Marion County, Illinois

County Distress Index: Elevated · 58.5 | 36,673 people · 8th most distressed in Illinois

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Marion County, IL registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 58.5 — 943rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Illinois, it ranks 8th of 102 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Marion County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 72.6 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 72.6
Poverty Rate 68
Income vs. State Median 87
Child Poverty Rate 63
Employment & Wages 68.2
Unemployment Rate 87
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 24
Business Formation Rate 94
Community Vulnerability 54.8
Uninsured Rate 36
Disability Rate 74
Housing Cost Burden 49.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 53
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 54
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 52
Homeownership Rate 50
Rent-to-Income Ratio 40
Debt & Delinquency 47.0
Debt in Collections 59
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 60
Auto Loan Delinquency 44
Credit Card Delinquency 40
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 72

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Marion County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Marion County
Marion County, IL 58.5 Elevated
Jefferson County, IL 58.7 Elevated +0.3
Wayne County, IL 53.4 Elevated -5.0
Fayette County, IL 52.7 Elevated -5.8
Clay County, IL 47.3 Normal -11.2
Clinton County, IL 30.9 Healthy -27.6
Washington County, IL 23.9 Healthy -34.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Marion County
Tift County, GA 58.5 Elevated 0.0
Delta County, CO 58.5 Elevated +0.0
Des Moines County, IA 58.5 Elevated +0.0
Obion County, TN 58.5 Elevated +0.0
Howard County, TX 58.4 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

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Find Help in Marion County

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Illinois State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Marion County residents at no cost.

Self-Help Resources

Illinois Legal Aid Online — Foreclosure Comprehensive self-help guides for Illinois foreclosure
IHDA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

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