In Henderson County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Henderson County, 17.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Henderson County's score
In Henderson County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 67.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 14.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Henderson 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, Henderson County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (11.6%, August 2025) and people with a disability (23.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.6% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score42.6% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 66.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 51.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.6% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability23.7% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance2.6% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,009 · 202452nd percentile
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- 42.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.2% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people98.6 · 202535th percentile
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- 14.7 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 rent11.2% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.0% · fiscal year 202713th 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 Henderson 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 Henderson County, 27.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Henderson County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Henderson County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 28.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Henderson County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 28.2%; 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 Henderson County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 13.8%, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2023 and 2024
Low on the chart: 8.0% 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, Henderson County, Illinois.
How Henderson County has changed
Henderson County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1979 high, from 8,469 in 1974 to 9,053 in 1979.
Henderson County's population fell 28% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 9,053 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Henderson County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Henderson County rose 40% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 1,027. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Henderson County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,599 | 2024 $66,009 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Henderson County's history
1841
Formed in 1841 from a portion of Warren County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 10,836. The 2020 Census counted 6,387, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A tornado in April 1996 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A tornado in April 1996 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Hail in May 2003 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Henderson County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Henderson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Henderson County, in Illinois and Iowa, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Henderson County ranks 2nd of the seven; Lee County is highest, at 30.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonough County, IL | 60 | 18.6% | 26.1% |
| Des Moines County, IA | 57 | 14.0% | 25.5% |
| Henderson County, IL | 47 | 13.4% | 28.2% |
| Lee County, IA | 38 | 13.7% | 30.2% |
| Warren County, IL | 30 | 14.0% | 24.4% |
| Hancock County, IL | 18 | 10.9% | 26.3% |
| Mercer County, IL | 14 | 9.1% | 24.4% |
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 Henderson County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Henderson County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 41st 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, Henderson County ranks 29th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Henderson 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 Henderson 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 Henderson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.