In Montgomery County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Montgomery County, 17.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montgomery County's score
In Montgomery County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 58.5. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 25.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montgomery 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.
Montgomery 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.
- 58.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.6% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
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- 49.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.7% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance4.5% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,882 · 202461st percentile
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- 44.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.1% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 30.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.6% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people72.3 · 202520th percentile
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- 25.3 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 rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, 21.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Montgomery County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Montgomery County had its largest rise, from 21.6% in 2004 to 26.9% in 2009.
In Montgomery County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Montgomery County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.8% in 2021 to 17.3% in 2022.
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2023 and has since fallen to 15.4%
Low on the chart: 8.5% 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, Montgomery County, Illinois.
How Montgomery County has changed
Montgomery County's population had its largest drop, from 29,517 in 2014 to 28,547 in 2019.
Montgomery County's population fell 9% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 32,023 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Montgomery County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County had its largest rise, from 9,647 in 1995 to 11,159 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 11,159 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montgomery County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.0% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,799 | 2024 $62,882 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Montgomery County's history
1821
Formed in 1821 out of Bond and Madison counties. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 41,403. The 2020 Census counted 28,288, 68% of the peak. Census Bureau
1956
A tornado in April 1956 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A tornado in June 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2002
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montgomery County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Montgomery County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Montgomery County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Montgomery County ranks 5th of the eight; Bond County is highest, at 29.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macoupin County, IL | 41 | 10.6% | 28.5% |
| Madison County, IL | 40 | 9.6% | 22.8% |
| Sangamon County, IL | 39 | 9.7% | 21.5% |
| Christian County, IL | 35 | 12.2% | 28.6% |
| Montgomery County, IL | 35 | 14.6% | 27.9% |
| Fayette County, IL | 34 | 15.3% | 29.4% |
| Bond County, IL | 25 | 12.6% | 29.7% |
| Shelby County, IL | 8 | 8.8% | 26.0% |
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 Montgomery County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 22nd 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, Montgomery County ranks 51st of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.