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Poverty Reports and Information

County Well-Being Index

Four key indicators of well-being are assessed in each of Illinois' 102 counties: high school graduation rates, unemployment rates, teen birth rates, and poverty rates. Counties in Illinois are evaluated using a point system, with a higher number of points indicating a worse score. A county receives a point if its rate is worse than the state average and/or if they have worsened since the previous year. For each indicator a total of 2 points is possible, and overall a total of 8 points is possible. Counties that score 4 or 5 points are placed on the Watch List and counties that score 6, 7, or 8 points are placed on the Warning List.

Using this methodology, 70 Illinois counties have been placed on either the Poverty Watch or Poverty Warning lists. 46 counties are the Poverty Watch List, and 24 counties are on the Poverty Warning List.

Click the map below to download the County Well-Being Index in Excel

County Well-Being Index Map 09

The County Well-Being Index illustrates that poverty and hardship are not limited to one region of the state—counties all across Illinois struggle with poverty-related issues. This year’s Watch and Warning lists must serve as a wake-up call for leaders to begin deliberate efforts to reverse these trends in their communities. 

 

Important Enhancements to the County Well-Being Index

This year's County Well-Being Index has undergone a series of changes designed to make the Index more timely and accurate. Changes include:

  • A more accurate teen birth rate calculation: In prior years, teen births have been reported as a percent of all births. Now, teen births are reported as the number of births to women ages 15 to 19 per 1,000 women of that age in the population.
  • A more current unemployment rate: In prior years, unemployment rates reflected August of the previous year. Now, December unemployment rates are reported
  • A more current poverty rate: The data source for county poverty rates has become more timely, reporting estimates for the same year for which state estimates are available. The County Well-Being Index now uses these most recent poverty rates.

While these enhancements were necessary and important, they do limit the ability to compare county movement between the Watch and Warning Lists from this year's Index to last year's. 

Note: At the time of print, all data used for the County Well-Being Index were the most accurate available.

 

We gratefully acknowledge The Chicago Community Trust and an anonymous donor whose generous support made these reports possible. These reports were also made possible through the in-kind support of Roosevelt University.