In Wabash County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Wabash County, 18.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 74% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wabash County's score
In Wabash County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 59.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 39.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 82.3 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 73% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wabash 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, Wabash County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (23.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.9 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 202667th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 52.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.1% · 202457th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability23.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.2% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,798 · 202455th percentile
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- 49.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.5% · second quarter of 202647th percentile
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- 48.7 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 rent21.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
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- 39.8 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 people82.3 · 202526th 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 Wabash 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 Wabash County, 22.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wabash County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wabash County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Wabash County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wabash County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.7% in 2020 to 17.9% in 2021.
The share of households in Wabash County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 20.4%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 8.3% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wabash County, Illinois.
How Wabash County has changed
Wabash County's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 13,939 in 1984 to 13,258 in 1989.
Wabash County's population fell 15% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 13,939 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wabash County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Wabash County had its largest drop, from 5,125 in 1995 to 4,111 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Wabash County fell 43% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 5,571 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wabash County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.6% | 2024 14.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,562 | 2024 $64,798 |
The table uses 3.8% 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 Wabash County's history
1824
Formed in 1824 out of Edwards County. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 14,913. The 2020 Census counted 11,361, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1989
A tornado in January 1989 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in January 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in March 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wabash County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wabash County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Wabash County, in Illinois and Indiana, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wabash County ranks 5th of the seven; Lawrence County is highest, at 38.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County, IL | 52 | 14.7% | 38.5% |
| Wabash County, IL | 49 | 14.1% | 28.0% |
| White County, IL | 46 | 14.2% | 28.5% |
| Knox County, IN | 46 | 11.9% | 31.1% |
| Richland County, IL | 28 | 13.0% | 28.9% |
| Edwards County, IL | 23 | 11.1% | 26.7% |
| Gibson County, IN | 21 | 10.3% | 23.8% |
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 Wabash County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Wabash County's poverty rate was 14.1% in 2024, 30th 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, Wabash County ranks 26th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wabash 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 Wabash 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 Wabash County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.