In Carroll County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Carroll County, 16.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Carroll County's score
In Carroll County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 67.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 13.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Carroll 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.
Carroll County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 47.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.9% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability16.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,537 · 202442nd percentile
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- 29.4 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 behind4.4% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.6% · second quarter of 202628th percentile
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- 19.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.7% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people58 · 202513th percentile
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- 13.7 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 rent12.3% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.1% · fiscal year 20277th 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County, 24.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Carroll County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Carroll County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 29.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Carroll County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 29.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Carroll County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.8% in 2021 to 12.1% in 2022.
The share of households in Carroll County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2021, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 8.8% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Carroll County, Illinois.
How Carroll County has changed
Carroll County's population had its largest drop, from 18,058 in 1984 to 16,936 in 1989.
Carroll County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15,444
High on the chart: 19,356 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Carroll County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Carroll County had its largest rise, from 4,438 in 1990 to 5,185 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Carroll County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 5,185 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Carroll County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.7% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,645 | 2024 $69,537 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Carroll County's history
1839
Formed in 1839 from Jo Daviess County. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 19,507. The 2020 Census counted 15,702, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
1995
A tornado in May 1995 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A thunderstorm in June 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in July 2010 did $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in July 2010 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Carroll County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Carroll County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Carroll County, in Illinois and Iowa, three score higher. Of the group, Carroll County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephenson County, IL | 44 | 14.1% | 27.8% |
| Clinton County, IA | 40 | 13.0% | 27.5% |
| Whiteside County, IL | 35 | 10.0% | 27.8% |
| Carroll County, IL | 25 | 14.6% | 29.2% |
| Ogle County, IL | 23 | 9.6% | 21.9% |
| Jackson County, IA | 15 | 11.0% | 25.7% |
| Jo Daviess County, IL | 8 | 9.8% | 23.6% |
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 Carroll County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Carroll County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 22nd 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, Carroll County ranks 74th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.