About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Franklin County, Illinois, are not working
In Franklin County, 29.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Franklin County's score
In Franklin County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 85.2. Late payments on loans come next, at 74.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Franklin 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.
Franklin County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.8%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (7.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.2% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 74.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.1% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.7% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 69.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.1% · 202472nd percentile
- People with a disability21.3% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,310 · 202472nd percentile
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- 65.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.6% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people164.3 · 202564th percentile
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- 51.5 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 rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Franklin County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Franklin County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 35.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Franklin County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.0%; 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 Franklin County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 25.8%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2013 to 2014, reaching 19.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Franklin County, Illinois.
How Franklin County has changed
Franklin County's population had its largest drop, from 43,098 in 1984 to 40,627 in 1989.
Franklin County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 43,098 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Franklin County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County had its largest rise, from 8,928 in 1990 to 9,951 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 10,227 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Franklin County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.7% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,384 | 2024 $59,310 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Franklin County's history
1818
Established January 2, 1818 from parts of Gallatin and White counties. Wikipedia
1905
Coal mining disasters and explosions. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 59,442. The 2020 Census counted 37,804, 64% of the peak. Census Bureau
1971
A tornado in April 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in April 1996 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in May 1996 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A thunderstorm in May 2009 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Franklin County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Franklin County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Franklin County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Franklin County ranks 2nd of the seven; Saline County is highest, at 36.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County, IL | 84 | 18.0% | 36.1% |
| Franklin County, IL | 82 | 16.4% | 35.0% |
| Jackson County, IL | 79 | 20.5% | 27.7% |
| Jefferson County, IL | 65 | 12.9% | 30.9% |
| Williamson County, IL | 48 | 12.3% | 25.2% |
| Perry County, IL | 42 | 15.2% | 29.0% |
| Hamilton County, IL | 33 | 10.5% | 29.8% |
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 Franklin County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, 13th 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, Franklin County ranks 4th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Franklin 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.
Download the CSV for Franklin 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 Franklin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.