In Livingston County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Livingston County, 15.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Livingston County's score
In Livingston County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 41.0. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 15.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Livingston 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.
Livingston 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.
- 41.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.7% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people141.6 · 202556th percentile
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- 39.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 38.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.3% · second quarter of 202646th percentile
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- 30.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.9% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,043 · 202427th percentile
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- 15.5 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 rent13.6% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.7% · fiscal year 20275th 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 Livingston 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 Livingston County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Livingston County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Livingston County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Livingston County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Livingston County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 14.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 12.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Livingston County, Illinois.
How Livingston County has changed
Livingston County's population had its largest drop, from 39,054 in 2009 to 37,189 in 2014.
Livingston County's population fell 13% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 41,533 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Livingston County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Livingston County had its largest rise, from 13,568 in 1995 to 15,819 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Livingston County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 15,819 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Livingston County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.1% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.2% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,243 | 2024 $76,043 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Livingston County's history
1830
Valentine Darnell and wife Rachel became first white settlers in 1830. Wikipedia
1837
Livingston was established on February 27, 1837, formed from parts of McLean, LaSalle, and Iroquois counties. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 42,035. The 2020 Census counted 35,815, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in June 2010 did $3 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Lightning in July 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in December 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Livingston County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Livingston County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Livingston County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Livingston County ranks 3rd of the seven; Kankakee County is highest, at 27.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kankakee County, IL | 69 | 13.1% | 27.2% |
| LaSalle County, IL | 41 | 12.8% | 23.9% |
| Grundy County, IL | 34 | 5.8% | 16.3% |
| Ford County, IL | 27 | 9.3% | 20.6% |
| McLean County, IL | 21 | 11.6% | 14.9% |
| Livingston County, IL | 20 | 12.2% | 22.4% |
| Woodford County, IL | 5 | 5.5% | 16.9% |
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 Livingston County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Livingston County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 53rd 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, Livingston County ranks 82nd of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Livingston 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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Mid Central Community Action of Pontiac
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Livingston 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 Livingston County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.