In Douglas County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Douglas County, 14.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Douglas County's score
In Douglas County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 38.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 18.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Douglas 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.
Even so, Douglas County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (15.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 38.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202643rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
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- 30.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.6% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability12.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- People without health insurance15.4% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,854 · 202420th percentile
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- 26.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.2% · second quarter of 202633rd percentile
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- 26.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.1% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people86.6 · 202529th percentile
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- 18.2 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 rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.0% · fiscal year 20275th or lower 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Douglas County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Douglas County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 14.2% in 2004 to 18.7% in 2009.
In Douglas County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 18.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Douglas County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 12.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 8.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Douglas County, Illinois.
How Douglas County has changed
Douglas County's population rose 4% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 20,100 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Douglas County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 7,574, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 8,009 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Douglas County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.6% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,896 | 2024 $79,854 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Douglas County's history
1859
Formed in 1859 from Coles County. Wikipedia
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 19,980. The 2020 Census counted 19,740, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2014
Hail in May 2014 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in December 2015 did $2.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1990
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Douglas County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Douglas County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Douglas County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Douglas County ranks 5th of the six; Edgar County is highest, at 30.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coles County, IL | 52 | 14.5% | 25.1% |
| Champaign County, IL | 42 | 18.8% | 15.5% |
| Edgar County, IL | 40 | 13.0% | 30.1% |
| Moultrie County, IL | 15 | 9.3% | 18.1% |
| Douglas County, IL | 14 | 7.8% | 18.0% |
| Piatt County, IL | 5 | 6.9% | 18.8% |
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 Douglas County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 90th 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, Douglas County ranks 90th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.