In Jo Daviess County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Jo Daviess County, 16.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jo Daviess County's score
In Jo Daviess County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 36.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 10.1. People with a credit card behind: 2.7%, August 2025, lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jo Daviess 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.
Jo Daviess County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 36.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.2% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.4% · fiscal year 20279th percentile
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- 33.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202650th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.9% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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- 25.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.3% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,046 · 202440th percentile
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- 13.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.5% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people64.4 · 202516th percentile
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- 10.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.1% · second quarter of 202610th 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 Jo Daviess 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 Jo Daviess County, 29.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jo Daviess County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jo Daviess County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Jo Daviess County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jo Daviess County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 4.9% in 2017 to 6.2% in 2018; 7.1% in 2023 to 8.4% in 2024.
The share of households in Jo Daviess County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 8.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 8.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jo Daviess County, Illinois.
How Jo Daviess County has changed
Jo Daviess County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1979 high, from 22,311 in 1974 to 23,487 in 1979.
Jo Daviess County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 23,487 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jo Daviess County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Jo Daviess County had its largest rise, from 6,997 in 1990 to 8,564 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Jo Daviess County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 8,606 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jo Daviess County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.6% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,579 | 2024 $70,046 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Jo Daviess County's history
1816
George Davenport, retired U.S. Army colonel, shipped Galena's first boatload of lead ore down the Mississippi River in 1816. Wikipedia
1821
Thomas H. January family arrived 1821 from Maysville, Kentucky, considered first permanent American settlers. Wikipedia
1823
Large group of colonists led by Dr. Moses Meeker and James Harris arrived in 1823. Wikipedia
1827
Formed in 1827 out of Henry and Putnam counties; founded exclusively by New England immigrants. Wikipedia
1827
Jo Daviess County founded exclusively by New England immigrants after Erie Canal completion caused surge in migration. Wikipedia
1828
21 million pounds of lead ore mined from Galena between 1825 and 1828, population skyrocketed from 200 to 10,000. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 24,533. The 2020 Census counted 22,035, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flash flood in July 2010 did $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in July 2011 did $7 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in July 2017 did $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jo Daviess County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jo Daviess County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jo Daviess County, in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jo Daviess County ranks 5th of the seven; Carroll County is highest, at 29.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephenson County, IL | 44 | 14.1% | 27.8% |
| Carroll County, IL | 25 | 14.6% | 29.2% |
| Jackson County, IA | 15 | 11.0% | 25.7% |
| Dubuque County, IA | 12 | 11.0% | 19.4% |
| Grant County, WI | 9 | 11.9% | 24.0% |
| Jo Daviess County, IL | 8 | 9.8% | 23.6% |
| Lafayette County, WI | 6 | 12.5% | 20.2% |
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 Jo Daviess County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Jo Daviess County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 72nd 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, Jo Daviess County ranks 94th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jo Daviess 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 Jo Daviess 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 Jo Daviess County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.