In Cass County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Cass County, 16.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cass County's score
In Cass County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 65.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 15.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cass 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, Cass County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (7.7%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202668th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.9% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
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- 59.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.3% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 47.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.3% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,933 · 202452nd percentile
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- 28.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.2% · August 202527th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people87.3 · 202529th 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 rent11.7% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th 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 Cass 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 Cass County, 18.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cass County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cass County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Cass County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cass County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.7% in 2016 to 11.8% in 2017.
The share of households in Cass County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2014, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 7.6% 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, Cass County, Illinois.
How Cass County has changed
Cass County's population fell 11% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 14,618 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cass County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Cass County rose most sharply from its first year (4,441 in 1990) to 5,343 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Cass County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 5,920 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cass County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.5% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,616 | 2024 $65,933 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Cass County's history
1837
Formed in 1837 from Morgan County. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 17,896. The 2020 Census counted 13,042, 73% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in May 1996 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A tornado in April 1999 did $1.75 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A thunderstorm in June 2010 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cass County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cass County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cass County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cass County ranks 3rd of the seven; Mason County is highest, at 30.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mason County, IL | 56 | 13.5% | 30.5% |
| Sangamon County, IL | 39 | 9.7% | 21.5% |
| Cass County, IL | 38 | 12.1% | 26.2% |
| Schuyler County, IL | 37 | 13.1% | 25.7% |
| Morgan County, IL | 32 | 14.1% | 28.4% |
| Brown County, IL | 28 | 13.8% | 21.1% |
| Menard County, IL | 13 | 8.4% | 22.8% |
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 Cass County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Cass County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 55th 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, Cass County ranks 47th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cass 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 Cass County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.