Unemployment in Macon County, Illinois, is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Macon County, 5.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Macon County's score
In Macon County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 77.4. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 70.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Macon 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.
Macon County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (4.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (14.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.7% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 70.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.5% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people214.7 · 202578th percentile
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- 65.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.6% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.6% · second quarter of 202668th percentile
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- 52.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.7% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.4% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,679 · 202461st percentile
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- 46.9 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 rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd 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 Macon 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 Macon County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Macon County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Macon County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 25.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Macon County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.8%; 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 Macon County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 19.8%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 19.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Macon County, Illinois.
How Macon County has changed
Macon County's population had its largest drop, from 126,033 in 1984 to 117,723 in 1989.
Macon County's population fell by about a fifth to 100,737, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 132,364 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Macon County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Macon County had its largest drop, from 57,446 in 2000 to 52,085 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Macon County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 57,446 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Macon County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.5% | 2024 16.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,219 | 2024 $62,679 |
The table uses 5.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.9% 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 Macon County's history
1829
Macon County was formed on January 19, 1829, out of Shelby County. Wikipedia
1838
Potawatomi Trail of Death passed through Decatur in 1838. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1976
A tornado in March 1976 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 131,375. The 2020 Census counted 103,998, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A tornado in April 1996 did $9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in August 2014 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Macon County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Macon County beside its neighbors
Macon County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Macon County ranks 4th of the eight; Christian County is highest, at 28.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macon County, IL | 71 | 16.7% | 25.8% |
| Sangamon County, IL | 39 | 9.7% | 21.5% |
| Logan County, IL | 39 | 11.3% | 27.4% |
| Christian County, IL | 35 | 12.2% | 28.6% |
| De Witt County, IL | 17 | 9.9% | 23.6% |
| Moultrie County, IL | 15 | 9.3% | 18.1% |
| Shelby County, IL | 8 | 8.8% | 26.0% |
| Piatt County, IL | 5 | 6.9% | 18.8% |
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 Macon County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Macon County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 11th 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, Macon County ranks 9th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Macon 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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Community Investment Corporation of Decatur, Inc
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.
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 Macon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.