About one in 10 people in Madison County, Illinois, lives below the poverty line
In Madison County, 9.6% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 57.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 26.0. About one in 21 people (4.7%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison 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.
Madison 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.
- 57.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202748th percentile
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- 53.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.3% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people160.6 · 202563rd percentile
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- 44.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.1% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 39.8 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 working16.7% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 26.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.5% · 202425th percentile
- People with a disability15.8% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,648 · 202422nd 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 Madison 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 Madison 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
Madison County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Madison County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 9.2% in 2010 to 12.2% in 2013, 1.0 points each year.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half to 13.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 10.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Madison County, Illinois.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population rose 6% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1989 and 1994
High on the chart: 268,978 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Madison County rose by about a quarter to 107,517, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 107,517. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.0% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,737 | 2024 $78,648 |
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 Madison County's history
1812
Madison County was established on September 14, 1812, formed from parts of Randolph and St. Clair counties. Wikipedia
1981
A tornado in April 1981 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
A tornado in May 1983 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
EPA ranked Madison County as second-highest cancer risk from air pollution in 2009. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 269,282. The 2020 Census counted 265,859, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2019
A flood in June 2019 did $24.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A tornado in December 2021 did $5 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the nine counties that border Madison County, in Illinois and Missouri, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 6th of the 10; Bond County is highest, at 29.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis city, MO | 93 | 21.8% | 22.4% |
| St. Clair County, IL | 67 | 12.7% | 25.9% |
| Macoupin County, IL | 41 | 10.6% | 28.5% |
| Madison County, IL | 40 | 9.6% | 22.8% |
| St. Louis County, MO | 40 | 9.8% | 13.1% |
| Montgomery County, IL | 35 | 14.6% | 27.9% |
| Jersey County, IL | 26 | 9.5% | 25.4% |
| Bond County, IL | 25 | 12.6% | 29.7% |
| St. Charles County, MO | 7 | 6.3% | 15.6% |
| Clinton County, IL | 5 | 8.0% | 21.2% |
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 Madison County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 75th 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, Madison County ranks 44th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison 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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Madison County Urban League
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 Madison 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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.