In Randolph County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Randolph County, 16.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Randolph County's score
In Randolph County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 59.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 23.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Randolph 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, Randolph County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (22.2%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (221.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.4% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people221.4 · 202580th percentile
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- 55.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.5% · 202451st percentile
- People with a disability22.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,513 · 202450th percentile
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- 42.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
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- 41.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.2% · second quarter of 202646th percentile
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- 23.7 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 rent15.7% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.8% · fiscal year 202711th 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County, 21.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Randolph County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Randolph County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 30.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Randolph County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Randolph County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.8% in 2020 to 10.7% in 2021.
The share of households in Randolph County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2014, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 8.9% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Randolph County, Illinois.
How Randolph County has changed
Randolph County's population had its largest rise, from 32,523 in 1974 to 35,208 in 1979.
Randolph County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 35,461 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Randolph County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Randolph County fell 10% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
High on the chart: 12,989 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Randolph County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.3% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,435 | 2024 $66,513 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Randolph County's history
1795
Organized in 1795, the second county formed in the Illinois Territory, after Virginia and Pennsylvania ceded their land claims and the Continental Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance on July 13, 1787. Wikipedia
1881
Kaskaskia separated from Illinois by 1881 Mississippi flood. Wikipedia
1961
A tornado in March 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 35,652. The 2020 Census counted 30,163, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in April 1985 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A tornado in April 1985 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A tornado in October 2021 did $3.04 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Randolph County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Randolph County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Randolph County, in Illinois and Missouri, three score higher. Of the group, Randolph County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (30.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, IL | 79 | 20.5% | 27.7% |
| St. Clair County, IL | 67 | 12.7% | 25.9% |
| Perry County, IL | 42 | 15.2% | 29.0% |
| Randolph County, IL | 40 | 14.7% | 30.3% |
| Perry County, MO | 28 | 11.5% | 27.0% |
| Ste. Genevieve County, MO | 11 | 9.8% | 25.5% |
| Washington County, IL | 4 | 7.3% | 23.1% |
| Monroe County, IL | 0 | 4.7% | 16.7% |
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 Randolph County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Randolph County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 20th 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, Randolph County ranks 42nd of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Randolph 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.