In Kenosha County, Wisconsin, benefit checks make up only 20 cents of every dollar of income
In Kenosha County, 19.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kenosha County's score
In Kenosha County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 63.0. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.7. About one in 10 children (10.5%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Even so, Kenosha County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (254.9, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Kenosha County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 63.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.5% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people254.9 · 202585th percentile
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- 61.0 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202750th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 43.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score21.3% · Q4 202540th percentile
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- 29.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202633rd percentile
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- 20.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line10.5% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$83,504 · 202415th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Kenosha County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kenosha County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kenosha County in 2024, pay from work was 64 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 20 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Kenosha County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 20 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Kenosha County, Wisconsin: 19.5% and 64.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 19.5% of all personal income in Kenosha County, Wisconsin (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Kenosha County, 15.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Kenosha County has changed
The number of people living in Kenosha County grew by about 43% between 1969 and 2024, from 117,927 to 168,754. The number of jobs located there grew by about 85% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.1% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 117,927 | 2024 168,754 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 40,162 | 2024 74,313 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.2% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $29,188 | 2024 $83,504 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 7.7% | 2024 19.5% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Kenosha County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 169,151, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1850
Formed from Racine County on January 30, 1850. Wikipedia
2006
Lightning: $14 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Tornado: $13.71 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Flash flood: $12.29 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kenosha County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Kenosha County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Kenosha County, in Wisconsin and Illinois, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kenosha County ranks 2nd of the five; Racine County is highest, at 20.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Racine County, WI | 42 | 11.7% | 20.7% |
| Kenosha County, WI | 38 | 9.8% | 19.5% |
| Lake County, IL | 32 | 7.8% | 10.3% |
| McHenry County, IL | 25 | 6.3% | 15.6% |
| Walworth County, WI | 12 | 7.9% | 17.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Kenosha County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Kenosha County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 42nd highest of 72 in Wisconsin (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Menominee County, at 24.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Kenosha County ranks 7th of 72 in the state.
Kenosha County in photographs
Places in Kenosha County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Kenosha County Court House.
Photo: Richie Diesterheft from Chicago, IL, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Canadair RJ-100SE executive jet at Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Kenosha County, Wisconsin: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Kenosha County, Wisconsin?
9.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 10.5%.
Is Kenosha County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Kenosha County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 42nd highest of 72 in Wisconsin (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Menominee County, at 24.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Kenosha County ranks 7th of 72 in the state.
What is the population of Kenosha County, Wisconsin?
About 168,754 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 169,151, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kenosha County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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City of Kenosha Housing Authority
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Disability Rights Wisconsin
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Kenosha County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Kenosha County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.