About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Johnson County, Illinois, have a job
In Johnson County, 8.6% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Johnson County's score
In Johnson County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 53.5. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 16.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 45 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Johnson 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, Johnson County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 53.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.3% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,013 · 202452nd percentile
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- 45.1 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 rent22.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working8.6% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
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- 31.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 16.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.8% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people45 · 20257th 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Johnson County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Johnson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 30.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Johnson County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.4% in 2019 to 14.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 12.9%
Low on the chart: 9.9% 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, Johnson County, Illinois.
How Johnson County has changed
Johnson County's population nearly doubled to 13,320, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 9,927. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Johnson County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Johnson County more than doubled to 2,715, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 2,513. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Johnson County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.6% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.2% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,283 | 2024 $66,013 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Johnson County's history
1812
Organized in 1812 out of Randolph County. Wikipedia
1830
Vienna was one of settlements tens of thousands of Native Americans passed through in 1830 en route to Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears forced relocation. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,667. The 2020 Census counted 13,308, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1965
Vienna Correctional Center opened in November 1965 as minimum-security adult male facility. Wikipedia
2000
Hail in May 2000 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in April 2002 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in March 2008 did $1.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flood in July 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Johnson County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Johnson County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Johnson County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Johnson County ranks 6th of the seven; Pulaski County is highest, at 45.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulaski County, IL | 84 | 21.7% | 45.8% |
| Saline County, IL | 84 | 18.0% | 36.1% |
| Union County, IL | 55 | 17.2% | 35.6% |
| Pope County, IL | 50 | 16.5% | 41.2% |
| Williamson County, IL | 48 | 12.3% | 25.2% |
| Massac County, IL | 42 | 15.2% | 36.2% |
| Johnson County, IL | 29 | 14.6% | 30.8% |
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 Johnson County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Johnson County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 22nd 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, Johnson County ranks 63rd of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Johnson 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.