In Schuyler County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Schuyler County, 17.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Schuyler County's score
In Schuyler County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 79.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 11.3. About one in 14 renters (7.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Schuyler 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, Schuyler County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.1% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
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- 54.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.1% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.7% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability18.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,481 · 202456th percentile
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- 53.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.6% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 14.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.7% · August 202521st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people44.6 · 20257th percentile
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- 11.3 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 rent7.3% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.3% · fiscal year 202715th 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 Schuyler 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 Schuyler County, 25.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Schuyler County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Schuyler County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Schuyler County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Schuyler County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 9.6% in 2019 to 7.3% in 2020.
The share of households in Schuyler County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half to 11.6%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 7.3% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Schuyler County, Illinois.
How Schuyler County has changed
Schuyler County's population fell 18% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 7,479. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Schuyler County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Schuyler County had its largest drop, from 2,331 in 1990 to 1,654 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Schuyler County fell by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 1,715, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 1,447 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Schuyler County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.5% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.3% | 2024 13.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,584 | 2024 $64,481 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Schuyler County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,129. The 2020 Census counted 6,902, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
1981
A tornado in June 1981 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in March 1998 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in April 2013 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Schuyler County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Schuyler County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Schuyler County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Schuyler County ranks 6th of the eight; Fulton County is highest, at 30.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonough County, IL | 60 | 18.6% | 26.1% |
| Mason County, IL | 56 | 13.5% | 30.5% |
| Fulton County, IL | 41 | 14.0% | 30.7% |
| Cass County, IL | 38 | 12.1% | 26.2% |
| Schuyler County, IL | 37 | 13.1% | 25.7% |
| Adams County, IL | 33 | 13.3% | 23.6% |
| Brown County, IL | 28 | 13.8% | 21.1% |
| Hancock County, IL | 18 | 10.9% | 26.3% |
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 Schuyler County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Schuyler County's poverty rate was 13.1% in 2024, 43rd 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, Schuyler County ranks 48th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Schuyler 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 Schuyler 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 Schuyler County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.