countyscore

Best Counties for Retirement in Illinois 2026

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

Top 5 Retirement Counties in Illinois

1Pope County
69.2
baseline 66.9
2Hardin County
67.9
baseline 72.1
3Brown County
67.4
baseline 69
4Henderson County
66.7
baseline 62.6
5Scott County
65.3
baseline 66.4

All 102 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Illinois

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Pope County, IL69.266.9+2.3
2Hardin County, IL67.972.1-4.2
3Brown County, IL67.469-1.6
4Henderson County, IL66.762.6+4.1
5Scott County, IL65.366.4-1.1
6Calhoun County, IL63.862.6+1.2
7Hamilton County, IL63.568.2-4.7
8Cumberland County, IL63.363.1+0.2
9Edwards County, IL63.265.7-2.5
10Clay County, IL62.756.4+6.3
11Gallatin County, IL6266.8-4.8
12Mercer County, IL61.562.5-1
13Washington County, IL60.863.3-2.5
14Hancock County, IL60.158.2+1.9
15Stark County, IL6061.8-1.8
16Wabash County, IL59.655.4+4.2
17Monroe County, IL59.358.5+0.8
18Putnam County, IL59.258.4+0.8
19Jasper County, IL5959.5-0.5
20Edgar County, IL58.660.9-2.3
21Johnson County, IL58.665.3-6.7
22Lawrence County, IL58.555.7+2.8
23Menard County, IL58.356.6+1.7
24White County, IL58.262.6-4.4
25Greene County, IL5861.4-3.4
26Alexander County, IL57.461-3.6
27Carroll County, IL56.860.2-3.4
28Cass County, IL56.857.3-0.5
29Jo Daviess County, IL56.860.2-3.4
30Shelby County, IL56.359.5-3.2
31Schuyler County, IL56.158-1.9
32Pike County, IL5655.6+0.4
33Woodford County, IL55.459.4-4
34Clark County, IL5555.8-0.8
35Jersey County, IL5552.4+2.6
36McDonough County, IL5556.2-1.2
37Pulaski County, IL54.760.2-5.5
38Adams County, IL54.354.9-0.6
39Union County, IL54.257.7-3.5
40Coles County, IL5458.3-4.3
41Moultrie County, IL53.957.9-4
42Marshall County, IL53.754.7-1
43Knox County, IL53.555.3-1.8
44Perry County, IL53.560.1-6.6
45Piatt County, IL53.554-0.5
46Wayne County, IL53.552.3+1.2
47Randolph County, IL52.657.4-4.8
48Saline County, IL52.355.4-3.1
49Crawford County, IL52.251.8+0.4
50Fulton County, IL52.254.9-2.7
51Ford County, IL5252.5-0.5
52Christian County, IL51.954.9-3
53Fayette County, IL51.852.4-0.6
54Franklin County, IL51.855.3-3.5
55Logan County, IL51.351.5-0.2
56Clinton County, IL51.252.8-1.6
57Lee County, IL50.951.6-0.7
58Mason County, IL50.852.3-1.5
59Bond County, IL5054.6-4.6
60Jefferson County, IL49.551.4-1.9
61Williamson County, IL49.449+0.4
62Henry County, IL48.851.1-2.3
63Effingham County, IL48.649.9-1.3
64Warren County, IL48.651.6-3
65DuPage County, IL48.254-5.8
66Richland County, IL48.150.2-2.1
67De Witt County, IL47.947.8+0.1
68Macoupin County, IL47.352.6-5.3
69McHenry County, IL46.952.4-5.5
70Douglas County, IL46.255.7-9.5
71Will County, IL45.850.4-4.6
72Marion County, IL45.546.2-0.7
73Stephenson County, IL45.445.3+0.1
74Kane County, IL43.847.2-3.4
75Livingston County, IL43.752-8.3
76Iroquois County, IL43.550.8-7.3
77Bureau County, IL43.346.8-3.5
78McLean County, IL43.248.3-5.1
79Whiteside County, IL43.145.8-2.7
80Montgomery County, IL42.145.9-3.8
81Kankakee County, IL4248.3-6.3
82Morgan County, IL4243.2-1.2
83Lake County, IL41.847.3-5.5
84Grundy County, IL41.744.8-3.1
85Massac County, IL41.644.9-3.3
86Winnebago County, IL4042.5-2.5
87Boone County, IL39.944-4.1
88Tazewell County, IL39.742.7-3
89St. Clair County, IL37.641.4-3.8
90Madison County, IL37.137.8-0.7
91DeKalb County, IL35.137.2-2.1
92Kendall County, IL3538.7-3.7
93LaSalle County, IL34.540.5-6
94Champaign County, IL33.934.2-0.3
95Macon County, IL33.933.8+0.1
96Rock Island County, IL33.136.5-3.4
97Vermilion County, IL32.834.9-2.1
98Ogle County, IL3238.5-6.5
99Sangamon County, IL31.933.3-1.4
100Jackson County, IL31.135.6-4.5
101Peoria County, IL3030.6-0.6
102Cook County, IL26.530.4-3.9

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in Illinois?

Based on the Retiree lens, Pope County ranks as the top retirement county in Illinois with a County Fit Score of 69.2. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in Illinois are ranked for retirement?

We rank 102 counties in Illinois with the Retiree lens, using independent importance values for health, safety, taxes, cost, disaster risk, water, and weather.

Also Browse Illinois Counties For

FamiliesRemote WorkersBest Overall

Retirement Rankings by State

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

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