About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Christian County, Illinois, have a job
In Christian County, 11.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Christian County's score
In Christian County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 65.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 27.1. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 16.4% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Christian 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, Christian County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (7.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.9% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 45.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.1% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people147.5 · 202559th percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.7% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.2% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,915 · 202443rd percentile
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- 27.2 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 rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.4% · fiscal year 20279th 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 Christian 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 Christian County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Christian County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Christian County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Christian County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Christian County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply after its 2019 high, from 15.5% in 2019 to 12.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Christian County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.3%
High on the chart: 15.5% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Christian County, Illinois.
How Christian County has changed
Christian County's population fell 8% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 36,621 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Christian County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Christian County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 10,516 in 2015 to 9,079 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Christian County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 11,380 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Christian County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.0% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,019 | 2024 $68,915 |
The table uses 4.3% 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 Christian County's history
1839
Formed February 15, 1839 from Sangamon, Montgomery and Shelby counties. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 38,816. The 2020 Census counted 34,032, 88% of the peak. Census Bureau
1994
Groundwater contamination. Wikipedia
2014
A flash flood in August 2014 did $4.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in December 2015 did $2.8 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A tornado in December 2018 did $118.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A tornado in December 2018 did $3.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1999
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Christian County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Christian County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Christian County, two score higher. Of the group, Christian County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (28.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macon County, IL | 71 | 16.7% | 25.8% |
| Sangamon County, IL | 39 | 9.7% | 21.5% |
| Christian County, IL | 35 | 12.2% | 28.6% |
| Montgomery County, IL | 35 | 14.6% | 27.9% |
| Shelby County, IL | 8 | 8.8% | 26.0% |
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 Christian County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Christian County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 53rd 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, Christian County ranks 50th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Christian 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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C.e.f.s. - Christian County Outreach Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
Download the CSV for Christian 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 Christian County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.