In Ogle County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Ogle County, 16.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ogle County's score
In Ogle County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 56.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 18.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ogle 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, Ogle County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 56.2 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 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
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- 46.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.4% · August 202524th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people173.6 · 202567th percentile
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- 28.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.2% · second quarter of 202622nd percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.4% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,221 · 202420th percentile
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- 18.3 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 rent14.5% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.2% · fiscal year 20277th 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 Ogle 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 Ogle County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ogle County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ogle County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 21.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Ogle County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 21.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ogle County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.2% in 2022 to 10.7% in 2023.
The share of households in Ogle County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10.7%
High on the chart: 11.1% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ogle County, Illinois.
How Ogle County has changed
Ogle County's population had its largest rise, from 45,845 in 1989 to 48,725 in 1994.
Ogle County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 51,345
High on the chart: 53,621 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ogle County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Ogle County rose most sharply from its first year (14,175 in 1990) to 17,043 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Ogle County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 17,582 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ogle County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.3% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,085 | 2024 $80,221 |
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 Ogle County's history
1972
A tornado in April 1972 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
A tornado in August 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 53,497. The 2020 Census counted 51,788, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2015
A tornado in April 2015 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ogle County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ogle County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Ogle County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ogle County ranks 6th of the seven; Carroll County is highest, at 29.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnebago County, IL | 74 | 14.8% | 25.5% |
| DeKalb County, IL | 50 | 11.6% | 20.5% |
| Stephenson County, IL | 44 | 14.1% | 27.8% |
| Whiteside County, IL | 35 | 10.0% | 27.8% |
| Lee County, IL | 28 | 11.5% | 26.2% |
| Carroll County, IL | 25 | 14.6% | 29.2% |
| Ogle County, IL | 23 | 9.6% | 21.9% |
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 Ogle County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Ogle County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 75th 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, Ogle County ranks 80th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ogle 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.
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 Ogle County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.