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 67.4
2Brown County
67.5
baseline 69.5
3Scott County
66.2
baseline 68.1
4Hardin County
65.6
baseline 70.7
5Henderson County
65.3
baseline 61.7

All 102 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Illinois

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Pope County, IL69.267.4+1.8
2Brown County, IL67.569.5-2
3Scott County, IL66.268.1-1.9
4Hardin County, IL65.670.7-5.1
5Henderson County, IL65.361.7+3.6
6Calhoun County, IL64.163+1.1
7Hamilton County, IL64.168.6-4.5
8Edwards County, IL6466.7-2.7
9Gallatin County, IL63.267.6-4.4
10Cumberland County, IL62.462+0.4
11Clay County, IL62.155.8+6.3
12Mercer County, IL6263.1-1.1
13Washington County, IL61.263.7-2.5
14Menard County, IL60.559.2+1.3
15Hancock County, IL60.258.6+1.6
16Johnson County, IL59.867.7-7.9
17Putnam County, IL59.759.3+0.4
18Wabash County, IL59.655.3+4.3
19Jasper County, IL59.459.7-0.3
20Stark County, IL59.461.1-1.7
21Monroe County, IL59.358.5+0.8
22Alexander County, IL58.762.2-3.5
23Lawrence County, IL58.655.7+2.9
24White County, IL58.262.5-4.3
25Pulaski County, IL57.862.9-5.1
26Edgar County, IL57.759.8-2.1
27Shelby County, IL57.760.9-3.2
28Greene County, IL57.260.3-3.1
29Jo Daviess County, IL57.160.8-3.7
30Carroll County, IL5760.6-3.6
31Cass County, IL5757.4-0.4
32Pike County, IL56.155.6+0.5
33Schuyler County, IL56.158.3-2.2
34Jersey County, IL55.953.4+2.5
35McDonough County, IL55.156.3-1.2
36Woodford County, IL55.158.8-3.7
37Clark County, IL54.755.5-0.8
38Knox County, IL54.456.1-1.7
39Piatt County, IL54.454.9-0.5
40Adams County, IL54.154.7-0.6
41Moultrie County, IL54.158.4-4.3
42Wayne County, IL53.952.5+1.4
43Marshall County, IL53.854.9-1.1
44Union County, IL53.657.4-3.8
45Randolph County, IL53.558.7-5.2
46Perry County, IL53.359.8-6.5
47Saline County, IL53.356.8-3.5
48Coles County, IL53.157.4-4.3
49Ford County, IL53.153.8-0.7
50Fayette County, IL5353.8-0.8
51Crawford County, IL52.952.5+0.4
52Franklin County, IL52.755.9-3.2
53Christian County, IL52.355.3-3
54Fulton County, IL51.453.9-2.5
55Logan County, IL51.451.6-0.2
56Mason County, IL51.152.8-1.7
57Lee County, IL5151.7-0.7
58Bond County, IL50.855.2-4.4
59Clinton County, IL50.752-1.3
60Williamson County, IL49.949.90
61Jefferson County, IL49.851.7-1.9
62Warren County, IL49.452.4-3
63Richland County, IL49.351.4-2.1
64Effingham County, IL48.749.7-1
65De Witt County, IL48.547.8+0.7
66Henry County, IL48.350.3-2
67DuPage County, IL48.254-5.8
68Macoupin County, IL47.152.5-5.4
69McHenry County, IL46.952.3-5.4
70Douglas County, IL46.155.6-9.5
71Marion County, IL45.846.7-0.9
72Stephenson County, IL45.745.6+0.1
73Will County, IL45.750.3-4.6
74Kane County, IL43.747.1-3.4
75Whiteside County, IL43.646.3-2.7
76Livingston County, IL43.451.6-8.2
77Iroquois County, IL43.350.3-7
78McLean County, IL4348.1-5.1
79Bureau County, IL42.645.7-3.1
80Montgomery County, IL42.145.9-3.8
81Kankakee County, IL41.948-6.1
82Grundy County, IL41.744.8-3.1
83Lake County, IL41.747.2-5.5
84Morgan County, IL41.743.1-1.4
85Massac County, IL40.243.2-3
86Winnebago County, IL39.942.4-2.5
87Boone County, IL39.743.7-4
88Tazewell County, IL39.542.5-3
89St. Clair County, IL37.641.3-3.7
90Madison County, IL37.338.1-0.8
91DeKalb County, IL34.937-2.1
92Kendall County, IL34.938.6-3.7
93LaSalle County, IL34.440.6-6.2
94Macon County, IL34.434.6-0.2
95Champaign County, IL3434.4-0.4
96Vermilion County, IL33.435.5-2.1
97Rock Island County, IL33.236.7-3.5
98Ogle County, IL32.338.7-6.4
99Sangamon County, IL3233.4-1.4
100Jackson County, IL31.536-4.5
101Peoria County, IL30.231-0.8
102Cook County, IL26.430.3-3.9

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

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Retirement 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.