Signature · 20.4% SNAP (94th pct in IL)
Winnebago County, IL
Winnebago County stands out on SNAP (20.4%, +8.3 pts vs U.S.) with 26.4% low-access from USDA FARA 2019.
- 26.4%
- low-access pop.
- 11
- food-desert tracts
- 20.4%
- on SNAP
- 283K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Winnebago County, IL
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-TYPICAL · DENSITY-MIXED
- LA-ELEVATED 26.4% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +4.3 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 11 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 20.4% SNAP
- VEH-TYPICAL 8.6% no vehicle
- DENSITY-MIXED 14% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Jefferson County ( -0.1 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Winnebago County ranks #1,194 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #38 of 102 counties in IL (26.4% low-access; 11 food-desert tracts).
- #1,194
- national by low-access %
- #38
- in IL
- 30
- low-access tracts
- 21K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 20.4% SNAP (94th pct in IL) (+8.3 pts vs U.S. SNAP) .
How Winnebago County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Winnebago County's 26.4% low-access share is elevated, higher than 62% of them and ranked #1,194 most-affected nationwide.
Winnebago County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
77 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 11 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Winnebago County has 69 urban and 8 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.
Winnebago County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Illinois, not a full county-board reprint
- Scott
Scott 66.5%
66.5 % low-access
- Knox
Knox 26.9%
26.9 % low-access
- LaSalle 26.5
LaSalle 26.5%
26.5 % low-access
- Winnebago 26.4
Winnebago 26.4%
26.4 % low-access
- Jefferson 26.3
Jefferson 26.3%
26.3 % low-access
- Logan 26
Logan 26%
26 % low-access
- Putnam 0.1
Putnam 0.1%
0.1 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 77 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 295,266 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 30 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 11 |
| Low-Access Population | 78,000 |
| Low-Access Share | 26.4%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 21,479 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 283,292 |
| Median Household Income | $65,837 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.6%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 23,722 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 20.4%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 8.6%near the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.5% |
Thick SNAP store book in Winnebago County
Winnebago County has 270 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 139 locations (51% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 139
- 11th street gas mart, rockford
- 815 convenient store, inc., rockford
- a & m market inc, rockford
- aaliya corporation, rockford
- alpine mart, loves park
- alpine mobil 39, rockford
- amoco mart, rockford
- applewood mobil 38, loves park
- auburn & day mobil, rockford
- bp food mart, rockford
- bp, rockford
- bp, loves park
- broadway mobil 09, rockford
- buckley mobil 4, rockford
- casey's 3760, loves park
- casey's 3829, rockford
- casey's general store 3927, rockford
- casey's 3861, rockford
- casey's general store 3083, rockton
- casey's general store 3536, roscoe
- casey's general store 3721, machesney park
- charles gas mart, rockford
- cherryvale mobil 10, rockford
- circle g llc, rockford
- circle k 4700041, rockford
- circle k 4701425, rockford
- circle k 4701426, loves park
- circle k 4701437, rockford
- circle k 4701474, rockford
- citgo n go, inc., rockford
- city center market, rockford
- city fuel inc., rockford
- clark on the go, loves park
- conoco, rockford
- corner food n more, rockford
- discount tobacco & pop, rockford
- durand shell, durand
- edgebrook mobil 32, rockford
- elmwood bp, rockford
- express lane gas & food mart 2, cherry valley
- express lane gas & food mart 37, rockford
- expresslane 34, rockford
- expresslane inc 81, loves park
- fas mart 5179, loves park
- fas mart 5199, rockford
- fas mart 5218, rockford
- fas mart 5220, loves park
- fas mart 5222, rockford
- fas mart 5224, roscoe
- fas mart 5231, machesney park
- fas mart 564, machesney park
- flying j 646, south beloit
- forest hills mobil 20, loves park
- gas depot west state, rockford
- gasland, rockford
- grand prix 5152, loves park
- green market, inc., rockford
- green point ventures,inc., rockford
- grocery & tobacco land, rockford
- gsb gas corp inc., south beloit
- harrison avenue mobil 29, rockford
- hometown food & liquor, south beloit
- hononegah mobil 19, roscoe
- jasmine pantry, rockford
- jefferson street kelleys market 1052, rockford
- jisa gas and food inc, rockford
- kapa gas, machesney park
- kiaan inc citgo, rockford
- kwik star 1276, south beloit
- lbs express mart inc, machesney park
- love's travel stop 322, roscoe
- love's travel stop 775, rockford
- loves park clark, loves park
- loves park liquor and wine, loves park
- loves park mobil 36, loves park
- loves park phillips 66, loves park
- lovespark citgo, loves park
- lyford road mobil 35, rockford
- m & m market, rockford
- many house of bottles 1, loves park
- marketside mobil 40, rockford
- max mart, rockford
- mega mart, rockford
- meijer gas station 192, rockford
- meijer gas station 281, machesney park
- mini mart food & more, inc., rockford
- neighborhood market, rockford
- new milford express inc, rockford
- north main convenient store inc, rockford
- north main mobil 22, rockford
- north second street mobil 46, machesney park
- noxxe petro, loves park
- one stop food mart inc, rockford
- orlando mobil 18, machesney park
- park it market, rockford
- perryville mobil 30, rockford
- pate gas mart, south beloit
- pecatonica mobil 42, pecatonica
- quick n save, loves park
- quick n save, south beloit
- quiktrip 4428, rockford
- quiktrip 7206, rockford
- rambo gas station inc, rockford
- riverside marketplace, rockford
- road ranger 203, rockford
- road ranger 205, south beloit
- road ranger 206, winnebago
- road ranger 211, loves park
- rockford food & liquor, rockford
- rockford mini mart inc, rockford
- rockton food and spirit, rockton
- rockton gas mart, rockford
- rockton mobil 37, rockton
- rockton phillips 66, rockton
- roscoe mobil 21, roscoe
- royal liquor mart, rockford
- rural 66, rockford
- sandy hollow mobil 80, rockford
- sandy phillips 66, rockford
- save food mart inc, rockford
- shell, rockford
- shell, rockford
- shell express fuel, rockford
- sky food & liquor, rockford
- south main foods, rockford
- south main mobil 45, rockford
- speedway 3962, roscoe
- springfield gas mart inc, rockford
- state street gas mart, rockford
- stop n shop, rockford
- thorntons llc 221331, roscoe
- tobacco xpress, rockford
- tollway mobil 5, loves park
- west side stop food mart, rockford
- win liquor inc, rockford
- windsor mini mart, loves park
- winnebago corners mobil 41, winnebago
- yuvi's citgo, rockford
- zake convenience, rockford
Combination Grocery/Other · 65
- buls african grocery, rockford
- cvs 8529, rockford
- cvs 8530, loves park
- cvs pharmacy 8524, roscoe
- cvs pharmacy 8528, machesney park
- cvs pharmacy 8531, rockford
- dollar general 14247, loves park
- dollar general 1563, rockford
- dollar general 1991, rockford
- dollar general 4222, rockford
- dollar general 4366, loves park
- dollar general 6121, south beloit
- dollar general 9011, roscoe
- dollar tree 1760, rockford
- dollar tree 2856, loves park
- dollartree 8563, rockford
- dollartree 9113, loves park
- dollartree 9546, rockford
- dollar general 12204, rockford
- dollar general 13827, rockford
- dollar general 21325, durand
- dollar general 21520, rockford
- dollar general 22834, new milford
- dollar general 23062, rockford
- dollar general 23318, winnebago
- dollar general 23938, pecatonica
- dollar general 25266, rockford
- dollar general 31541, rockford
- dollar tree 3261, rockford
- dollar tree 3751, rockford
- dollar tree 4960, rockford
- dollar tree 5690, rockton
- dollar tree 8284, machesney park
- family dollar 10940, loves park
- family dollar 12011, rockford
- family dollar store 1444, rockford
- family dollar store 1453, rockford
- family dollar store 1988, machesney park
- family dollar store 2669, rockford
- family dollar store 3065, rockford
- family dollar store 3366, rockford
- family dollar store 4871, south beloit
- family dollar store 6798, rockford
- family dollar store 6903, rockford
- family dollar store 7583, winnebago
- family dollar store 7721, rockford
- guanajuato supermercado, rockford
- penguin foods, rockford
- pit stop convenience & gaming, machesney park
- the corner store, rockford
- the great smart african food market #2, rockford
- valli produce of loves park, loves park
- walgreens 01515, loves park
- walgreens 02585, rockford
- walgreens 03283, rockford
- walgreens 04777, rockford
- walgreens 03322, rockford
- walgreens 06003, rockford
- walgreens 06004, rockford
- walgreens 07069, rockford
- walgreens 09127, rockford
- walgreens 12126, machesney park
- walgreens 12555, rockford
- walgreens 12583, loves park
- walgreens 6001, roscoe
Medium Grocery Store · 16
- african grocery store, rockford
- african international market, rockford
- amana food market, rockford
- blessed asian market llc, rockford
- carniceria y taqueria la mexicana llc 2, south beloit
- choices natural market, loves park
- dodi international food market, rockford
- halal fresh market, rockford
- meads longwood meat market, rockford
- mama africa market, rockford
- mecca market ii, rockford
- nobles grocery, rockford
- om shree ganesh inc, rockford
- prodavnica mjesovite robe, loves park
- rockford asian food market llc, rockford
- topway foods, pecatonica
Super Store · 13
- chiquita food market, inc., rockford
- costco wholesale 1353, loves park
- grays foods, rockford
- logli supermarket 750, rockford
- logli supermarkets 754, rockford
- meijer 192, rockford
- meijer 281, machesney park
- pinnon, rockford
- sam's club 8297, rockford
- schnucks 747, rockford
- schnucks 748, rockford
- schnucks 753, loves park
- schnucks 756, roscoe
Large Grocery Store · 6
- grace asian market, rockford
- main street meat company, roscoe
- mecca market, rockford
- rivera's fresh market, rockford
- siam asian market, rockford
- taveras gomez group, inc., rockford
Small Grocery Store · 6
- elotes express market inc, rockford
- las canelitas bakery, rockford
- northwest food inc., rockford
- rockford market, rockford
- sandy hollow food & liquor, rockford
- tt african market, rockford
Farmers' Market · 2
- rockford city market, rockford
- rockford midtown market, rockford
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- eickman's processing, seward
- prairie hill meats, south beloit
Seafood Specialty · 1
- jc's fish market, inc, rockford
Showing 250 of 270 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 Winnebago County vs Adams County → · All Illinois counties →
Nationwide peers for Winnebago County's low-access or SNAP share
SNAP-led peer set first for Winnebago County (20.4%), with low-access neighbours deduped against it, both outside Illinois.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside IL (26.4% here).
- Spalding County, GA · 26.4% low-access
- Spalding County, GA · 26.4% low-access
- Bristol County, MA · 26.4% low-access
- Bristol County, MA · 26.4% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside IL (20.4% here).
- Thomas County, GA · 20.4% SNAP
- Thomas County, GA · 20.4% SNAP
- Pike County, KY · 20.4% SNAP
- Pike County, KY · 20.4% 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.
Food access nationally, Illinois in context
Winnebago 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 Winnebago County, IL are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 17201. 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.