In Shelby County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Shelby County, 15.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Shelby County's score
In Shelby County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 33.1. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 12.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Shelby 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.
Shelby County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 33.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.8% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
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- 26.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.2% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 24.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.4% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people72.9 · 202521st percentile
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- 21.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.8% · 202413th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.0% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,612 · 202428th percentile
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- 12.1 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 rent12.7% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.0% · fiscal year 20273rd 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 Shelby 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 Shelby County, 23.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Shelby County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Shelby County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Shelby County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Shelby County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 14.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2015 to 2016, reaching 12.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Shelby County, Illinois.
How Shelby County has changed
Shelby County's population had its largest drop, from 23,294 in 1984 to 22,357 in 1989.
Shelby County's population fell 10% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 23,632 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Shelby County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Shelby County had its largest rise, from 5,085 in 1995 to 5,751 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Shelby County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 5,751 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Shelby County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.0% | 2024 8.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,104 | 2024 $75,612 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Shelby County's history
1827
Established in 1827 out of Fayette County. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 32,126. The 2020 Census counted 20,990, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
1977
A tornado in August 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A thunderstorm in June 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Lightning in May 2013 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A flash flood in March 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1990
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Shelby County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Shelby County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Shelby County, seven score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Shelby County ranks 4th of the nine; Fayette County is highest, at 29.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macon County, IL | 71 | 16.7% | 25.8% |
| Coles County, IL | 52 | 14.5% | 25.1% |
| Christian County, IL | 35 | 12.2% | 28.6% |
| Montgomery County, IL | 35 | 14.6% | 27.9% |
| Fayette County, IL | 34 | 15.3% | 29.4% |
| Moultrie County, IL | 15 | 9.3% | 18.1% |
| Cumberland County, IL | 12 | 9.8% | 13.5% |
| Shelby County, IL | 8 | 8.8% | 26.0% |
| Effingham County, IL | 5 | 8.1% | 19.0% |
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 Shelby County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Shelby County's poverty rate was 8.8% in 2024, 84th 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, Shelby County ranks 95th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Shelby 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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C.e.f.s. Shelby County Outreach Office
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Shelby 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 Shelby County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.