About one in five people in McDonough County, Illinois, lives below the poverty line
In McDonough County, 18.6% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives McDonough County's score
In McDonough County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 72.0. People with a car or retail loan behind: 8.6%, August 2025, higher than in 86% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 60.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McDonough 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.
McDonough County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (17.9%, fiscal year 2027) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (18.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.4% · second quarter of 202647th percentile
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- 60.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.6% · 202482nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.8% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,276 · 202463rd percentile
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- 56.5 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 rent27.2% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.2% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 37.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.9% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people108.1 · 202540th 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 McDonough 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 McDonough County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McDonough County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McDonough County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In McDonough County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McDonough County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.2% in 2013 to 13.4% in 2014.
The share of households in McDonough County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.2%
High on the chart: 14.8% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McDonough County, Illinois.
How McDonough County has changed
McDonough County's population had its largest rise, from 36,009 in 1969 to 40,592 in 1974.
McDonough County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1974 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 40,592 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McDonough County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in McDonough County had its largest drop, from 15,247 in 2000 to 12,115 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in McDonough County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 15,247 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McDonough County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.4% | 2024 18.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,669 | 2024 $62,276 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 McDonough County's history
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 37,467. The 2020 Census counted 27,238, 73% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1999
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McDonough County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
McDonough County beside its neighbors
McDonough County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, McDonough County ranks 4th of the six; Fulton County is highest, at 30.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonough County, IL | 60 | 18.6% | 26.1% |
| Henderson County, IL | 47 | 13.4% | 28.2% |
| Fulton County, IL | 41 | 14.0% | 30.7% |
| Schuyler County, IL | 37 | 13.1% | 25.7% |
| Warren County, IL | 30 | 14.0% | 24.4% |
| Hancock County, IL | 18 | 10.9% | 26.3% |
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 McDonough County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, McDonough County's poverty rate was 18.6% in 2024, 5th 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, McDonough County ranks 16th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McDonough 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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Prairie State Legal Services
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 McDonough 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 McDonough County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.