Unemployment in Jefferson County, Illinois, is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties
In Jefferson County, 5.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 71.3. Late payments on loans come next, at 69.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.3%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.8% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 69.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.9% · second quarter of 202669th percentile
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- 62.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.1% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people162.4 · 202564th percentile
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- 56.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.9% · 202447th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.7% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,746 · 202465th percentile
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- 38.2 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 income19.3% · fiscal year 202735th 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.7% in 2010 to 16.8% in 2011.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 17.1%
Low on the chart: 14.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jefferson County, Illinois.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest rise, from 32,991 in 1974 to 35,877 in 1979.
Jefferson County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 39,981 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County rose by about a quarter to 19,432, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 18,261. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.4% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 12.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,674 | 2024 $61,746 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Jefferson County's history
1817
Zadok Casey founded Mt. Vernon in 1817, elected to Illinois State Senate 1822 and served in U.S. Congress 1833-1843. Wikipedia
1819
Organized in 1819, out of parts of White, Edwards and Franklin Counties. Wikipedia
1957
A tornado in December 1957 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 40,045. The 2020 Census counted 37,113, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2006
A thunderstorm in July 2006 did $13 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in March 2008 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2002
5 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jefferson County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jefferson County ranks 3rd of the seven; Marion County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, IL | 82 | 16.4% | 35.0% |
| Jefferson County, IL | 65 | 12.9% | 30.9% |
| Marion County, IL | 63 | 14.4% | 36.0% |
| Perry County, IL | 42 | 15.2% | 29.0% |
| Wayne County, IL | 41 | 14.3% | 28.8% |
| Hamilton County, IL | 33 | 10.5% | 29.8% |
| Washington County, IL | 4 | 7.3% | 23.1% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 12.9% in 2024, 47th 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, Jefferson County ranks 13th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.