countyscore

Best Counties for Families in Illinois 2026

102 counties ranked with the Family lens of the County Fit Score.

Top 5 Family Counties in Illinois

1Hardin County
76.9
baseline 72.1
2Brown County
76.7
baseline 69
3Hamilton County
75.1
baseline 68.2
4Johnson County
73.8
baseline 65.3
5Scott County
73.4
baseline 66.4

All 102 Family-Ranked Counties in Illinois

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Hardin County, IL76.972.1+4.8
2Brown County, IL76.769+7.7
3Hamilton County, IL75.168.2+6.9
4Johnson County, IL73.865.3+8.5
5Scott County, IL73.466.4+7
6Gallatin County, IL72.866.8+6
7Edwards County, IL71.965.7+6.2
8Woodford County, IL71.859.4+12.4
9Mercer County, IL71.762.5+9.2
10Washington County, IL71.563.3+8.2
11Jo Daviess County, IL69.960.2+9.7
12Stark County, IL69.361.8+7.5
13Greene County, IL69.261.4+7.8
14Cumberland County, IL6963.1+5.9
15Carroll County, IL68.760.2+8.5
16Calhoun County, IL67.962.6+5.3
17Douglas County, IL67.955.7+12.2
18Pope County, IL67.866.9+0.9
19Monroe County, IL67.758.5+9.2
20White County, IL67.662.6+5
21Perry County, IL67.260.1+7.1
22DuPage County, IL6754+13
23Shelby County, IL66.959.5+7.4
24Edgar County, IL66.460.9+5.5
25Schuyler County, IL66.358+8.3
26Putnam County, IL66.258.4+7.8
27Jasper County, IL6659.5+6.5
28Moultrie County, IL65.557.9+7.6
29Alexander County, IL64.961+3.9
30Coles County, IL64.958.3+6.6
31McHenry County, IL64.952.4+12.5
32Henderson County, IL64.562.6+1.9
33Menard County, IL63.956.6+7.3
34Piatt County, IL63.554+9.5
35Randolph County, IL63.457.4+6
36Bond County, IL63.254.6+8.6
37Livingston County, IL63.152+11.1
38Clark County, IL62.755.8+6.9
39Cass County, IL62.457.3+5.1
40Hancock County, IL62.358.2+4.1
41McDonough County, IL62.356.2+6.1
42Pulaski County, IL62.360.2+2.1
43Will County, IL61.850.4+11.4
44Union County, IL61.657.7+3.9
45Marshall County, IL61.454.7+6.7
46Christian County, IL61.254.9+6.3
47Fulton County, IL61.254.9+6.3
48Clinton County, IL60.552.8+7.7
49Knox County, IL60.355.3+5
50Adams County, IL59.954.9+5
51Ford County, IL59.552.5+7
52Iroquois County, IL59.350.8+8.5
53Macoupin County, IL59.352.6+6.7
54Kankakee County, IL59.148.3+10.8
55Saline County, IL59.155.4+3.7
56Franklin County, IL58.755.3+3.4
57Lake County, IL58.747.3+11.4
58McLean County, IL58.548.3+10.2
59Lee County, IL58.351.6+6.7
60Warren County, IL58.151.6+6.5
61Pike County, IL5855.6+2.4
62Henry County, IL57.851.1+6.7
63Mason County, IL57.252.3+4.9
64Jersey County, IL5752.4+4.6
65Kane County, IL5747.2+9.8
66Logan County, IL56.551.5+5
67Jefferson County, IL55.951.4+4.5
68Wabash County, IL55.755.4+0.3
69Fayette County, IL55.452.4+3
70Crawford County, IL55.351.8+3.5
71De Witt County, IL5547.8+7.2
72Lawrence County, IL54.855.7-0.9
73Grundy County, IL54.544.8+9.7
74Effingham County, IL54.449.9+4.5
75Richland County, IL54.350.2+4.1
76Clay County, IL54.156.4-2.3
77Wayne County, IL53.852.3+1.5
78Williamson County, IL53.349+4.3
79Bureau County, IL53.246.8+6.4
80Boone County, IL52.944+8.9
81Whiteside County, IL5145.8+5.2
82LaSalle County, IL49.940.5+9.4
83Montgomery County, IL49.145.9+3.2
84Tazewell County, IL48.642.7+5.9
85St. Clair County, IL48.441.4+7
86Kendall County, IL48.238.7+9.5
87Winnebago County, IL48.242.5+5.7
88Stephenson County, IL47.645.3+2.3
89Marion County, IL47.346.2+1.1
90Massac County, IL47.344.9+2.4
91Ogle County, IL46.638.5+8.1
92Morgan County, IL45.643.2+2.4
93DeKalb County, IL43.437.2+6.2
94Madison County, IL41.537.8+3.7
95Rock Island County, IL4136.5+4.5
96Jackson County, IL3835.6+2.4
97Champaign County, IL37.534.2+3.3
98Cook County, IL36.630.4+6.2
99Sangamon County, IL36.633.3+3.3
100Vermilion County, IL34.834.9-0.1
101Macon County, IL3433.8+0.2
102Peoria County, IL32.530.6+1.9

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for families in Illinois?

Based on the Family lens, Hardin County ranks as the top family county in Illinois with a County Fit Score of 76.9. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in Illinois are ranked for families?

We rank 102 counties in Illinois with the Family lens, using independent importance values for schools, safety, affordability, health, income, taxes, and disaster risk.

Also Browse Illinois Counties For

RetirementRemote WorkersBest Overall

Family Rankings by State

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Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019-2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.