About one in four people in Saline County, Illinois, has a disability
In Saline County, 23.9% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Saline County's score
In Saline County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.4. About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 (29.3%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 88% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 73.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Saline 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.
Saline County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.4%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202670th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.3% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 73.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.0% · 202480th percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.0% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability23.9% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,561 · 202481st percentile
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- 69.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.0% · second quarter of 202679th percentile
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- 66.4 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 rent26.0% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
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- 62.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.8% · August 202563rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people157.4 · 202562nd 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 Saline 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 Saline County, 21.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Saline County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Saline County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 36.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Saline County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Saline County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 21.3% in 2014 to 24.2% in 2015.
The share of households in Saline County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 26.2%
High on the chart: 27.0% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Saline County, Illinois.
How Saline County has changed
Saline County's population had its largest drop, from 28,698 in 1984 to 26,919 in 1989.
Saline County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 28,698 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Saline County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Saline County had its largest rise in the last span, from 7,348 in 2020 to 8,189 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Saline County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990, after reaching its lowest on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 7,348 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Saline County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.7% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.8% | 2024 18.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,942 | 2024 $55,561 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Saline County's history
1847
Established in 1847 from part of Gallatin County. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 38,353. The 2020 Census counted 23,768, 62% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
A flood in March 2008 did $16.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A thunderstorm in May 2009 did $4.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in February 2012 did $2 million in property damage and killed eight people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in May 2017 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1996
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Saline County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Saline County beside its neighbors
Saline County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Saline County ranks 4th of the eight; Pope County is highest, at 41.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County, IL | 84 | 18.0% | 36.1% |
| Franklin County, IL | 82 | 16.4% | 35.0% |
| Hardin County, IL | 59 | 17.9% | 38.5% |
| Pope County, IL | 50 | 16.5% | 41.2% |
| Gallatin County, IL | 48 | 17.5% | 36.3% |
| Williamson County, IL | 48 | 12.3% | 25.2% |
| Hamilton County, IL | 33 | 10.5% | 29.8% |
| 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 Saline County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Saline County's poverty rate was 18.0% in 2024, 6th 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, Saline County ranks 3rd of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Saline 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 Saline 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 Saline County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.