Benefit checks make up 39 cents of every dollar of income in Lawrence County, Illinois
In Lawrence County, 38.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 90% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lawrence County's score
In Lawrence County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 69.2. Unemployment averaged 4.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 78% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 62.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lawrence 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.
Lawrence County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (7.5%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.0%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202678th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.3% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 62.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.1% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability20.2% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,743 · 202478th percentile
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- 57.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.5% · second quarter of 202668th percentile
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- 44.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.5% · August 202551st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people101.3 · 202536th percentile
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- 24.4 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 rent7.5% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, 18.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lawrence County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 17% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Lawrence County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.8% in 2015 to 16.3% in 2016.
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 9.5% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lawrence County, Illinois.
How Lawrence County has changed
Lawrence County's population fell 16% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 18,092 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lawrence County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County had its largest drop, from 4,908 in 2005 to 4,427 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 4,908 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lawrence County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.5% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.3% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,513 | 2024 $56,743 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Lawrence County's history
1821
Lawrence County was formed in 1821 out of Crawford and Edwards counties. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 22,661. The 2020 Census counted 15,280, 67% of the peak. Census Bureau
1956
A tornado in February 1956 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1996
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lawrence County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Lawrence County scores higher than all four counties that border it, in Illinois and Indiana. Of the group, Lawrence County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County, IL | 52 | 14.7% | 38.5% |
| Wabash County, IL | 49 | 14.1% | 28.0% |
| Knox County, IN | 46 | 11.9% | 31.1% |
| Richland County, IL | 28 | 13.0% | 28.9% |
| Crawford County, IL | 27 | 14.5% | 24.2% |
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 Lawrence County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Lawrence County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 20th 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, Lawrence County ranks 23rd of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lawrence 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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Erba Lawrence County Outreach Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.