In Ford County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Ford County, 16.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ford County's score
In Ford County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 47.1. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 27.0. About one in six people with a credit file (17.1%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 73% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ford 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, Ford County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 47.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.8% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 45.0 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 rent24.0% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.0% · fiscal year 20277th percentile
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- 34.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.6% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 30.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.3% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.7% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,761 · 202441st percentile
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- 27.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.1% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people83 · 202527th 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 Ford 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 Ford County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ford County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ford County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Ford County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop in the last span, from 17.5% in 2023 to 14.4% in 2024.
The share of households in Ford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 8.2% 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, Ford County, Illinois.
How Ford County has changed
Ford County's population fell by about a fifth to 13,451, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1969 to 1974, reaching 15,350. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ford County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Ford County rose by about a quarter to 5,525, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 5,525 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ford County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.8% | 2024 9.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,801 | 2024 $69,761 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Ford County's history
1859
Formed February 17, 1859, Illinois newest county. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 18,359. The 2020 Census counted 13,534, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
A tornado in August 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in August 2021 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1990
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ford County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ford County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Ford County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ford County ranks 5th of the seven; Vermilion County is highest, at 30.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermilion County, IL | 73 | 17.3% | 30.9% |
| Kankakee County, IL | 69 | 13.1% | 27.2% |
| Champaign County, IL | 42 | 18.8% | 15.5% |
| Ford County, IL | 27 | 9.3% | 20.6% |
| Iroquois County, IL | 26 | 10.4% | 27.7% |
| McLean County, IL | 21 | 11.6% | 14.9% |
| Livingston County, IL | 20 | 12.2% | 22.4% |
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 Ford County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Ford County's poverty rate was 9.3% in 2024, 79th 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, Ford County ranks 69th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ford 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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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.
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 Ford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.