In Clark County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Clark County, 16.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clark County's score
In Clark County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 62.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 21.9. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.6%, August 2025, lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clark 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, Clark 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.
- 62.3 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 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.1% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 39.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.5% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people125.9 · 202549th percentile
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- 32.9 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 rent18.8% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.8% · fiscal year 202711th percentile
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- 28.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.0% · 202430th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,272 · 202435th percentile
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- 21.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202517th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.6% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.1% · second quarter of 202637th 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 Clark 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 Clark 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
Clark County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clark County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Clark County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clark County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.5% in 2019 to 11.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Clark County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2011, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 10.2% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clark County, Illinois.
How Clark County has changed
Clark County's population fell 7% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 17,011 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clark County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Clark County had its largest rise, from 4,371 in 1995 to 5,337 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Clark County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 5,337 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clark County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.1% | 2024 11.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,065 | 2024 $72,272 |
The table uses 4.7% 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 Clark County's history
1819
Formed in 1819 from Crawford County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 24,033. The 2020 Census counted 15,455, 64% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
A flash flood in June 2013 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clark County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clark County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Clark County, in Illinois and Indiana, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Clark County ranks 4th of the eight; Sullivan County is highest, at 33.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vigo County, IN | 82 | 18.3% | 30.7% |
| Coles County, IL | 52 | 14.5% | 25.1% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 51 | 14.2% | 33.5% |
| Edgar County, IL | 40 | 13.0% | 30.1% |
| Crawford County, IL | 27 | 14.5% | 24.2% |
| Clark County, IL | 27 | 11.0% | 28.8% |
| Cumberland County, IL | 12 | 9.8% | 13.5% |
| Jasper County, IL | 6 | 11.3% | 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 Clark County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Clark County's poverty rate was 11.0% in 2024, 63rd 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, Clark County ranks 68th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clark 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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Erba Clark 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.
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 Clark County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.