About one in 13 people in Clinton County, Illinois, lives below the poverty line
In Clinton County, 8.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clinton County's score
In Clinton County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 34.9. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 12.0. People with a credit card behind: 2.4%, August 2025, lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clinton 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.
Clinton 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.
- 34.9 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.1% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.1% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people95.1 · 202533rd percentile
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- 18.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202626th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.9% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
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- 15.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.0% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.4% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$87,958 · 202412th percentile
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- 12.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.4% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.6% · second quarter of 202614th 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 Clinton 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 Clinton County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clinton County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clinton County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Clinton County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clinton County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply after its 2018 high, from 9.3% in 2018 to 8.0% in 2019.
The share of households in Clinton County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 9.0%
High on the chart: 9.3% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clinton County, Illinois.
How Clinton County has changed
Clinton County's population had its largest rise, from 29,652 in 1974 to 32,143 in 1979.
Clinton County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 37,087
High on the chart: 37,459 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clinton County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Clinton County rose 44% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 10,769. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clinton County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.4% | 2024 8.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,096 | 2024 $87,958 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Clinton County's history
1824
Created December 27, 1824 from Washington, Fayette and Bond counties. Wikipedia
1956
A tornado in February 1956 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1967
A tornado in December 1967 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
A tornado in December 1982 did $25 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 37,762. The 2020 Census counted 36,899, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
2015
A flood in May 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clinton County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clinton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Clinton County, five score higher. Of the group, Clinton County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Marion County gets the largest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Clair County, IL | 67 | 12.7% | 25.9% |
| Marion County, IL | 63 | 14.4% | 36.0% |
| Madison County, IL | 40 | 9.6% | 22.8% |
| Fayette County, IL | 34 | 15.3% | 29.4% |
| Bond County, IL | 25 | 12.6% | 29.7% |
| Clinton County, IL | 5 | 8.0% | 21.2% |
| Washington County, IL | 4 | 7.3% | 23.1% |
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 Clinton County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Clinton County's poverty rate was 8.0% in 2024, 89th 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, Clinton County ranks 97th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clinton 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.
Download the CSV for Clinton 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 Clinton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.