In Cook County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Cook County, 29.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cook County's score
In Cook County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 89.4. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 65.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cook 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.
Cook County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.4%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($82,729, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.4 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 rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.2% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
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- 65.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.9% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people290.9 · 202590th percentile
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- 63.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.5% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 57.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.1% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.1% · second quarter of 202642nd percentile
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- 38.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.6% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability11.4% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- People without health insurance8.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,729 · 202416th 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 Cook 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 Cook County, 16.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cook County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cook County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 12.9% in 2004 to 17.0% in 2009.
In Cook County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Cook County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cook County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 11.8% in 2011 to 14.2% in 2013, 1.2 points each year.
The share of households in Cook County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.7%
High on the chart: 15.8% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cook County, Illinois.
How Cook County has changed
Cook County's population had its largest drop, from 5,428,376 in 1974 to 5,287,167 in 1979.
Cook County's population fell 5% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 5,473,709 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cook County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Cook County had its largest rise in the last span, from 2,388,964 in 2020 to 2,594,810 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Cook County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 2,345,507 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cook County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,711 | 2024 $82,729 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Cook County's history
1831
Cook County was created on January 15, 1831, out of Putnam County by an act of the Illinois General Assembly. Wikipedia
1967
A tornado in April 1967 did $25 million in property damage and killed 33 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 5,492,369. The 2020 Census counted 5,275,541, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flash flood in July 2010 did $253.38 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flash flood in July 2023 did $500 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flash flood in August 2025 did $230 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cook County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cook County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cook County, in Illinois and Indiana, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cook County ranks 2nd of the seven; Lake County is highest, at 24.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, IN | 81 | 13.3% | 24.7% |
| Cook County, IL | 72 | 13.7% | 16.6% |
| Will County, IL | 41 | 7.7% | 14.1% |
| Kane County, IL | 36 | 7.3% | 14.6% |
| Lake County, IL | 30 | 7.8% | 10.3% |
| McHenry County, IL | 24 | 6.3% | 15.6% |
| DuPage County, IL | 19 | 6.3% | 11.1% |
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 Cook County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Cook County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 38th 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, Cook County ranks 8th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cook 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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Agora Community Services Corporation, NFP
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Brighton Park Neighborhood Council
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Ceda - Chicago Heights
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Chicago (formerly LAF)
Legal aid
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Chicago Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service
Lawyer referral
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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 Cook County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.