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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.   

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

 2010 County Well Being Index Map  

Using this methodology, 71 Illinois counties have been placed on either the Poverty Watch or Poverty Warning lists. 42 counties are the Poverty Watch List, and 29 counties are on the Poverty Warning List.

Counties on the Warning List

 Alexander  Hardin  Richland
 Bond  Kankakee  Schuyler
 Christian  Knox  St. Clair
 Clay  Lee  Stephenson
 Fayette  Marion  Tazewell
 Franklin  Mason  Vermilion
 Fulton  Montgomery  Wabash
 Greene  Peoria  Williamson
 Hamilton  Pike  Winnebago
 Hancock  Pulaski

Counties on the Watch List

 Adams  Johnson  Perry
 Boone  Kane  Pope
 Brown  Lake  Randolph
 Cass  LaSalle  Rock Island
 Clark  Livingston  Saline
 Coles  Logan  Scott
 Cook  Macon  Stark
 Crawford  Macoupin  Union
 Cumberland  Madison  Washington
 DeWitt  Marshall  Wayne
 Edgar  Massac  White
 Grundy  Menard  Whiteside
 Henderson  Mercer  Will
 Jefferson  Moultrie  Woodford

 

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. 

The 2010 County Well-Being Index can be compared to the 2009 Index, but not to years prior because of a methodology change in 2009.  

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