In Moultrie County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Moultrie County, 14.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Moultrie County's score
In Moultrie County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 41.9. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 14.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Moultrie 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, Moultrie County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (14.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 41.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202640th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.6% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
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- 35.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.3% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability13.1% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance14.1% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,303 · 202426th percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.1% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people111.6 · 202541st percentile
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- 20.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.1% · second quarter of 202633rd percentile
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- 14.1 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 rent13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.6% · fiscal year 20275th or lower 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 Moultrie 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 Moultrie County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Moultrie County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Moultrie County had its largest rise, from 13.0% in 2004 to 19.9% in 2009.
In Moultrie County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 18.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Moultrie County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Moultrie County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.7% in 2017 to 7.6% in 2018.
The share of households in Moultrie County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 5.1% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Moultrie County, Illinois.
How Moultrie County has changed
Moultrie County's population rose 8% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 14,820 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Moultrie County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Moultrie County nearly doubled to 5,171, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 4,961. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Moultrie County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 9.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,561 | 2024 $76,303 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Moultrie County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,224. The 2020 Census counted 14,526, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
1998
Hail in April 1998 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A thunderstorm in July 2010 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1990
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Moultrie County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Moultrie County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Moultrie County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Moultrie County ranks 5th of the six; Shelby County is highest, at 26.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macon County, IL | 71 | 16.7% | 25.8% |
| Coles County, IL | 52 | 14.5% | 25.1% |
| Moultrie County, IL | 15 | 9.3% | 18.1% |
| Douglas County, IL | 14 | 7.8% | 18.0% |
| Shelby County, IL | 8 | 8.8% | 26.0% |
| Piatt County, IL | 5 | 6.9% | 18.8% |
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 Moultrie County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Moultrie County's poverty rate was 9.3% in 2024, 79th 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, Moultrie County ranks 88th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Moultrie 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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C.e.f.s. Moultrie County Outreach Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Moultrie 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 Moultrie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.