In Bureau County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Bureau County, 15.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bureau County's score
In Bureau County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 53.5. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 15.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bureau 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, Bureau County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 53.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 37.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.2% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people128.3 · 202551st percentile
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- 27.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.2% · 202416th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.6% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,022 · 202429th percentile
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- 22.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.9% · August 20254th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.5% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 15.3 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 rent13.5% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.7% · fiscal year 20275th 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 Bureau 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 Bureau County, 23.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bureau County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bureau County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 26.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Bureau County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bureau County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.4% in 2020 to 13.8% in 2021.
The share of households in Bureau County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.5%
High on the chart: 13.9% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bureau County, Illinois.
How Bureau County has changed
Bureau County's population fell 16% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 35,805. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bureau County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Bureau County had its largest rise, from 11,123 in 1990 to 12,055 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Bureau County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 12,319 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bureau County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.3% | 2024 9.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,609 | 2024 $75,022 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Bureau County's history
1837
Created in 1837 from a portion of Putnam County. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 43,975. The 2020 Census counted 33,244, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1951
A tornado in December 1951 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in May 1995 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Hail in September 2005 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bureau County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bureau County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Bureau County, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bureau County ranks 4th of the eight; Whiteside County is highest, at 27.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stark County, IL | 55 | 10.5% | 25.0% |
| LaSalle County, IL | 41 | 12.8% | 23.9% |
| Whiteside County, IL | 35 | 10.0% | 27.8% |
| Lee County, IL | 28 | 11.5% | 26.2% |
| Marshall County, IL | 26 | 9.2% | 26.4% |
| Putnam County, IL | 24 | 7.7% | 19.3% |
| Bureau County, IL | 18 | 9.2% | 26.0% |
| Henry County, IL | 18 | 9.4% | 21.7% |
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 Bureau County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Bureau County's poverty rate was 9.2% in 2024, 81st 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, Bureau County ranks 85th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bureau 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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Prairie State Legal Services
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.
Download the CSV for Bureau County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Bureau County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.