Unemployment in Mason County, Illinois, is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties
In Mason County, 4.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 75% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mason County's score
In Mason County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 64.0. Housing costs come next, at 55.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mason 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.
Mason County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (3.9%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (17.4%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 55.6 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 rent35.5% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.4% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
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- 54.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.1% · August 202538th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people183.7 · 202570th percentile
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- 49.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.5% · 202452nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.6% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability17.9% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,300 · 202457th percentile
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- 46.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.4% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.5% · second quarter of 202658th 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 Mason 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 Mason County, 23.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mason County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mason County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 30.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Mason County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 30.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mason County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (11.0% in 2009) to 13.9% in 2010.
The share of households in Mason County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 15.5%
Low on the chart: 11.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mason County, Illinois.
How Mason County has changed
Mason County's population had its largest rise, from 17,682 in 1974 to 19,530 in 1979.
Mason County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 19,530 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mason County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Mason County had its largest rise, from 3,144 in 1990 to 3,676 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Mason County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 28% since
High on the chart: 3,947 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mason County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 13.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,425 | 2024 $64,300 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Mason County's history
1841
Mason County was created in 1841 out of portions of Tazewell and Menard counties. Wikipedia
1967
A tornado in January 1967 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1968
A tornado in May 1968 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 19,492. The 2020 Census counted 13,086, 67% of the peak. Census Bureau
1981
A tornado in April 1981 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in April 2013 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mason County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mason County beside its neighbors
Mason County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mason County ranks 2nd of the seven; Fulton County is highest, at 30.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mason County, IL | 56 | 13.5% | 30.5% |
| Fulton County, IL | 41 | 14.0% | 30.7% |
| Logan County, IL | 39 | 11.3% | 27.4% |
| Cass County, IL | 38 | 12.1% | 26.2% |
| Schuyler County, IL | 37 | 13.1% | 25.7% |
| Tazewell County, IL | 25 | 8.3% | 21.4% |
| Menard County, IL | 13 | 8.4% | 22.8% |
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 Mason County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Mason County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 39th 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, Mason County ranks 18th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mason 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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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 Mason County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.