Benefit checks make up 36 cents of every dollar of income in Marion County, Illinois
In Marion County, 36.0% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marion County's score
In Marion County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 72.5. Unemployment averaged 4.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 79% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 65.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marion 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.
Marion County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.1%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (6.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202679th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.3% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
-
- 65.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.7% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people190.9 · 202572nd percentile
-
- 60.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.4% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.2% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability19.1% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,813 · 202464th percentile
-
- 53.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.1% · second quarter of 202677th percentile
-
- 40.6 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 rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.1% · fiscal year 202722nd percentile
-
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 Marion 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 Marion County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marion County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Marion County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 39% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Marion County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 16.5% in 2010 to 17.8% in 2011; 21.0% in 2019 to 19.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 19.8%
High on the chart: 21.0% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Marion County, Illinois.
How Marion County has changed
Marion County's population had its largest rise, from 40,574 in 1974 to 44,025 in 1979.
Marion County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 44,139 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marion County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Marion County had its largest drop, from 17,123 in 2000 to 13,508 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Marion County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 17,123 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marion County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.3% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.1% | 2024 14.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,070 | 2024 $61,813 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Marion County's history
1823
Marion County was organized on January 24, 1823, from portions of Jefferson and Fayette counties. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 47,989. The 2020 Census counted 37,729, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A tornado in April 1996 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in May 2002 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in December 2015 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A tornado in March 2023 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1990
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marion County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marion County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Marion County, one scores higher. Of the group, Marion County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (36.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, IL | 65 | 12.9% | 30.9% |
| Marion County, IL | 63 | 14.4% | 36.0% |
| Wayne County, IL | 41 | 14.3% | 28.8% |
| Fayette County, IL | 34 | 15.3% | 29.4% |
| Clay County, IL | 33 | 14.0% | 33.9% |
| Clinton County, IL | 5 | 8.0% | 21.2% |
| Washington County, IL | 4 | 7.3% | 23.1% |
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 Marion County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Marion County's poverty rate was 14.4% in 2024, 27th 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, Marion County ranks 14th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marion 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.
-
Land of Lincoln Legal Aid
Legal aid
-
Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO)
Legal help website
-
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 Marion 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 Marion County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.