Illinois County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 102 counties in Illinois, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 44.8. 2 counties score high, very high, or extreme.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Illinois Snapshot
102 Counties Scored
44.8 Mean Score
43.9 Median Score
74.9 Alexander County Most Distressed
12.2 Monroe County Least Distressed
2 high county distress14 moderate-high county distress13 moderate county distress37 moderate-low county distress23 low-moderate county distress12 low county distress1 very low county distress
Score Label Distribution Illinois County Map
Loading interactive map…
Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 102 Illinois counties colored by county distress score range. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Illinois's 102 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Illinois Counties
102 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 306 | Alexander County | 74.9 | high county distress | Labor |
| 2 | 456 | Pulaski County | 70.8 | high county distress | Labor |
| 3 | 572 | Vermilion County | 68.7 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 4 | 574 | Franklin County | 68.6 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 5 | 575 | Jackson County | 68.6 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 6 | 631 | Cook County | 67.7 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 7 | 650 | Winnebago County | 67.3 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 8 | 706 | Saline County | 66.1 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 9 | 779 | Kankakee County | 64.5 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 10 | 808 | St. Clair County | 64.2 | moderate-high county distress | Delinquency |
| 11 | 814 | Jefferson County | 64.0 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 12 | 826 | Peoria County | 63.8 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 13 | 832 | Macon County | 63.8 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 14 | 889 | McDonough County | 62.7 | moderate-high county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 15 | 993 | Knox County | 60.9 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 16 | 1,013 | Marion County | 60.6 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 17 | 1,136 | Rock Island County | 58.3 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 18 | 1,187 | Stark County | 57.5 | moderate county distress | Delinquency |
| 19 | 1,244 | Williamson County | 56.2 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 20 | 1,329 | DeKalb County | 54.8 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 21 | 1,345 | Lawrence County | 54.5 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 22 | 1,363 | Wabash County | 54.0 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 23 | 1,406 | Coles County | 53.4 | moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 24 | 1,415 | Mason County | 53.1 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 25 | 1,429 | Pike County | 52.9 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 26 | 1,439 | Massac County | 52.8 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 27 | 1,449 | Hardin County | 52.6 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 28 | 1,451 | Logan County | 52.6 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 29 | 1,528 | White County | 51.3 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 30 | 1,594 | Will County | 49.8 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 31 | 1,611 | Gallatin County | 49.5 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 32 | 1,627 | Sangamon County | 49.3 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 33 | 1,644 | Wayne County | 48.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 34 | 1,645 | Boone County | 48.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 35 | 1,663 | Grundy County | 48.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 36 | 1,673 | Pope County | 48.4 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 37 | 1,704 | Fayette County | 48.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 38 | 1,708 | Johnson County | 47.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 39 | 1,712 | LaSalle County | 47.8 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 40 | 1,715 | Madison County | 47.8 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 41 | 1,734 | Champaign County | 47.5 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 42 | 1,766 | Perry County | 47.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 43 | 1,784 | Macoupin County | 46.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 44 | 1,785 | Christian County | 46.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 45 | 1,800 | Edgar County | 46.3 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 46 | 1,812 | Whiteside County | 46.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 47 | 1,824 | Kane County | 45.9 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 48 | 1,869 | Stephenson County | 45.2 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 49 | 1,889 | Union County | 44.8 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 50 | 1,904 | Montgomery County | 44.5 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 51 | 1,929 | Edwards County | 44.1 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 52 | 1,955 | Adams County | 43.6 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 53 | 1,984 | Richland County | 43.2 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 54 | 1,987 | Fulton County | 43.1 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 55 | 2,008 | Randolph County | 42.6 | moderate-low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 56 | 2,022 | Lee County | 42.3 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 57 | 2,031 | Hamilton County | 42.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 58 | 2,034 | Kendall County | 42.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 59 | 2,045 | Morgan County | 41.7 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 60 | 2,050 | Clark County | 41.7 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 61 | 2,096 | Iroquois County | 40.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 62 | 2,098 | Bond County | 40.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 63 | 2,106 | Henderson County | 40.8 | moderate-low county distress | Delinquency |
| 64 | 2,109 | McHenry County | 40.7 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 65 | 2,111 | Clay County | 40.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 66 | 2,138 | Jersey County | 40.1 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 67 | 2,161 | Schuyler County | 39.6 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 68 | 2,163 | Bureau County | 39.6 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 69 | 2,173 | Cass County | 39.4 | low-moderate county distress | Delinquency |
| 70 | 2,178 | Lake County | 39.4 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 71 | 2,185 | Putnam County | 39.2 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 72 | 2,199 | Tazewell County | 39.0 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 73 | 2,234 | Warren County | 38.3 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 74 | 2,241 | Greene County | 38.0 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 75 | 2,244 | Crawford County | 37.9 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 76 | 2,248 | Scott County | 37.8 | low-moderate county distress | Delinquency |
| 77 | 2,267 | Ogle County | 37.5 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 78 | 2,271 | McLean County | 37.5 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 79 | 2,309 | Marshall County | 36.7 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 80 | 2,316 | DuPage County | 36.5 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 81 | 2,325 | Ford County | 36.4 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 82 | 2,345 | Henry County | 36.0 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 83 | 2,390 | Livingston County | 35.1 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 84 | 2,416 | Mercer County | 34.5 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 85 | 2,421 | Carroll County | 34.4 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 86 | 2,508 | De Witt County | 32.7 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 87 | 2,543 | Hancock County | 31.8 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 88 | 2,592 | Menard County | 30.7 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 89 | 2,607 | Douglas County | 30.4 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 90 | 2,672 | Brown County | 28.5 | low county distress | Delinquency |
| 91 | 2,676 | Shelby County | 28.4 | low county distress | Labor |
| 92 | 2,684 | Calhoun County | 28.3 | low county distress | Labor |
| 93 | 2,747 | Moultrie County | 26.6 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 94 | 2,816 | Cumberland County | 24.8 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 95 | 2,836 | Piatt County | 24.3 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 96 | 2,852 | Jo Daviess County | 23.9 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 97 | 2,873 | Effingham County | 23.1 | low county distress | Labor |
| 98 | 2,901 | Clinton County | 22.3 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 99 | 2,916 | Jasper County | 21.8 | low county distress | Labor |
| 100 | 2,917 | Washington County | 21.8 | low county distress | Labor |
| 101 | 2,933 | Woodford County | 21.3 | low county distress | Labor |
| 102 | 3,118 | Monroe County | 12.2 | very low county distress | Labor |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
extreme county distress — 0 Illinois counties
very high county distress — 0 Illinois counties
high county distress — 2 Illinois counties
moderate-high county distress — 14 Illinois counties
moderate county distress — 13 Illinois counties
moderate-low county distress — 37 Illinois counties
low-moderate county distress — 23 Illinois counties
low county distress — 12 Illinois counties
very low county distress — 1 Illinois county
exceptionally low county distress — 0 Illinois counties