About one in 18 people in Woodford County, Illinois, lives below the poverty line
In Woodford County, 5.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Woodford County's score
In Woodford County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 33.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 7.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Woodford 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.
Woodford County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 33.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.0% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
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- 28.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.3% · August 20258th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people120.2 · 202546th percentile
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- 21.9 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 rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.4% · fiscal year 20271st percentile
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- 12.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.6% · second quarter of 20269th percentile
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- 7.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.5% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.8% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability10.6% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$100,761 · 20245th 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 Woodford 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 Woodford County, 19.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Woodford County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Woodford County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Woodford County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Woodford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop in the last span, from 6.5% in 2023 to 5.5% in 2024.
The share of households in Woodford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 4.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Woodford County, Illinois.
How Woodford County has changed
Woodford County's population had its largest rise, from 29,315 in 1974 to 31,905 in 1979.
Woodford County's population rose 38% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 39,205 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Woodford County, Illinois.
The number of jobs located in Woodford County had its largest rise, from 8,045 in 1995 to 10,194 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Woodford County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 11,272
High on the chart: 11,979 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Woodford County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.1% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.6% | 2024 5.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,790 | 2024 $100,761 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Woodford County's history
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 38,664. The 2020 Census counted 38,467, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
A flash flood in April 2013 did $13 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in April 2013 did $13.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A tornado in November 2013 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A flood in July 2020 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Woodford County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Woodford County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Woodford County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Woodford County ranks 6th of the seven; Marshall County is highest, at 26.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peoria County, IL | 69 | 15.3% | 21.0% |
| LaSalle County, IL | 41 | 12.8% | 23.9% |
| Marshall County, IL | 26 | 9.2% | 26.4% |
| Tazewell County, IL | 25 | 8.3% | 21.4% |
| McLean County, IL | 21 | 11.6% | 14.9% |
| Livingston County, IL | 20 | 12.2% | 22.4% |
| Woodford County, IL | 5 | 5.5% | 16.9% |
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 Woodford County the poorest county in Illinois?
No, Woodford County's poverty rate was 5.5% in 2024, 100th 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, Woodford County ranks 100th of 102 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Woodford 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 Woodford 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 Woodford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.