Winnebago County, Illinois

County Distress Index: Elevated · 56.7 | 280,922 people · 11th most distressed in Illinois

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Winnebago County, IL registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 56.7 — 1097th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Illinois, it ranks 11th of 102 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Winnebago County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 73.7 — above the national median.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 73.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 83
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 87
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 61
Homeownership Rate 84
Rent-to-Income Ratio 53
Employment & Wages 58.9
Unemployment Rate 93
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 38
Business Formation Rate 46
Debt & Delinquency 57.9
Debt in Collections 55
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 72
Auto Loan Delinquency 72
Credit Card Delinquency 59
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 83
Income & Poverty 57.5
Poverty Rate 59
Income vs. State Median 51
Child Poverty Rate 62
Community Vulnerability 35.5
Uninsured Rate 30
Disability Rate 41

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Winnebago County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Winnebago County
Winnebago County, IL 56.7 Elevated
DeKalb County, IL 51.7 Elevated -4.9
Stephenson County, IL 46.3 Normal -10.4
Rock County, WI 43.7 Normal -13.0
Boone County, IL 41.6 Normal -15.1
Ogle County, IL 37.6 Normal -19.0
Green County, WI 26.2 Healthy -30.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Winnebago County
Oklahoma County, OK 56.7 Elevated +0.0
Santa Barbara County, CA 56.5 Elevated -0.2
Henry County, GA 56.2 Elevated -0.5
Marion County, IN 57.3 Elevated +0.6
Pinal County, AZ 55.9 Elevated -0.8

Download Data

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Find Help in Winnebago County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Winnebago County.

REGION 1 PLANNING COUNCIL
Rockford
Financial CounselingPre-Purchase

Find an Attorney

Illinois State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Winnebago County residents at no cost.

Self-Help Resources

Illinois Legal Aid Online — Foreclosure Comprehensive self-help guides for Illinois foreclosure
IHDA Homeowner Resources Assistance programs and housing counselor referrals

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