Unemployment in Rock Island County, Illinois, is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties
In Rock Island County, 5.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rock Island County's score
In Rock Island County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 59.4. People with a credit card behind: 6.8%, August 2025, higher than in 69% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 59.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rock Island 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.
Rock Island County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.8%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (6.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.1% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
-
- 59.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
-
- 49.9 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 rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th percentile
-
- 45.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.9% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people104.8 · 202538th percentile
-
- 45.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.2% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,335 · 202448th 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 Rock Island 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 Rock Island County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Rock Island County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Rock Island County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 24.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Rock Island County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rock Island County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.3% in 2012 to 11.7% in 2013.
The share of households in Rock Island County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15.9%
High on the chart: 16.2% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Rock Island County, Illinois.
How Rock Island County has changed
Rock Island County's population fell 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 168,370 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rock Island County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Rock Island County had its largest rise, from 75,297 in 1995 to 80,234 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Rock Island County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 80,234 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rock Island County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.0% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,458 | 2024 $67,335 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Rock Island County's history
1831
Formed in 1831 out of Jo Daviess County. Wikipedia
1862
Rock Island Arsenal established 1862 by U.S. Army. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 166,734. The 2020 Census counted 144,672, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
1981
A tornado in April 1981 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flood in April 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning in June 1999 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in April 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1965
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rock Island County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Rock Island County beside its neighbors
Rock Island County scores higher than all seven counties that border it, in Illinois and Iowa. For the share of income from benefit checks, Rock Island County ranks 3rd of the eight; Whiteside County is highest, at 27.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Island County, IL | 53 | 12.6% | 24.7% |
| Clinton County, IA | 40 | 13.0% | 27.5% |
| Whiteside County, IL | 35 | 10.0% | 27.8% |
| Muscatine County, IA | 31 | 13.3% | 22.7% |
| Scott County, IA | 30 | 11.7% | 19.6% |
| Henry County, IL | 18 | 9.4% | 21.7% |
| Louisa County, IA | 15 | 9.5% | 24.2% |
| Mercer County, IL | 14 | 9.1% | 24.4% |
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 Rock Island County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Rock Island County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 50th 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, Rock Island County ranks 21st of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rock Island 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.
-
Economic Growth Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Prairie State Legal Services
Legal aid
-
Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO)
Legal help website
-
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 Rock Island 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 Rock Island County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.