Unemployment in Brown County, Illinois, is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties
In Brown County, 3.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Brown County's score
In Brown County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 53.7. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 17.0. About one in 12 renters (8.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Brown 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, Brown County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (10.5%, August 2025) and adults 25 to 54 not working (27.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 53.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202624th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.5% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 46.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.5% · August 202593rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.5% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 39.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.7% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability20.5% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance2.1% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,812 · 202438th percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people79.4 · 202525th percentile
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- 17.0 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 rent8.3% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th 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 Brown 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 Brown County, 16.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Brown County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Brown County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 21.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Brown County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Brown County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.7% in 2009 to 10.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Brown County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.1%, with its low point on the chart in 2014
Low on the chart: 7.4% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Brown County, Illinois.
How Brown County has changed
Brown County's population had its largest rise, from 6,347 in 1994 to 6,948 in 1999.
Brown County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 6,968 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Brown County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Brown County had its largest rise, from 3,109 in 2010 to 3,933 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Brown County grew to about four times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 4,825, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 3,109. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Brown County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.3% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,460 | 2024 $70,812 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Brown County's history
1839
Formed in 1839 from Schuyler County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 11,557. The 2020 Census counted 6,244, 54% of the peak. Census Bureau
1966
A tornado in October 1966 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1987
Western Illinois Correctional Center constructed (1987). Wikipedia
2013
A flash flood in June 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Brown County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Brown County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Brown County score higher than it does. Of the group, Brown County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Morgan County gets the largest, at 28.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County, IL | 46 | 13.5% | 28.1% |
| Cass County, IL | 38 | 12.1% | 26.2% |
| Schuyler County, IL | 37 | 13.1% | 25.7% |
| Adams County, IL | 33 | 13.3% | 23.6% |
| Morgan County, IL | 32 | 14.1% | 28.4% |
| Brown County, IL | 28 | 13.8% | 21.1% |
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 Brown County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Brown County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, 37th 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, Brown County ranks 64th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Brown 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 Brown County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.