In Hancock County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Hancock County, 16.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hancock County's score
In Hancock County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 46.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 19.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hancock 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, Hancock County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (22.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 46.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.1% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability22.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,313 · 202448th percentile
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- 34.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202643rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 30.0 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 people93.1 · 202532nd percentile
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- 27.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 19.9 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 rent14.6% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.6% · fiscal year 202710th 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hancock County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hancock County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Hancock County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.3%; 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 Hancock County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 13.3%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 10.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hancock County, Illinois.
How Hancock County has changed
Hancock County's population had its largest drop, from 23,247 in 1984 to 21,441 in 1989.
Hancock County's population fell 29% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 23,837 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hancock County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County had its largest rise, from 4,653 in 1990 to 5,638 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Hancock County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 5,866 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hancock County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.3% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,272 | 2024 $67,313 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Hancock County's history
1812
Military Tract set aside by Congress to reward War of 1812 veterans. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 32,215. The 2020 Census counted 17,620, 55% of the peak. Census Bureau
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in May 1995 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A tornado in April 1999 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A thunderstorm in July 2003 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hancock County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hancock County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Hancock County, in Illinois, Missouri and Iowa, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hancock County ranks 5th of the eight; Lewis County is highest, at 30.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonough County, IL | 60 | 18.6% | 26.1% |
| Clark County, MO | 56 | 13.7% | 29.8% |
| Henderson County, IL | 47 | 13.4% | 28.2% |
| Lee County, IA | 38 | 13.7% | 30.2% |
| Schuyler County, IL | 37 | 13.1% | 25.7% |
| Adams County, IL | 33 | 13.3% | 23.6% |
| Lewis County, MO | 30 | 13.4% | 30.7% |
| Hancock County, IL | 18 | 10.9% | 26.3% |
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 Hancock County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Hancock County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 64th 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, Hancock County ranks 84th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hancock 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.