In Williamson County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Williamson County, 17.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Williamson County's score
In Williamson County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 62.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 31.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Williamson 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, Williamson County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (19.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.2% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people173.9 · 202568th percentile
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- 54.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202660th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.6% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 53.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.8% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.7% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 43.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.3% · 202442nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.8% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability19.1% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance4.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,879 · 202446th percentile
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- 31.7 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 rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.6% · fiscal year 202718th 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 Williamson 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 Williamson County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Williamson County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Williamson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 25.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Williamson County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.2%; 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 Williamson County getting SNAP food aid rose to 16.6%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 14.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Williamson County, Illinois.
How Williamson County has changed
Williamson County's population had its largest rise, from 52,442 in 1974 to 56,740 in 1979.
Williamson County's population rose 37% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 67,723 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Williamson County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Williamson County nearly doubled to 29,573, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 21,141. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Williamson County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.2% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.8% | 2024 12.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,361 | 2024 $67,879 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Williamson County's history
1922
Herrin Massacre during coal strike. Wikipedia
1982
A tornado in May 1982 did $250 million in property damage and killed 10 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in November 1991 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A thunderstorm in May 2009 did $175 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 67,153, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A tornado in May 2025 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1982
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Williamson County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Williamson County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Williamson County, four score higher. Of the group, Williamson County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Saline County gets the largest, at 36.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saline County, IL | 84 | 18.0% | 36.1% |
| Franklin County, IL | 82 | 16.4% | 35.0% |
| Jackson County, IL | 79 | 20.5% | 27.7% |
| Union County, IL | 55 | 17.2% | 35.6% |
| Williamson County, IL | 48 | 12.3% | 25.2% |
| 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 Williamson County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Williamson County's poverty rate was 12.3% in 2024, 52nd 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, Williamson County ranks 28th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Williamson 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 Williamson 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 Williamson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.