Unemployment in Peoria County, Illinois, is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties

In Peoria County, 5.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 85% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
10th
of 102 counties in Illinois
69score /100

More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.

What drives Peoria County's score

In Peoria County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 72.2. About one in four renters (25.2%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 87% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 65.3.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Peoria 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.

Peoria County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.8%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (14.1%, 2020 to 2024).

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Housing costs

    Biggest factor
    72.2 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      25.2% · 2020 to 2024
      87th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      21.3% · fiscal year 2027
      56th percentile

  • Jobs

    65.3 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      87th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      19.6% · 2020 to 2024
      43rd percentile

  • Late payments

    62.4 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      5.8% · August 2025
      56th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      7.3% · August 2025
      77th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      41.1% · second quarter of 2026
      53rd percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    57.5 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      24.1% · August 2025
      53rd percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      154.4 · 2025
      61st percentile

  • Income and safety net

    47.9 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      15.3% · 2024
      66th percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      20.5% · 2024
      66th percentile
    • People with a disability
      14.1% · 2020 to 2024
      31st percentile
    • People without health insurance
      5.8% · 2020 to 2024
      29th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $68,190 · 2024
      45th percentile

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 Peoria 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 Peoria County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Peoria County

60 19 21

Illinois

62 21 17

United States

61 21 18
  • Pay from work
  • Investments and rent
  • Benefit checks
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, 2024. Pay from work is total income minus the other two, so the three add to 100.

In Peoria County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks

In Peoria County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.

  • Benefit checks
  • Pay from work
0%40%80% 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0%40%80% 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, Peoria County, Illinois American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/illinois/peoria-county-il/
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SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.

The share of households in Peoria County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 18.0%, the highest on the chart

Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 17.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Peoria County, Illinois.

0%10%20% 9.0%18.0% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%10%20% 9.0%18.0% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/illinois/peoria-county-il/
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How Peoria County has changed

Peoria County's population fell 8% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984

High on the chart: 200,592 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Peoria County, Illinois.

0150,000300,000 195,298179,630 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0150,000300,000 195,298179,630 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/illinois/peoria-county-il/
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The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.

The number of jobs located in Peoria County rose 10% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995

High on the chart: 102,814 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Peoria County, Illinois.

0100,000200,000 92,787101,809 19901995200020052010201520202025 0100,000200,000 92,787101,809 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/illinois/peoria-county-il/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 5.2% 2025 5.3% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 11.7% 2024 15.3% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $29,201 2024 $68,190 Census SAIPE

Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.

Dated events in Peoria County's history

  1. 1825

    Formed in 1825 out of Fulton County. Wikipedia

  2. 1980

    The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 200,466. The 2020 Census counted 181,830, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau

  3. 2010

    A tornado in June 2010 did $85 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 2013

    A flash flood in April 2013 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  5. 2013

    A flood in May 2013 did $28 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  6. 2013

    A flash flood in June 2013 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  7. Since 1973

    15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Peoria County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA

Peoria County beside its neighbors

Peoria County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Peoria County ranks 6th of the seven; Knox County is highest, at 33.9%.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Peoria County, IL 69 10th of 102 15.3% 21.0%
Knox County, IL 62 15th of 102 15.7% 33.9%
Stark County, IL 55 19th of 102 10.5% 25.0%
Fulton County, IL 41 38th of 102 14.0% 30.7%
Marshall County, IL 26 72nd of 102 9.2% 26.4%
Tazewell County, IL 25 75th of 102 8.3% 21.4%
Woodford County, IL 5 100th of 102 5.5% 16.9%

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 Peoria County the poorest county in Illinois?

No, Peoria County's poverty rate was 15.3% in 2024, 15th 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, Peoria County ranks 10th of 102 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Peoria 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.

Illinois foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Peoria County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Peoria County, Illinois, scores 69 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): more distressed than 69% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/illinois/peoria-county-il/

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 Peoria County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.