In Crawford County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Crawford County, 16.7% 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 Crawford County's score
In Crawford County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 48.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 23.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Crawford 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.
Crawford 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.
- 48.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.5% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people142.1 · 202557th percentile
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- 44.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.9% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,960 · 202449th percentile
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- 35.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
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- 35.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.8% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 23.0 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 rent15.6% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.7% · fiscal year 202711th 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 Crawford 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 Crawford County, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Crawford County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Crawford County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 24.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Crawford County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Crawford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 18.0% in 2021 to 15.8% in 2022.
The share of households in Crawford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 10.9% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Crawford County, Illinois.
How Crawford County has changed
Crawford 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: 21,079 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Crawford County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Crawford County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 7,629, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 7,752 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Crawford County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.7% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,580 | 2024 $66,960 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Crawford County's history
1816
Formed December 31, 1816 from Edwards County in the Illinois Territory. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 26,281. The 2020 Census counted 18,679, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
2000
A flash flood in August 2000 did $1 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flash flood in September 2000 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A tornado in March 2023 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1985
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Crawford County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Crawford County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Crawford County, in Illinois and Indiana, four score higher. Of the group, Crawford County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Lawrence County gets the largest, at 38.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County, IL | 52 | 14.7% | 38.5% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 51 | 14.2% | 33.5% |
| Knox County, IN | 46 | 11.9% | 31.1% |
| Richland County, IL | 28 | 13.0% | 28.9% |
| Crawford County, IL | 27 | 14.5% | 24.2% |
| Clark County, IL | 27 | 11.0% | 28.8% |
| 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 Crawford County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Crawford County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 25th 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, Crawford County ranks 67th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Crawford 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 Crawford 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 Crawford 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 Crawford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.