Bureau County
Social IMPACT Research Center
at Heartland Alliance
33 W. Grand Ave., Suite 500 | Chicago, IL 60654
T: 312-870-4949 | F: 312-870-4950
Media Inquiries: ayates@heartlandalliance.org

Well-Being Index
County Value | IL Value | County Change | IL Change | |
---|---|---|---|---|
High School Graduation Rate, 2014-2015 academic year 1 | 84.5% | 85.6% |
-1.8 pts 2013-2014 |
-0.4 pts 2013-2014 |
Teen Births (live births per 1,000 women ages 15-19), 2012 2 | 24.6 | 28.3 |
0.0 pts 2011 |
-1.6 pts 2011 |
Unemployment Rate, Oct 2015 3 | 6% | 5.3% |
-0.2 pts Oct 2014 |
-0.7 pts Oct 2014 |
Poverty Rate, 2014 4 | 13.1% | 14.3% |
1.1 pts 2013 |
-0.3 pts 2013 |
Poverty & Income
County Value | IL Value | County Change | IL Change | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Child Poverty Rate, 2014 4 | 19.9% | 20.1% |
2.2 pts 2013 |
-0.5 pts 2013 |
Number of People in Poverty, 2014 4 | 4,369 | 1,802,337 |
351 2013 |
-39,659 2013 |
Median Household Income, 2014 5 | $52,138 | $57,458 |
4.6% 2013 |
0.6% 2013 |
BESTTM Annual Wage for a One Parent Family with a Preschooler and Schoolage Child, 2014 6 | $55,740 | $74,671 |
- - |
- - |
Average Amount Poor Families' Incomes Falls Below the Poverty Line (i.e., mean income deficit), 2010-2014 7 | $8,700 | $9,637 |
- - |
- - |
Employment
County Value | IL Value | County Change | IL Change | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Number of Unemployed Individuals, Oct 2015 3 | 1,051 | 349,804 |
-4.8% Oct 2014 |
-11.4% Oct 2014 |
Rank by Unemployment Rate (1=highest, 102=lowest), Oct 2015 3 | 41 | - |
- - |
- - |
Unemployment Rate, Oct 2015 3 | 6% | 5.3% |
-0.2 pts Oct 2014 |
-0.7 pts Oct 2014 |
Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims, 2014 8 | 2,408 | 598,751 |
-7.4% 2013 |
-12.8% 2013 |
Education
County Value | IL Value | County Change | IL Change | |
---|---|---|---|---|
High School Graduation Rate for Low-Income Students, 2014-2015 academic year 1 | 80.4% | 77.9% |
2.0 pts 2013-2014 |
-0.6 pts 2013-2014 |
Funded Head Start Enrollment, 2013 fiscal year 9 | 18 | 36,633 |
- - |
- - |
Head Start Sites, 2013 fiscal year 9 | 1 | 642 |
- - |
- - |
Average ACT Composite Score, 2014-2015 academic year 10 | 19.6 | 20.5 |
- - |
- - |
Percent Meeting or Exceeding Standards on the PARCC English Language Arts, 2014-2015 academic year 10 | 33% | 36.6% |
- - |
- - |
Percent Meeting or Exceeding Standards on the PARCC Math, 2014-2015 academic year 10 | 22.2% | 26.5% |
- - |
- - |
Housing
County Value | IL Value | County Change | IL Change | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Percent Severely Rent-Burdened Households, 2010-2014 7 | 19.3% | 25.1% |
- - |
-- |
Renters as a Percent of Total Households, 2010-2014 7 | 24.9% | 33.1% |
- - |
-- |
2-Bedroom Housing Wage as a Percent of IL Minimum Wage, 2015 11 | 157% | 228% |
- - |
-- |
Estimated Mean Renter Hourly Wage, 2015 11 | $10.27 | $14.90 |
- - |
-- |
Fair Market Rent (FMR) for 2-Bedroom Apartment, 2015 11 | $672 | $977 |
- - |
-- |
Monthly Rent Affordable at Mean Renter Wage, 2015 11 | $719 | $838 |
- - |
-- |
Wage Needed to Afford 2-Bedroom Apartment at FMR, 2015 11 | $12.92 | $18.78 |
- - |
-- |
Work Hours per Week at IL Minimum Wage to Afford 2-Bedroom at FMR, 2015 11 | 63 | 91 |
- - |
-- |
Health & Nutrition
County Value | IL Value | County Change | IL Change | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Share of Families Receiving SNAP that have 1 or more Workers in Family, 2010-2014 7 | 72.8% | 78.6% |
- - |
- - |
Health Uninsured Rate, Non-Seniors, 2013 12 | 13% | 14.6% |
-0.6 pts 2012 |
0.0 pts 2012 |
Percentage of Babies Born Low Birth Weight, 2013 13 | 6% | 8.3% |
- - |
- - |
Child Food Insecurity Rate, 2013 14 | 22.9% | 20.8% |
0.9 pts 2012 |
-0.8 pts 2012 |
Food Insecurity Rate, 2013 14 | 12.4% | 13.6% |
0.7 pts 2012 |
-0.6 pts 2012 |
Assets
County Value | IL Value | County Change | IL Change | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Homeownership Rate, 2010-2014 7 | 75.1% | 66.9% |
- - |
- - |
Liquid Asset Poverty, 2011 15 | 40.7% | 38.3% |
- - |
- - |
Asset Poverty, 2011 15 | 22.3% | 23.5% |
- - |
- - |
Percent of Population Age 25+ with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher, 2010-2014 7 | 17.5% | 31.9% |
- - |
- - |
Percent of Underbanked Households, 2013 15 | 15.2% | 14.6% |
- - |
- - |
Percent of Unbanked Households, 2013 15 | 5.1% | 7.4% |
- - |
- - |
There are a number of different data sources available for poverty estimates. The timeliest source availabe for estimates for all Illinois counties is the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates Program, which is used here. For more information on the various sources of poverty estimates used for this project and how they differ, see the FAQs page.
At the time of release, all data were the most timely and accurate available.
Data Sources
1 Illinois State Board of Education's School Report Card Data, by County. On file with author.
2 Social IMPACT Research Center's analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Estimates and Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Teen Births by County. Available at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/data-statistics/vital-statistics/birth-statistics.
3 Illinois Department of Employment Security's Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS). Available at http://www.ides.illinois.gov/LMI/Pages/Local_Area_Unemployment_Statistics.aspx (not seasonally adjusted)
4 The U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Available at http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/
5 The U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Available at http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/ (all values updated to the most recent year's dollars with the Consumer Price Index)
6 The Basic Economic Security Tables™ were tabulated in cooperation with the Social IMPACT Research Center, Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), and by the Center for Social Development at Washington University—St. Louis as part of the national BEST™ Initiative led by WOW. On file with author. For a worker without workplace benefits.
7 Social IMPACT Research Center's analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Program. Available at http://factfinder2.census.gov/
8 Illinois Department of Employment Security's Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program Data. Available at http://www.ides.illinois.gov/LMI/Pages/Unemployment_Insurance_Program_Data.aspx
9 Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map's Search the IECAM Data Collection. Available at http://iecam.crc.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/iecam/search.asp
10 Social IMPACT Research Center's analysis of Illinois State Board of Education's PARCC/ACT Performance Results. Available at http://www.isbe.net/assessment/report_card.htm (ACT scores are calculated out of possible 36 points)
11 National Low Income Housing Coalition's Out of Reach report. Available at http://nlihc.org/oor/
12 The U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Health Insurance Estimates. Available at http://www.census.gov/did/www/sahie/
13 Social IMPACT Research Center's analysis of Illinois Department of Public Health's Birth Characteristics by Resident County. Available at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/data-statistics/vital-statistics/birth-statistics/more-statistics
14 Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap: Food Insecurity Estimates at the County Level. Available at http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/our-research/map-the-meal-gap/data-by-county-in-each-state.html
15 CFED. Assets and Opportunity local data center. Available at http://localdata.assetsandopportunity.org/map
We gratefully acknowledge The Chicago Community Trust and The Libra Foundation for their support of our poverty research, communications, and education efforts.