Cook County, Illinois
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Cook County. Population: 5,087,072 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Cook County, IL registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 50.8 — 1532nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Illinois, it ranks 28th of 102 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 7 show less distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Cook County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Employment & Wages
Income & Poverty
Community Vulnerability
How Cook County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County, IL | 50.8 | Elevated | — |
| Lake County, IN | 54.4 | Elevated | +3.6 |
| Berrien County, MI | 50.1 | Elevated | -0.7 |
| Kane County, IL | 42.3 | Normal | -8.4 |
| Porter County, IN | 36.6 | Normal | -14.1 |
| Will County, IL | 36.4 | Normal | -14.4 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maricopa County, AZ | 50.1 | Elevated | -0.7 |
| Franklin County, OH | 51.8 | Elevated | +1.0 |
| Sacramento County, CA | 49.6 | Normal | -1.2 |
| Fulton County, GA | 49.5 | Normal | -1.3 |
| Queens County, NY | 53.3 | Elevated | +2.6 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Cook County as a CSV file.
Resources
Cook County scores in the Elevated zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Cook County, Illinois?
Cook County has a County Distress Index score of 50.8 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,532nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 28th in Illinois out of 102 counties.
What drives financial distress in Cook County?
The primary driver of distress in Cook County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 86.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Cook County compare to neighboring counties?
Cook County (50.8) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Lake County, IN (54.4); Berrien County, MI (50.1); Kane County, IL (42.3).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Cook County?
Cook County, Illinois has a population of approximately 5,087,072 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.