Unemployment in Kankakee County, Illinois, is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Kankakee County, 5.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kankakee County's score
In Kankakee County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 72.5. Late payments on loans come next, at 67.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kankakee 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.
Kankakee County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($75,936, 2024) and people without health insurance (5.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
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- 67.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.6% · August 202579th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.1% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 64.2 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 rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th percentile
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- 62.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.8% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people174.6 · 202568th percentile
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- 39.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.1% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,936 · 202427th 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 Kankakee 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 Kankakee County, 17.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kankakee County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kankakee County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 27.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Kankakee County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kankakee County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 12.1% in 2010 to 16.5% in 2014, 1.1 points each year.
The share of households in Kankakee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 15.9%
Low on the chart: 11.8% 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, Kankakee County, Illinois.
How Kankakee County has changed
Kankakee County's population rose 10% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 2004 and 2009
High on the chart: 113,107 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kankakee County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Kankakee County rose 16% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 42,980 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kankakee County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.5% | 2024 13.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,541 | 2024 $75,936 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Kankakee County's history
1834
French Canadian settlers arrived in 1834. Wikipedia
1853
An act of the Illinois Legislature created Kankakee County in February 1853 out of the north part of Iroquois County and the south part of Will County. Wikipedia
1954
A tornado in April 1954 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1963
A tornado in April 1963 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1982
A tornado in April 1982 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 113,449. The 2020 Census counted 107,502, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2026
EF3 tornado struck south side of Kankakee. Wikipedia
2026
A tornado in March 2026 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kankakee County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kankakee County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Kankakee County, in Illinois and Indiana, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kankakee County ranks 2nd of the eight; Iroquois County is highest, at 27.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, IN | 81 | 13.3% | 24.7% |
| Kankakee County, IL | 69 | 13.1% | 27.2% |
| Newton County, IN | 51 | 9.9% | 24.2% |
| Will County, IL | 41 | 7.7% | 14.1% |
| Grundy County, IL | 34 | 5.8% | 16.3% |
| Ford County, IL | 27 | 9.3% | 20.6% |
| Iroquois County, IL | 26 | 10.4% | 27.7% |
| Livingston County, IL | 20 | 12.2% | 22.4% |
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 Kankakee County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Kankakee County's poverty rate was 13.1% in 2024, 43rd 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, Kankakee County ranks 11th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kankakee 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 Kankakee 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 Kankakee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.