Data / Rankings / Child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) / Counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)

Alexander County had the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) of 102 counties in 2016, at 48.6%. Monroe County had the lowest, at 5.3%. The median was 18.6% and the figure for Illinois was 17.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest48.6Alexander County
Lowest5.3Monroe County
Median18.6102 counties
Illinois17.8History

Map of counties, 2016

Adams County: 17 %Alexander County: 48.6 %Bond County: 18.4 %Boone County: 13.2 %Brown County: 16.2 %Bureau County: 18.6 %Calhoun County: 13.9 %Carroll County: 18.3 %Cass County: 19 %Champaign County: 15.9 %Christian County: 18.6 %Clark County: 17.9 %Clay County: 21.1 %Clinton County: 12.2 %Coles County: 21 %Cook County: 21.3 %Crawford County: 20.1 %Cumberland County: 17.4 %DeKalb County: 15.3 %De Witt County: 17.1 %Douglas County: 14.3 %DuPage County: 9.1 %Edgar County: 20.5 %Edwards County: 15.8 %Effingham County: 15 %Fayette County: 22.9 %Ford County: 17 %Franklin County: 27.2 %Fulton County: 20.9 %Gallatin County: 31 %Greene County: 22 %Grundy County: 9.6 %Hamilton County: 21.9 %Hancock County: 19.9 %Hardin County: 35.5 %Henderson County: 18.7 %Henry County: 16.2 %Iroquois County: 17.8 %Jackson County: 27.5 %Jasper County: 15 %Jefferson County: 25.4 %Jersey County: 15.8 %Jo Daviess County: 13.8 %Johnson County: 18.1 %Kane County: 14.7 %Kankakee County: 21.2 %Kendall County: 6 %Knox County: 24.1 %Lake County: 10.9 %LaSalle County: 19.6 %Lawrence County: 24.8 %Lee County: 17 %Livingston County: 17.6 %Logan County: 18.7 %McDonough County: 22.4 %McHenry County: 9.2 %McLean County: 11.8 %Macon County: 27.9 %Macoupin County: 20.4 %Madison County: 18 %Marion County: 25.1 %Marshall County: 15.5 %Mason County: 23.4 %Massac County: 28.1 %Menard County: 15.4 %Mercer County: 13.7 %Monroe County: 5.3 %Montgomery County: 22.7 %Morgan County: 23 %Moultrie County: 13.6 %Ogle County: 14.6 %Peoria County: 21 %Perry County: 21.9 %Piatt County: 8.4 %Pike County: 22.3 %Pope County: 29.3 %Pulaski County: 33.5 %Putnam County: 14.4 %Randolph County: 19.4 %Richland County: 19.7 %Rock Island County: 25.1 %St. Clair County: 23 %Saline County: 30.5 %Sangamon County: 20.6 %Schuyler County: 16.7 %Scott County: 17 %Shelby County: 15.9 %Stark County: 18.5 %Stephenson County: 24 %Tazewell County: 11.5 %Union County: 24.7 %Vermilion County: 29.9 %Wabash County: 18.6 %Warren County: 18.2 %Washington County: 13.3 %Wayne County: 21.6 %White County: 23.3 %Whiteside County: 17.8 %Will County: 10.2 %Williamson County: 22.3 %Winnebago County: 23.4 %Woodford County: 8.2 %
  • Under 14
  • 14 to 17
  • 17 to 19
  • 19 to 21
  • 21 to 24
  • 24 and over
%, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Alexander County: 48.6 %Alexander County48.6Hardin County: 35.5 %Hardin County35.5Pulaski County: 33.5 %Pulaski County33.5Gallatin County: 31 %Gallatin County31Saline County: 30.5 %Saline County30.5Vermilion County: 29.9 %Vermilion County29.9Pope County: 29.3 %Pope County29.3Massac County: 28.1 %Massac County28.1Macon County: 27.9 %Macon County27.9Jackson County: 27.5 %Jackson County27.5Franklin County: 27.2 %Franklin County27.2Jefferson County: 25.4 %Jefferson County25.4Marion County: 25.1 %Marion County25.1Rock Island County: 25.1 %Rock Island County25.1Lawrence County: 24.8 %Lawrence County24.8Union County: 24.7 %Union County24.7Knox County: 24.1 %Knox County24.1Stephenson County: 24 %Stephenson County24Mason County: 23.4 %Mason County23.4Winnebago County: 23.4 %Winnebago County23.4White County: 23.3 %White County23.3Morgan County: 23 %Morgan County23St. Clair County: 23 %St. Clair County23Fayette County: 22.9 %Fayette County22.9Montgomery County: 22.7 %Montgomery County22.7McDonough County: 22.4 %McDonough County22.4Pike County: 22.3 %Pike County22.3Williamson County: 22.3 %Williamson County22.3Greene County: 22 %Greene County22Hamilton County: 21.9 %Hamilton County21.9Perry County: 21.9 %Perry County21.9Wayne County: 21.6 %Wayne County21.6Cook County: 21.3 %Cook County21.3Kankakee County: 21.2 %Kankakee County21.2Clay County: 21.1 %Clay County21.1Coles County: 21 %Coles County21Peoria County: 21 %Peoria County21Fulton County: 20.9 %Fulton County20.9Sangamon County: 20.6 %Sangamon County20.6Edgar County: 20.5 %Edgar County20.5Alexander County: 48.6 %Alexander County48.6Hardin County: 35.5 %Hardin County35.5Pulaski County: 33.5 %Pulaski County33.5Gallatin County: 31 %Gallatin County31Saline County: 30.5 %Saline County30.5Vermilion County: 29.9 %Vermilion County29.9Pope County: 29.3 %Pope County29.3Massac County: 28.1 %Massac County28.1Macon County: 27.9 %Macon County27.9Jackson County: 27.5 %Jackson County27.5Franklin County: 27.2 %Franklin County27.2Jefferson County: 25.4 %Jefferson County25.4Marion County: 25.1 %Marion County25.1Rock Island County: 25.1 %Rock Island County25.1Lawrence County: 24.8 %Lawrence County24.8Union County: 24.7 %Union County24.7Knox County: 24.1 %Knox County24.1Stephenson County: 24 %Stephenson County24Mason County: 23.4 %Mason County23.4Winnebago County: 23.4 %Winnebago County23.4White County: 23.3 %White County23.3Morgan County: 23 %Morgan County23St. Clair County: 23 %St. Clair County23Fayette County: 22.9 %Fayette County22.9Montgomery County: 22.7 %Montgomery County22.7McDonough County: 22.4 %McDonough County22.4Pike County: 22.3 %Pike County22.3Williamson County: 22.3 %Williamson County22.3Greene County: 22 %Greene County22Hamilton County: 21.9 %Hamilton County21.9Perry County: 21.9 %Perry County21.9Wayne County: 21.6 %Wayne County21.6Cook County: 21.3 %Cook County21.3Kankakee County: 21.2 %Kankakee County21.2Clay County: 21.1 %Clay County21.1Coles County: 21 %Coles County21Peoria County: 21 %Peoria County21Fulton County: 20.9 %Fulton County20.9Sangamon County: 20.6 %Sangamon County20.6Edgar County: 20.5 %Edgar County20.5
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Alexander County48.6-3.6 pts
2Hardin County35.5-0.1 pts
3Pulaski County33.5-6.4 pts
4Gallatin County31+3.3 pts
5Saline County30.5-4.7 pts
6Vermilion County29.9+0.8 pts
7Pope County29.3-1.3 pts
8Massac County28.1+1.6 pts
9Macon County27.9+0.2 pts
10Jackson County27.5-2.2 pts
11Franklin County27.2-1 pts
12Jefferson County25.4-1.1 pts
13Marion County25.1-4.4 pts
13Rock Island County25.1+4.3 pts
15Lawrence County24.8+1.4 pts
16Union County24.7-0.9 pts
17Knox County24.1-2.7 pts
18Stephenson County24+1.5 pts
19Mason County23.4+0.1 pts
19Winnebago County23.4+0.9 pts
21White County23.3+0.3 pts
22Morgan County23+0.7 pts
22St. Clair County23-2.6 pts
24Fayette County22.9-6.9 pts
25Montgomery County22.7-1.5 pts
26McDonough County22.4-3.6 pts
27Pike County22.3-0.6 pts
27Williamson County22.3-2.7 pts
29Greene County22-1.4 pts
30Hamilton County21.9-0.5 pts
30Perry County21.9-1.7 pts
32Wayne County21.6-0.1 pts
33Cook County21.3-2.2 pts
34Kankakee County21.2-1.1 pts
35Clay County21.10 pts
36Coles County21-3.5 pts
36Peoria County21-2 pts
38Fulton County20.9-0.1 pts
39Sangamon County20.6-2.2 pts
40Edgar County20.5-2.1 pts
41Macoupin County20.4-0.7 pts
42Crawford County20.1-0.1 pts
43Hancock County19.9+0.9 pts
44Richland County19.7-0.6 pts
45LaSalle County19.60 pts
46Randolph County19.4-0.3 pts
47Cass County19+0.9 pts
48Henderson County18.7-0.1 pts
48Logan County18.7-1.4 pts
50Bureau County18.6-0.7 pts
50Christian County18.6-0.6 pts
50Wabash County18.6-1 pts
53Stark County18.5+0.8 pts
54Bond County18.4-0.7 pts
55Carroll County18.3-1 pts
56Warren County18.2-2.6 pts
57Johnson County18.1-1.4 pts
58Madison County18+0.3 pts
59Clark County17.9-3.6 pts
60Iroquois County17.8-2.3 pts
60Whiteside County17.8-1.8 pts
62Livingston County17.6-0.6 pts
63Cumberland County17.4-0.1 pts
64De Witt County17.1-2.2 pts
65Adams County17-1.9 pts
65Ford County17-1.1 pts
65Lee County17-1.1 pts
65Scott County17-1 pts
69Schuyler County16.7-2.9 pts
70Brown County16.2+0.4 pts
70Henry County16.2+1.5 pts
72Champaign County15.9-2.4 pts
72Shelby County15.9-1.2 pts
74Edwards County15.8-0.1 pts
74Jersey County15.8-0.6 pts
76Marshall County15.5-0.8 pts
77Menard County15.4-1.2 pts
78DeKalb County15.3-1 pts
79Effingham County15+0.9 pts
79Jasper County15-1.7 pts
81Kane County14.7-1.4 pts
82Ogle County14.6+0.1 pts
83Putnam County14.4-1.6 pts
84Douglas County14.3-2 pts
85Calhoun County13.9-1.6 pts
86Jo Daviess County13.8+0.3 pts
87Mercer County13.7-0.1 pts
88Moultrie County13.6-2 pts
89Washington County13.3-0.4 pts
90Boone County13.2-1.3 pts
91Clinton County12.2+0.2 pts
92McLean County11.8+0.2 pts
93Tazewell County11.5-0.7 pts
94Lake County10.9-1.4 pts
95Will County10.2-1.1 pts
96Grundy County9.6-0.6 pts
97McHenry County9.2-1.5 pts
98DuPage County9.1-0.1 pts
99Piatt County8.4-0.8 pts
100Woodford County8.2-0.8 pts
101Kendall County6-0.6 pts
102Monroe County5.3-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People under 18 in families or living alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people under 18 whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for the nation, states and counties.

A model-based single-year estimate; the national figure is the one-year American Community Survey estimate. The Census Bureau advises comparing years from 2006 on only. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate. The rate for all ages is poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties (Counties in Illinois by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt

MLA 9

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in Illinois by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/illinois-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Counties in Illinois by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/illinois-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in Illinois by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/illinois-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_illinois_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in Illinois by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/illinois-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in Illinois by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/illinois-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/illinois-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in Illinois by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Alexander County, with 48.6% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Monroe County, with 5.3% in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Illinois: more rankings