Fulton County, Illinois

County Distress Index: Normal · 44.8 | 32,541 people · 49th most distressed in Illinois

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Fulton County, IL falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 44.8 — 2013th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Illinois, it ranks 49th of 102 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Fulton County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 78.4 — worse than roughly 78% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 78.4
Unemployment Rate 92
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 46
Business Formation Rate 97
Income & Poverty 47.3
Poverty Rate 36
Income vs. State Median 62
Child Poverty Rate 44
Debt & Delinquency 43.6
Debt in Collections 47
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 64
Auto Loan Delinquency 36
Credit Card Delinquency 75
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 32
Housing Cost Burden 29.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 45
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 21
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 35
Homeownership Rate 30
Rent-to-Income Ratio 15
Community Vulnerability 25.1
Uninsured Rate 8
Disability Rate 42

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Fulton County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Fulton County
Fulton County, IL 44.8 Normal
McDonough County, IL 63.3 Elevated +18.5
Knox County, IL 57.6 Elevated +12.9
Peoria County, IL 53.4 Elevated +8.7
Mason County, IL 50.7 Elevated +6.0
Schuyler County, IL 45.6 Normal +0.9
Warren County, IL 39.4 Normal -5.4
Tazewell County, IL 36.0 Normal -8.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Fulton County
Appomattox County, VA 44.7 Normal -0.0
Stewart County, TN 44.7 Normal -0.0
Northumberland County, VA 44.8 Normal +0.0
Macoupin County, IL 44.7 Normal -0.1
Price County, WI 44.7 Normal -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Fulton County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Fulton County

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Illinois State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Fulton County residents at no cost.

Self-Help Resources

Illinois Legal Aid Online — Foreclosure Comprehensive self-help guides for Illinois foreclosure
IHDA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

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