County Data

Illinois County Distress Index

Financial distress scores for all 102 counties in Illinois, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 40.0.

Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26

Illinois Snapshot

102 Counties Scored
40.0 Mean Score
39.3 Median Score
61.5 St. Clair County Most Distressed
19.8 Washington County Least Distressed
21 Elevated 45 Normal 36 Healthy
Zone Distribution

Illinois County Map

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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis

All 102 Illinois counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.

Most & Least Distressed

Most Distressed

#1 St. Clair County
61.5 Elevated
Housing Cost Burden
#2 Franklin County
61.3 Elevated
Structural Poverty
#3 Kankakee County
60.8 Elevated
Housing Cost Burden

Least Distressed

#102 Washington County
19.8 Healthy
Legal Distress
#101 Monroe County
20.1 Healthy
Economic Vitality
#100 Calhoun County
20.5 Healthy
Economic Vitality

Score Distribution

How Illinois's 102 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.

All Illinois Counties

102 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.

State Rank Nat'l Rank County Score Zone Primary Driver
1 850 St. Clair County 61.5 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
2 865 Franklin County 61.3 Elevated Structural Poverty
3 900 Kankakee County 60.8 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
4 908 McDonough County 60.7 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
5 926 Winnebago County 60.4 Elevated Legal Distress
6 953 Jackson County 59.9 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
7 1,019 Saline County 59.0 Elevated Structural Poverty
8 1,068 Vermilion County 58.1 Elevated Structural Poverty
9 1,092 Knox County 57.8 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
10 1,103 Cook County 57.7 Elevated Legal Distress
11 1,106 Alexander County 57.6 Elevated Structural Poverty
12 1,158 Pulaski County 56.8 Elevated Structural Poverty
13 1,204 Peoria County 56.0 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
14 1,222 DeKalb County 55.8 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
15 1,290 Jefferson County 54.8 Elevated Structural Poverty
16 1,394 Marion County 53.1 Elevated Structural Poverty
17 1,412 Stark County 52.8 Elevated Legal Distress
18 1,416 Williamson County 52.8 Elevated Legal Distress
19 1,455 Rock Island County 52.0 Elevated Housing Cost Burden
20 1,460 Coles County 51.9 Elevated Legal Distress
21 1,534 Macon County 50.8 Elevated Legal Distress
22 1,646 Logan County 49.0 Normal Legal Distress
23 1,700 Massac County 48.2 Normal Structural Poverty
24 1,778 Madison County 47.0 Normal Housing Cost Burden
25 1,809 Pike County 46.5 Normal Structural Poverty
26 1,812 Mason County 46.5 Normal Legal Distress
27 1,892 Grundy County 45.1 Normal Legal Distress
28 1,904 Adams County 44.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
29 1,919 Will County 44.7 Normal Legal Distress
30 1,921 Champaign County 44.6 Normal Housing Cost Burden
31 1,928 Kane County 44.5 Normal Housing Cost Burden
32 1,932 Christian County 44.4 Normal Legal Distress
33 1,933 Whiteside County 44.4 Normal Legal Distress
34 1,943 Lawrence County 44.2 Normal Structural Poverty
35 1,953 Stephenson County 44.0 Normal Housing Cost Burden
36 1,954 Union County 44.0 Normal Structural Poverty
37 1,960 Boone County 43.9 Normal Legal Distress
38 1,981 Wabash County 43.5 Normal Structural Poverty
39 2,006 Sangamon County 43.1 Normal Housing Cost Burden
40 2,076 Kendall County 41.9 Normal Legal Distress
41 2,093 White County 41.5 Normal Structural Poverty
42 2,121 Macoupin County 41.1 Normal Structural Poverty
43 2,139 Henderson County 40.8 Normal Structural Poverty
44 2,149 Edgar County 40.7 Normal Structural Poverty
45 2,151 Fayette County 40.7 Normal Structural Poverty
46 2,158 Hardin County 40.6 Normal Structural Poverty
47 2,193 Randolph County 40.0 Normal Legal Distress
48 2,194 Fulton County 40.0 Normal Structural Poverty
49 2,207 Johnson County 39.8 Normal Structural Poverty
50 2,219 LaSalle County 39.5 Normal Legal Distress
51 2,221 Montgomery County 39.5 Normal Structural Poverty
52 2,256 Morgan County 39.0 Normal Structural Poverty
53 2,274 Perry County 38.7 Normal Structural Poverty
54 2,287 Wayne County 38.4 Normal Structural Poverty
55 2,319 Clark County 37.9 Normal Housing Cost Burden
56 2,326 Lee County 37.8 Normal Legal Distress
57 2,356 McHenry County 37.1 Normal Housing Cost Burden
58 2,368 Jersey County 36.9 Normal Economic Vitality
59 2,369 McLean County 36.9 Normal Housing Cost Burden
60 2,389 Richland County 36.5 Normal Structural Poverty
61 2,409 Iroquois County 36.3 Normal Structural Poverty
62 2,410 Cass County 36.2 Normal Structural Poverty
63 2,418 Lake County 36.1 Normal Housing Cost Burden
64 2,431 Tazewell County 35.8 Normal Housing Cost Burden
65 2,436 Hamilton County 35.7 Normal Structural Poverty
66 2,440 Gallatin County 35.7 Normal Structural Poverty
67 2,497 Greene County 34.6 Healthy Economic Vitality
68 2,509 Bond County 34.3 Healthy Structural Poverty
69 2,520 Scott County 34.0 Healthy Structural Poverty
70 2,566 Pope County 33.4 Healthy Structural Poverty
71 2,600 Ogle County 32.7 Healthy Legal Distress
72 2,605 Warren County 32.6 Healthy Structural Poverty
73 2,609 Livingston County 32.6 Healthy Legal Distress
74 2,641 Bureau County 32.2 Healthy Legal Distress
75 2,647 Ford County 32.1 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
76 2,652 Brown County 31.9 Healthy Structural Poverty
77 2,657 Schuyler County 31.9 Healthy Structural Poverty
78 2,667 Edwards County 31.6 Healthy Structural Poverty
79 2,676 DuPage County 31.5 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
80 2,689 Carroll County 31.2 Healthy Structural Poverty
81 2,698 Mercer County 31.0 Healthy Economic Vitality
82 2,702 Putnam County 31.0 Healthy Legal Distress
83 2,707 Menard County 30.9 Healthy Economic Vitality
84 2,709 De Witt County 30.9 Healthy Legal Distress
85 2,710 Clay County 30.9 Healthy Structural Poverty
86 2,725 Crawford County 30.6 Healthy Legal Distress
87 2,792 Henry County 29.3 Healthy Economic Vitality
88 2,809 Hancock County 28.9 Healthy Structural Poverty
89 2,813 Douglas County 28.8 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
90 2,843 Marshall County 28.1 Healthy Economic Vitality
91 2,878 Jo Daviess County 27.3 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
92 2,897 Clinton County 26.9 Healthy Economic Vitality
93 2,917 Piatt County 26.3 Healthy Legal Distress
94 2,923 Shelby County 26.2 Healthy Structural Poverty
95 2,961 Moultrie County 25.2 Healthy Legal Distress
96 3,005 Cumberland County 23.3 Healthy Legal Distress
97 3,017 Effingham County 22.9 Healthy Legal Distress
98 3,048 Woodford County 21.1 Healthy Legal Distress
99 3,058 Jasper County 20.7 Healthy Structural Poverty
100 3,064 Calhoun County 20.5 Healthy Economic Vitality
101 3,071 Monroe County 20.1 Healthy Economic Vitality
102 3,079 Washington County 19.8 Healthy Legal Distress

How County Scores Work

Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.

Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties

Full CDI methodology and data sources

Illinois Resources

Illinois State Profile

State ADI score: 57.9 (Elevated). Debt, delinquency, and economic indicators for Illinois.

Find Help in Illinois

HUD-approved housing counselors, legal aid offices, credit counselors, and debtor education providers in Illinois.

Illinois Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure process, timeline, homeowner protections, and legal resources in Illinois.

State Distress Rankings

All 51 U.S. jurisdictions ranked by financial distress. Compare Illinois to the rest of the country.

National County Profiles

All 3,144 U.S. counties ranked by financial distress score.
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If you're struggling with debt or facing foreclosure, free help is available. Find help near you · Browse the Glossary · The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides HUD-approved housing counselors at no cost. You can also call 1-800-569-4287.