About one in 11 people in Henry County, Illinois, lives below the poverty line
In Henry County, 9.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Henry County's score
In Henry County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 49.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.9. About one in 25 people (4.0%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Henry 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, Henry County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 49.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202680th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.4% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
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- 33.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.4% · August 202524th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people111.5 · 202541st percentile
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- 29.5 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 rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th percentile
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- 22.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.7% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 20.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.4% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.8% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance4.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,293 · 202434th 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 Henry 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 Henry County, 21.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Henry County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Henry County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Henry County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.7%; 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 Henry County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 13.3%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 13.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Henry County, Illinois.
How Henry County has changed
Henry County's population had its largest drop, from 55,530 in 1984 to 51,652 in 1989.
Henry County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 58,148 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Henry County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Henry County made its largest gain on the way to its 2000 high, from 13,424 in 1995 to 14,935 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Henry County fell 11% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 14,935 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Henry County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.8% | 2024 9.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,949 | 2024 $72,293 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Henry County's history
1825
Formed on January 13, 1825, out of Fulton County. Wikipedia
1825
New England Yankee settlers from New England and western New York founded the county's first towns including Andover, Wethersfield, Geneseo, Morristown and La Grange. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 57,968. The 2020 Census counted 49,284, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A tornado in April 1996 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A tornado in April 1996 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A thunderstorm in July 2003 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A thunderstorm in July 2008 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Henry County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Henry County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Henry County, four score higher. Of the group, Henry County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Knox County gets the largest, at 33.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County, IL | 62 | 15.7% | 33.9% |
| Stark County, IL | 55 | 10.5% | 25.0% |
| Rock Island County, IL | 53 | 12.6% | 24.7% |
| Whiteside County, IL | 35 | 10.0% | 27.8% |
| Bureau County, IL | 18 | 9.2% | 26.0% |
| Henry County, IL | 18 | 9.4% | 21.7% |
| 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 Henry County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Henry County's poverty rate was 9.4% in 2024, 78th 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, Henry County ranks 86th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Henry 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.
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 Henry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.