Unemployment in DeKalb County, Illinois, is higher than in 68% of U.S. counties
In DeKalb County, 4.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 68% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives DeKalb County's score
In DeKalb County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 83.1. About three in ten renters (30.9%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 97% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 52.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in DeKalb 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.
DeKalb County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.1%, 2020 to 2024) and children below the poverty line (11.5%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.1 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 rent30.9% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.6% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
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- 52.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202670th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
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- 48.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.9% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people148.6 · 202559th percentile
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- 45.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.3% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.4% · second quarter of 202627th percentile
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- 21.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.5% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability11.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,556 · 202422nd 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County, 13.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
DeKalb County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In DeKalb County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 20.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In DeKalb County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 20.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in DeKalb County getting SNAP food aid made its largest gain on the way to its 2023 high, from 12.3% in 2022 to 15.1% in 2023.
The share of households in DeKalb County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.7%
High on the chart: 15.1% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, DeKalb County, Illinois.
How DeKalb County has changed
DeKalb County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 96,106 in 2004 to 105,146 in 2009.
DeKalb County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 101,335
High on the chart: 105,146 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, DeKalb County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in DeKalb County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 37,469 in 2015 to 34,342 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in DeKalb County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 36,506
High on the chart: 37,469 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, DeKalb County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.8% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,607 | 2024 $78,556 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in DeKalb County's history
1837
Formed March 4, 1837 from Kane County. Wikipedia
1891
R. Ellwood Manufacturing relocated out. Wikipedia
2007
A flood in August 2007 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in September 2008 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 105,160. The 2020 Census counted 100,420, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2015
A tornado in April 2015 did $8 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered DeKalb County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
DeKalb County beside its neighbors
DeKalb County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, DeKalb County ranks 4th of the eight; Lee County is highest, at 26.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb County, IL | 50 | 11.6% | 20.5% |
| Boone County, IL | 43 | 8.4% | 19.1% |
| LaSalle County, IL | 41 | 12.8% | 23.9% |
| Kane County, IL | 36 | 7.3% | 14.6% |
| Lee County, IL | 28 | 11.5% | 26.2% |
| Kendall County, IL | 25 | 4.2% | 11.4% |
| McHenry County, IL | 24 | 6.3% | 15.6% |
| Ogle County, IL | 23 | 9.6% | 21.9% |
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 DeKalb County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, DeKalb County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 57th 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, DeKalb County ranks 25th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in DeKalb 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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Prairie State Legal Services
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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.