In Bond County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Bond County, 17.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bond County's score
In Bond County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 49.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 20.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bond County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Bond County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (19.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 49.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 42.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.6% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people109.4 · 202540th percentile
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- 42.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.7% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability19.6% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance3.6% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,398 · 202451st percentile
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- 24.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.9% · second quarter of 202628th percentile
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- 20.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.7% · fiscal year 202718th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Bond County comes from
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 Bond County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bond County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bond County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Bond County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bond County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.6% in 2011 to 12.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Bond County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.1% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bond County, Illinois.
How Bond County has changed
Bond County's population rose most sharply from its first year (14,056 in 1969) to 15,544 in 1974.
Bond County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 18,101 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bond County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Bond County rose by more than half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 4,518, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 4,641 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bond County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,577 | 2024 $66,398 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bond County's history
1817
Formed in 1817 from Madison County. Wikipedia
1950
A tornado in December 1950 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in November 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 17,768. The 2020 Census counted 16,725, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 2002
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bond County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bond County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Bond County, three score higher. Of the group, Bond County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, IL | 40 | 9.6% | 22.8% |
| Montgomery County, IL | 35 | 14.6% | 27.9% |
| Fayette County, IL | 34 | 15.3% | 29.4% |
| Bond County, IL | 25 | 12.6% | 29.7% |
| Clinton County, IL | 5 | 8.0% | 21.2% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 Bond County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Bond County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 50th highest of 102 in Illinois (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Alexander County, at 24.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Bond County ranks 73rd of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bond County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Land of Lincoln Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO)
Legal help website
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Bond County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.