Jefferson County, Illinois

County Distress Index: Elevated · 58.7 | 36,320 people · 7th most distressed in Illinois

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Jefferson County, IL registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 58.7 — 920th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Illinois, it ranks 7th of 102 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Jefferson County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 66.6 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 66.6
Poverty Rate 64
Income vs. State Median 70
Child Poverty Rate 66
Employment & Wages 60.7
Unemployment Rate 88
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 15
Business Formation Rate 79
Debt & Delinquency 59.1
Debt in Collections 61
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 84
Auto Loan Delinquency 70
Credit Card Delinquency 68
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 64
Community Vulnerability 57.6
Uninsured Rate 45
Disability Rate 71
Housing Cost Burden 49.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 45
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 49
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 50
Homeownership Rate 62
Rent-to-Income Ratio 43

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Jefferson County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Jefferson County
Jefferson County, IL 58.7 Elevated
Franklin County, IL 65.6 Serious +6.9
Marion County, IL 58.5 Elevated -0.3
Wayne County, IL 53.4 Elevated -5.3
Perry County, IL 49.8 Normal -8.9
Hamilton County, IL 46.1 Normal -12.6
Washington County, IL 23.9 Healthy -34.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Jefferson County
Sabine Parish, LA 58.7 Elevated -0.0
Wayne County, WV 58.8 Elevated +0.0
Washita County, OK 58.7 Elevated -0.1
Saline County, MO 58.8 Elevated +0.1
Ouachita County, AR 58.6 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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Find Help in Jefferson County

Find an Attorney

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 Jefferson 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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