About one in five people in Union County, Illinois, has a disability
In Union County, 21.1% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Union County's score
In Union County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 75.3. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (25.7%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 77% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 67.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Union 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.
Union County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (78, 2025) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.7% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.2% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.0% · 202464th percentile
- People with a disability21.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,887 · 202473rd percentile
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- 53.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202539th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.4% · second quarter of 202664th percentile
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- 37.4 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 rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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- 32.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.9% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people78 · 202524th 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 Union 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 Union County, 22.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Union County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Union County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 35.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Union County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Union County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.7% in 2022 to 18.1% in 2023.
The share of households in Union County getting SNAP food aid rose by about a fifth from 2009 to 2023, reaching 18.1%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 18.1% 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, Union County, Illinois.
How Union County has changed
Union County's population had its largest rise, from 16,872 in 1979 to 18,266 in 1984.
Union County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 18,353 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Union County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Union County made its largest gain on the way to its 2000 high, from 5,209 in 1995 to 5,666 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Union County fell 8% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 5,666 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Union County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.6% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.5% | 2024 17.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,164 | 2024 $58,887 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Union County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 22,610. The 2020 Census counted 17,244, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1987
A thunderstorm in July 1987 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A flash flood in January 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in April 2002 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in June 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Union County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Union County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Union County, in Illinois and Missouri, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Union County ranks 3rd of the eight; Alexander County is highest, at 53.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander County, IL | 89 | 24.8% | 53.2% |
| Pulaski County, IL | 84 | 21.7% | 45.8% |
| Jackson County, IL | 79 | 20.5% | 27.7% |
| Union County, IL | 55 | 17.2% | 35.6% |
| Williamson County, IL | 48 | 12.3% | 25.2% |
| Cape Girardeau County, MO | 38 | 12.4% | 23.0% |
| Johnson County, IL | 29 | 14.6% | 30.8% |
| Perry County, MO | 28 | 11.5% | 27.0% |
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 Union County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Union County's poverty rate was 17.2% in 2024, 10th 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, Union County ranks 20th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Union 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.
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 Union County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.