Unemployment in Winnebago County, Illinois, is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Winnebago County, 5.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Winnebago County's score
In Winnebago County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 74.6. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 68.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Winnebago 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.
Winnebago County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (6.2%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (15.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.3% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
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- 68.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.3% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people238.9 · 202583rd percentile
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- 67.5 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 rent24.0% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 62.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.9% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 50.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.3% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,363 · 202448th 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 Winnebago 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 Winnebago County, 18.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Winnebago County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Winnebago County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 25.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Winnebago County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 25.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Winnebago County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 11.2% in 2010 to 15.4% in 2013, 1.4 points each year.
The share of households in Winnebago County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 20.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 12.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Winnebago County, Illinois.
How Winnebago County has changed
Winnebago County's population had its largest rise, from 251,202 in 1989 to 266,904 in 1994.
Winnebago County's population rose 17% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 295,612 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Winnebago County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Winnebago County had its largest rise, from 123,573 in 1990 to 138,624 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Winnebago County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 143,884 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Winnebago County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.0% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,760 | 2024 $67,363 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Winnebago County's history
1836
Formed on January 16, 1836, out of Jo Daviess and LaSalle counties. Wikipedia
1988
A thunderstorm in November 1988 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in September 2006 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 295,266. The 2020 Census counted 285,350, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2021
A thunderstorm in August 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in July 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Winnebago County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Winnebago County beside its neighbors
Winnebago County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Illinois and Wisconsin. For the share of income from benefit checks, Winnebago County ranks 2nd of the six; Stephenson County is highest, at 27.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnebago County, IL | 74 | 14.8% | 25.5% |
| Stephenson County, IL | 44 | 14.1% | 27.8% |
| Boone County, IL | 43 | 8.4% | 19.1% |
| Rock County, WI | 32 | 9.9% | 21.6% |
| Ogle County, IL | 23 | 9.6% | 21.9% |
| Green County, WI | 1 | 8.4% | 18.4% |
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 Winnebago County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Winnebago County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 19th 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, Winnebago County ranks 6th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Winnebago 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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Prairie State Legal Services
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 Winnebago 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 Winnebago County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.