#80 Illinois · 2026

Ogle County, Illinois

24 · low county distress more distressed than 24% of U.S. counties · 80th of 102 counties in Illinois · 51,265 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
5% Ogle residents
vs.
4% U.S. median

Above the national median for unemployment (average of monthly rates) — and 9.1× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 1%).

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 39 words · paste-ready

Ogle County, Illinois is more distressed than 24% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. Ogle sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 80th of 102 counties in Illinois on the County Distress Index — 24 · low county distress, more distressed than 24% of U.S. counties.
  • 5% of the labor force was unemployed on average from September 2025 to August 2026 (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment (average of monthly rates) at the 77th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025).
  • Bankruptcy filing rate at 174 — national median 126, ranked at the 68th percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
  • Delinquency domain score 32 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Safety Net & Buffer domain score 22 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span five CDI score labels. The 51-point drop to Carroll County marks where the Illinois distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Ogle County, Illinois and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Ogle and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Ogle County is more distressed than 24% of U.S. counties. American Default Research
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Ogle County has a low county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 26 words

The CDI gives this county a low county distress label. The score is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands. Its highest-scoring domain is Labor.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Sep 22, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

4.7% -0.4 percentage points since 1990
U.S. Census Bureau 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

9.6% +3.3 percentage points since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

21.9% +16.2 percentage points since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

20.0% -4.95 percentage points since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Ogle County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Ogle County's value shown alongside IL's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Ogle County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Ogle IL median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 32 · Rank 2,174 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 5% 4% 5% 44th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 3% 5% 5% 18th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 20% 21% 23% 34th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 46 · Rank 1,716 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 16% 19% 23% 24th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 174 117 126 68th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 18 · Rank 2,838 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 16% 18% 21% 8th U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 14% 17% 18% 29th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 56 · Rank 1,318 of 3,144
Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) 18% 19% 21% 36th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) 5% 5% 4% 77th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 22 · Rank 2,673 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 12% 14% 17% 25th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 15% 16% 16% 38th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 10% 12% 13% 19th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 4% 5% 8% 10th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Compiled September 30, 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2024, SAIPE 2024, Business Formation Statistics 2025), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS August 2026, QCEW 2025), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2027).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Labor Primary driver 56
Weight 20% · Rank 1,318 of 3,144
Default & Legal 46
Weight 20% · Rank 1,716 of 3,144
Delinquency 32
Weight 20% · Rank 2,174 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 22
Weight 20% · Rank 2,673 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 18
Weight 20% · Rank 2,838 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Ogle County data.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
Draft wire copy 122-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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OREGON, Ill. — Ogle County is more distressed than 24% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Ogle scores 24 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 24% of U.S. counties; its score label is low county distress. Within Illinois, Ogle ranks 80th of 102 counties.

The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Ogle sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ogle County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Ogle County scores 24 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is more distressed than 24% of U.S. counties. Its score label is low county distress. It ranks 80th of 102 Illinois counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Ogle County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Labor, at a domain score of 56. Unemployment (average of monthly rates) ranks at the 77th percentile nationally.

How does Ogle County compare to its neighbors?

Ogle County's neighbors span 5 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Winnebago County (75.00, high county distress). Lowest: Carroll County (24.00, low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI averages 14 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer, then ranks that average against every other county, so the score is the share of U.S. counties a county is more distressed than. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Ross Kilburn is the former COO of Ark Law Group, a foreclosure defense firm serving five states. He founded Seattle Short Sales, wrote Short Sale Your Home, and worked as a mortgage loan originator and real estate agent. He founded American Default Research in 2026.

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from Ross →