Benefit checks make up 41 cents of every dollar of income in Pope County, Illinois
In Pope County, 41.2% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pope County's score
In Pope County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.7. Unemployment averaged 5.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 92% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 64.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pope 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.
Pope County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (1.7%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (3.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.7% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
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- 64.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.5% · 202473rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.4% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability24.1% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance3.1% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,892 · 202486th percentile
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- 43.9 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 rent3.7% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.8% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.7% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.7% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 20.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.8% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people54 · 202511th 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 Pope 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 Pope County, 29.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pope County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Pope County had its largest rise, from 31.0% in 2014 to 38.7% in 2019.
In Pope County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 41.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Pope County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pope County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.1% in 2010 to 13.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Pope County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 9.1%
Biggest drop: 2021 to 2022, reaching 11.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pope County, Illinois.
How Pope County has changed
Pope County's population had its largest drop, from 4,220 in 2014 to 3,825 in 2019.
Pope County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 4,587 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pope County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Pope County had its largest rise, from 694 in 1995 to 823 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Pope County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 823 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pope County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.0% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.2% | 2024 16.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,368 | 2024 $52,892 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.9% 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 Pope County's history
1816
Formed in 1816 from portions of Gallatin and Johnson Counties. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 13,585. The 2020 Census counted 3,763, 28% of the peak. Census Bureau
1972
A tornado in April 1972 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pope County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pope County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Pope County, in Illinois and Kentucky, three score higher. Of the group, Pope County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (41.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County, IL | 84 | 18.0% | 36.1% |
| Livingston County, KY | 78 | 13.0% | 37.5% |
| Hardin County, IL | 59 | 17.9% | 38.5% |
| Pope County, IL | 50 | 16.5% | 41.2% |
| Massac County, IL | 42 | 15.2% | 36.2% |
| Johnson County, IL | 29 | 14.6% | 30.8% |
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 Pope County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Pope County's poverty rate was 16.5% in 2024, 12th 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, Pope County ranks 24th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pope 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.
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 Pope County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.