About one in 17 people in Grundy County, Illinois, lives below the poverty line
In Grundy County, 5.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grundy County's score
In Grundy County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 57.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grundy 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, Grundy County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (240.8, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 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 income20.0% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
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- 55.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.2% · August 202527th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people240.8 · 202583rd percentile
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- 47.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202674th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 39.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.6% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 4.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.8% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.5% · 20244th percentile
- People with a disability9.7% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance3.4% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$96,937 · 20246th 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 Grundy 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 Grundy County, 15.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Grundy County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grundy County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 16.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Grundy County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.3%; 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 Grundy County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 10.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 10.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Grundy County, Illinois.
How Grundy County has changed
Grundy County's population had its largest rise, from 41,410 in 2004 to 49,702 in 2009.
Grundy County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 53,835, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 30,735. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grundy County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Grundy County had its largest rise, from 15,712 in 2010 to 18,637 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Grundy County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 22,954, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 15,712. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grundy County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.4% | 2024 5.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,158 | 2024 $96,937 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Grundy County's history
1841
Established on February 17, 1841, formed out of LaSalle County. Wikipedia
1883
1883 Diamond Mine Disaster killed 69 men and boys when water broke through into the mine. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in November 1965 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in April 2013 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A tornado in November 2013 did $10.75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A tornado in June 2015 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 52,533, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grundy County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Grundy County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Grundy County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Grundy County ranks 4th of the six; Kankakee County is highest, at 27.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kankakee County, IL | 69 | 13.1% | 27.2% |
| LaSalle County, IL | 41 | 12.8% | 23.9% |
| Will County, IL | 41 | 7.7% | 14.1% |
| Grundy County, IL | 34 | 5.8% | 16.3% |
| Kendall County, IL | 25 | 4.2% | 11.4% |
| 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 Grundy County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Grundy County's poverty rate was 5.8% in 2024, 99th 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, Grundy County ranks 54th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grundy 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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Prairie State Legal Services
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 Grundy 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 Grundy County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.