet
- exxon fuel & food mart, joliet
- food n fuel route 6 and hollywood, joliet
- frankfort bp inc, frankfort
- fruitful yield joliet 1127, joliet
- gas n wash, mokena
- gas n wash 143rd street, homer glen
- gas n wash 159th & gougar road 159, homer glen
- gas n wash caton farm and ridge, plainfield
- gas n wash division and weber, crest hill
- gas n wash route 30, new lenox
- gas n wash route 6 and gougar, joliet
- gas n wash schoolhouse, new lenox
- gas n wash shorewood shorewood, shorewood
- gas n wash theodore and drauden 5951, plainfield
- graham c-stores co - joliet 203, plainfield
- graham c-stores co - romeoville 202, romeoville
- hometown pantry, bolingbrook
- i 80 mobile inc, joliet
- ins market, joliet
- jmj food and gas, joliet
- jefferson bp, joliet
- joliet circle k, joliet
- joliet citgo inc, joliet
- joliet mini mart, joliet
- joliet petroleum inc, joliet
- kal petro inc, joliet
- lambert marathon foodshop 1, joliet
- lenny's food n fuel rt 6, new lenox
- lenny's food n fuel vetter road, llc 2951, elwood
- lenny's gas n wash lagrange road, llc, mokena
- lenny's gas n wash plainfield, llc, plainfield
- lockport gas & food mart inc., lockport
- lockport mini mart, inc., lockport
- love's travel stop 425, wilmington
- love's travel stop 768, channahon
- lucky stop mini mart, inc, joliet
- lucky trip, llc, lemont
- marathon, bolingbrook
- meijer gas station 169, bolingbrook
- meijer gas station 214, plainfield
- meijer gas station 215, bolingbrook
- meijer gas station 219, homer glen
- meijer gas station 273, mokena
- mobil, rockdale
- mobil, joliet
- mobil, lockport
- mobil wilmington, wilmington
- mobil-bolingbrook food mart, bolingbrook
- mundo de dulces, joliet
- mundo de dulces, joliet
- murphy express 8795, joliet
- murphy express 8798, lockport
- murphy express 8845, romeoville
- murphy express 8870, naperville
- murphy usa 7608, new lenox
- murphy usa 7580, shorewood
- naperville gas and food, naperville
- old pueblo grocery, crest hill
- osho food mart, joliet
- pk's pantry, university park
- pasadena food & tobacco inc, bolingbrook
- peotone travel center, peotone
- petro stopping center 367, monee
- petro wilmington 402, wilmington
- pilot travel center 039, monee
- pilot travel center 1024, joliet
- pilot travel center 473, channahon
- pks pantry, steger
- plainfield citgo, plainfield
- quick mart pantry, lockport
- quick run, crete
- quik mart, lockport
- quiktrip 7196, romeoville
- quiktrip 7204, university park
- rc services inc, family bp, peotone
- rebel 868, romeoville
- rebel 869, new lenox
- rebel 874, bolingbrook
- rebel 875, bolingbrook
- republic marathon, joliet
- ridgeway petroleum, inc. 9, new lenox
- rim inc, joliet
- riverboat gas & food inc, joliet
- rt 66 food n fuel, joliet
- speedway 7572, university park
- speedway 7610, university park
- saint anne oil corporation, joliet
- samj, inc, shorewood
- shell of crest hill, crest hill
- snack stop, mokena
- speed trek, new lenox
- speedway 1127, bolingbrook
- speedway 1412, frankfort
- speedway 1414, mokena
- speedway 1416, frankfort
- speedway 1418, homer glen
- speedway 1419, homer glen
- speedway 1420, homer glen
- speedway 1421, frankfort
- speedway 1422, shorewood
- speedway 1424, mokena
- speedway 1428, naperville
- speedway 1430, frankfort
- speedway 1431, new lenox
- speedway 3715, crest hill
- speedway 5239 5239, joliet
- speedway 5340, shorewood
- speedway 5362, new lenox
- speedway 5373, bolingbrook
- speedway 5376, joliet
- speedway 5380, new lenox
- speedway 5381, lockport
- speedway 5384, mokena
- speedway 7032, peotone
- speedway 7047 7047, crete
- speedway 7421, crest hill
- speedway 7427, tinley park
- speedway 7440, lockport
- speedway 7448, naperville
- speedway 7612, frankfort
- speedway 7613, homer glen
- speedway 8440, romeoville
- speedway 8480, plainfield
- speedway 8544, channahon
- steger bp, steger
- steger mobil, steger
- sunshine food mart, joliet
- sunshine foods, elwood
- sunshine4inc, crest hill
- tsj mart inc, joliet
- thorntons #221336 221336, monee
- thorntons #221340 221340, joliet
- thorntons 116, joliet
- thorntons 118, plainfield
- thorntons 124, crest hill
- thorntons 221319, channahon
- thorntons 221335, bolingbrook
- thorntons 221348, homer glen
- thorntons 221356, new lenox
- thorntons 302, joliet
- thorntons 324, romeoville
- thorntons llc 221329, romeoville
- vishna pantry inc, plainfield
- western food & deli, joliet
Combination Grocery/Other · 91 (39 shown)
- afro-caribbean mart, bolingbrook
- balaji grocery 2, naperville
- best rx & dme, joliet
- cvs 2936, joliet
- cvs 4977, new lenox
- cvs 7142, lockport
- cvs 7760, mokena
- cvs pharmacy 10537, beecher
- cvs pharmacy 10553, braidwood
- cvs pharmacy 10737, peotone
- cvs pharmacy 10761, wilmington
- cvs pharmacy 10889, new lenox
- cvs pharmacy 1170, joliet
- cvs pharmacy 5421, joliet
- cvs pharmacy 5822, mokena
- cvs pharmacy 7168, bolingbrook
- cvs pharmacy 921, shorewood
- dollar general 0144, braidwood
- dollar general 14242, lockport
- dollar general 7222, crest hill
- dollar tree 0689, bolingbrook
- dollar tree 3430, joliet
- dollar tree 4419, romeoville
- dollar tree 4464, joliet
- dollartree 10298, shorewood
- dollartree 10622, plainfield
- dollartree 8794, bolingbrook
- dollartree 9163, plainfield
- dollartree 9690, monee
- dollar general 10205, peotone
- dollar general 11508, joliet
- dollar general 13824, joliet
- dollar general 15075, beecher
- dollar general 15901, wilmington
- dollar general 15939, channahon
- dollar general 17085, elwood
- dollar general 17487, monee
- dollar general 20590, manhattan
- dollar general 20634, crete
Showing 250 of 411 authorized retailers, largest categories first.
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 Will County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Counties near Will County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Will 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 (44.5% here).
- Woodford County, KY · 44.5% low-access
- Navajo County, AZ · 44.5% low-access
- Custer County, NE · 44.6% low-access
- Los Alamos County, NM · 44.6% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IL (10.1% here).
- Henry County, IN · 10.1% SNAP
- Union County, KY · 10.1% SNAP
- Harris County, GA · 10.1% SNAP
- Eaton County, MI · 10.1% 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.
Illinois among East North Central states
Illinois ranks 5th of 5 East North Central states by population-weighted low-access (20.2%). Will County, at 44.5%, runs 24.3 pts above the Illinois rate.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted by state; divisions per the U.S. Census Bureau. National state map
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 Will County, IL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 17197. 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.