About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Fayette County, Illinois, have a job
In Fayette County, 10.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fayette County's score
In Fayette County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 57.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 21.6. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 17.6% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fayette 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, Fayette County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.3% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.0% · 202449th percentile
- People with a disability18.1% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,445 · 202459th percentile
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- 44.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.3% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 44.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.2% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
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- 37.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.4% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people85.1 · 202528th percentile
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- 21.6 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 rent13.6% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.6% · fiscal year 202717th 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fayette County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Fayette County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Fayette County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.1% in 2019 to 13.0% in 2020.
The share of households in Fayette County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 11.6%
Low on the chart: 10.3% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fayette County, Illinois.
How Fayette County has changed
Fayette County's population had its largest rise, from 21,056 in 2004 to 22,089 in 2009.
Fayette County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 22,175 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fayette County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Fayette County rose most sharply from its first year (4,692 in 1990) to 5,667 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Fayette County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 6,531 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fayette County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.4% | 2024 15.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,064 | 2024 $63,445 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Fayette County's history
1821
Formed in 1821 from Bond, Clark and Crawford counties. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 29,159. The 2020 Census counted 21,488, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
1984
A tornado in November 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Hail in May 2002 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2002
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fayette County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fayette County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Fayette County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fayette County ranks 4th of the eight; Marion County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, IL | 63 | 14.4% | 36.0% |
| Montgomery County, IL | 35 | 14.6% | 27.9% |
| Fayette County, IL | 34 | 15.3% | 29.4% |
| Clay County, IL | 33 | 14.0% | 33.9% |
| Bond County, IL | 25 | 12.6% | 29.7% |
| Shelby County, IL | 8 | 8.8% | 26.0% |
| Clinton County, IL | 5 | 8.0% | 21.2% |
| Effingham County, IL | 5 | 8.1% | 19.0% |
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 Fayette County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Fayette County's poverty rate was 15.3% in 2024, 15th 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, Fayette County ranks 53rd of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fayette 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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C.e.f.s. Fayette 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.