In Massac County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Massac County, 17.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Massac County's score
In Massac County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 59.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 15.1. About one in 10 renters (9.9%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Massac 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.
Massac 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.
- 59.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.2% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.6% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability17.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,637 · 202447th percentile
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- 58.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.4% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people139.1 · 202555th percentile
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- 58.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.2% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 37.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.4% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 15.1 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 rent9.9% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.6% · fiscal year 202718th 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 Massac 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 Massac County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Massac County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Massac County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 36% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Massac County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Massac County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2021 low, from 16.0% in 2020 to 12.9% in 2021.
The share of households in Massac County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 17.1%
Low on the chart: 12.9% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Massac County, Illinois.
How Massac County has changed
Massac County's population had its largest rise, from 13,806 in 1974 to 15,204 in 1979.
Massac County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 15,444 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Massac County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Massac County had its largest rise, from 3,220 in 1990 to 4,441 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Massac County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 41% since
High on the chart: 4,809 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Massac County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 15.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,947 | 2024 $67,637 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Massac County's history
1843
Formally organized February 8, 1843, from territory of Johnson and Pope counties. Wikipedia
1987
A thunderstorm in May 1987 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $10 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 15,429. The 2020 Census counted 14,169, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in May 2011 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A tornado in November 2013 did $5.5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Massac County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Massac County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Massac County, in Illinois and Kentucky, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Massac County ranks 4th of the six; Pulaski County is highest, at 45.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulaski County, IL | 84 | 21.7% | 45.8% |
| Livingston County, KY | 78 | 13.0% | 37.5% |
| McCracken County, KY | 66 | 13.9% | 23.7% |
| Pope County, IL | 50 | 16.5% | 41.2% |
| Massac County, IL | 42 | 15.2% | 36.2% |
| Johnson County, IL | 29 | 14.6% | 30.8% |
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 Massac County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Massac County's poverty rate was 15.2% in 2024, 17th 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, Massac County ranks 34th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Massac 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.
Download the CSV for Massac 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 Massac County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.