About one in 11 people in Marshall County, Illinois, lives below the poverty line
In Marshall County, 9.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marshall County's score
In Marshall County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 69.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 23.9. About one in 29 people (3.5%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marshall 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.
Even so, Marshall County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
-
- 36.2 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 rent16.3% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd percentile
-
- 26.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202517th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.6% · second quarter of 202640th percentile
-
- 25.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.4% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77 · 202523rd percentile
-
- 23.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.2% · 202416th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.1% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance3.5% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,927 · 202427th 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County, 24.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marshall County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Marshall County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 26.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Marshall County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 26.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.3% in 2013 to 6.8% in 2014.
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2014, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 6.8% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Marshall County, Illinois.
How Marshall County has changed
Marshall County's population fell 13% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 13,901 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marshall County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County had its largest drop, from 3,552 in 2005 to 3,131 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 3,552 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marshall County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.5% | 2024 9.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,590 | 2024 $75,927 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Marshall County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,370. The 2020 Census counted 11,742, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
1972
A tornado in July 1972 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in April 2013 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in April 2013 did $5.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1974
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marshall County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marshall County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Marshall County, three score higher. Of the group, Marshall County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (26.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peoria County, IL | 69 | 15.3% | 21.0% |
| Stark County, IL | 55 | 10.5% | 25.0% |
| LaSalle County, IL | 41 | 12.8% | 23.9% |
| Marshall County, IL | 26 | 9.2% | 26.4% |
| Putnam County, IL | 24 | 7.7% | 19.3% |
| Bureau County, IL | 18 | 9.2% | 26.0% |
| 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 Marshall County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Marshall County's poverty rate was 9.2% in 2024, 81st 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, Marshall County ranks 72nd of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marshall 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.
-
Prairie State Legal Services
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 Marshall 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 Marshall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.