In Alexander County, Illinois, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2015
In 2024, 53 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (53.2%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Alexander County's score
In Alexander County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 94.2. Unemployment averaged 6.3%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 94% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 88.2.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Alexander County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (5.2%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (85.2, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Alexander County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 94.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average6.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202694th percentile
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- 88.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line37.1% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability23.8% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,493 · 202493rd percentile
- People below the poverty line24.8% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance9.5% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 83.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.8% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.4% · Q4 202581st percentile
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- 56.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.6% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people85.2 · 202528th percentile
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- 44.4 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.0% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent5.2% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Aug 2026.
Where the money in Alexander County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Alexander County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Alexander County in 2024, pay from work was 38 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 9 cents. Benefit checks were 53 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 63 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 23 cents.
In Alexander County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2015
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Alexander County, Illinois: 53.2% and 37.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 53.2% of all personal income in Alexander County, Illinois (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Alexander County, 24.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Alexander County has changed
The number of people living in Alexander County fell by about six in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 12,442 to 4,594. The number of jobs located there fell by about six in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 12.2% in 1990 to 6.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 12,442 | 2024 4,594 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,247 | 2024 888 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.2% | 2025 6.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.8% | 2024 24.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $15,402 | 2024 $48,493 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 22.5% | 2024 53.2% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Alexander County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 25,496. The 2020 Census counted 5,240, 21% of the peak. Census Bureau
1819
Organized from part of Union County in 1819. Wikipedia
2011
Flood: $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Flood: $4.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Flood: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Flood: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Alexander County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Alexander County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Alexander County, in Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky, one scores higher. Of the group, Alexander County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (53.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi County, MO | 98 | 21.0% | 40.7% |
| Alexander County, IL | 88 | 24.8% | 53.2% |
| Pulaski County, IL | 83 | 21.7% | 45.8% |
| Scott County, MO | 66 | 13.5% | 32.5% |
| Ballard County, KY | 62 | 15.9% | 29.1% |
| Union County, IL | 53 | 17.2% | 35.6% |
| Cape Girardeau County, MO | 39 | 12.4% | 23.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Alexander County the poorest county in Illinois?
Yes, Alexander County's poverty rate was 24.8% in 2024, the highest of 102 counties in Illinois (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Alexander County ranks 1st of 102 in the state.
Alexander County in photographs
Places in Alexander County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Front of the U.S.
Alexander County, Illinois: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Alexander County, Illinois?
24.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 37.1%.
Is Alexander County the poorest county in Illinois?
Yes, Alexander County's poverty rate was 24.8% in 2024, the highest of 102 counties in Illinois (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Alexander County ranks 1st of 102 in the state.
What is the population of Alexander County, Illinois?
About 4,594 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 5,240, 21% of the county's peak of 25,496 in 1940.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Alexander County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO)
Legal aid
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Illinois State Bar Association Lawyer Referral
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Alexander County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Alexander County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.