Best Counties for Retirement in Illinois 2026

100 counties ranked by health care, safety, tax burden, and affordability.

Top 5 Retirement Counties in Illinois

1Pope County

All 100 Retirement-Ranked Counties in Illinois

Rank	County	Persona Score	Overall Score
1	Pope County, IL	73	67.4
2	Scott County, IL	70	68
3	Cumberland County, IL	67	62
4	Brown County, IL	67	69.5
5	Hamilton County, IL	66	68.6
6	Johnson County, IL	66	67.7
7	Menard County, IL	66	59.2
8	Monroe County, IL	66	58.5
9	Washington County, IL	66	63.7
10	Hardin County, IL	66	70.7
11	Hancock County, IL	65	58.6
12	Henderson County, IL	65	61.7
13	Calhoun County, IL	65	63
14	Jo Daviess County, IL	64	60.8
15	Shelby County, IL	64	60.9
16	Clay County, IL	64	55.8
17	Edwards County, IL	63	66.7
18	Mercer County, IL	63	63.1
19	Putnam County, IL	63	59.3
20	Woodford County, IL	63	58.8
21	Gallatin County, IL	62	67.6
22	Randolph County, IL	62	58.7
23	Lawrence County, IL	62	55.7
24	White County, IL	61	62.5
25	Edgar County, IL	61	59.8
26	Carroll County, IL	61	60.6
27	Stark County, IL	61	61.1
28	Adams County, IL	61	54.7
29	Wabash County, IL	60	55.3
30	McDonough County, IL	60	56.3
31	Perry County, IL	60	59.8
32	Williamson County, IL	60	49.9
33	Piatt County, IL	59	54.9
34	Cass County, IL	59	57.4
35	DuPage County, IL	59	54
36	Knox County, IL	59	56
37	Fulton County, IL	59	53.9
38	Union County, IL	58	57.4
39	Clinton County, IL	58	52
40	Saline County, IL	58	56.8
41	Lee County, IL	58	51.7
42	Coles County, IL	58	57.4
43	Christian County, IL	58	55.3
44	Greene County, IL	58	60.2
45	Pulaski County, IL	57	62.9
46	Jasper County, IL	57	59.7
47	Alexander County, IL	57	62.2
48	Schuyler County, IL	57	58.3
49	Wayne County, IL	57	52.6
50	Franklin County, IL	57	55.9
51	Clark County, IL	57	55.5
52	Logan County, IL	56	51.6
53	McHenry County, IL	56	52.3
54	Marshall County, IL	56	54.9
55	Fayette County, IL	56	53.8
56	Will County, IL	55	50.3
57	Pike County, IL	55	55.6
58	Macoupin County, IL	54	52.5
59	Ford County, IL	54	53.8
60	Moultrie County, IL	54	58.4
61	Bond County, IL	54	55.2
62	Jersey County, IL	53	53.4
63	Henry County, IL	53	50.3
64	Mason County, IL	53	52.8
65	Jefferson County, IL	52	51.7
66	Kane County, IL	52	47.1
67	Crawford County, IL	52	52.5
68	Effingham County, IL	52	49.7
69	McLean County, IL	51	48.1
70	Douglas County, IL	51	55.6
71	Richland County, IL	51	51.4
72	Kankakee County, IL	50	48
73	Lake County, IL	50	47.2
74	Livingston County, IL	48	51.6
75	Iroquois County, IL	48	50.3
76	Stephenson County, IL	48	45.6
77	Grundy County, IL	46	44.8
78	Bureau County, IL	46	45.7
79	Marion County, IL	46	46.7
80	Winnebago County, IL	46	42.4
81	Warren County, IL	45	52.4
82	Whiteside County, IL	45	46.2
83	Morgan County, IL	45	43.1
84	Tazewell County, IL	42	42.5
85	St. Clair County, IL	42	41.3
86	Montgomery County, IL	41	45.9
87	Madison County, IL	40	38.1
88	Massac County, IL	38	43.2
89	Boone County, IL	38	43.7
90	Kendall County, IL	37	38.6
91	DeKalb County, IL	36	37
92	Champaign County, IL	36	34.4
93	Macon County, IL	35	34.6
94	Sangamon County, IL	34	33.4
95	Rock Island County, IL	33	36.7
96	Jackson County, IL	31	36
97	Vermilion County, IL	30	35.5
98	Ogle County, IL	30	38.7
99	Peoria County, IL	29	31
100	Cook County, IL	27	30.3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in Illinois?

Based on our analysis of health care access, safety, property taxes, and cost of living, Pope County ranks as the top retirement county in Illinois with a retirement score of 73.

How many counties in Illinois are ranked for retirement?

We rank 100 counties in Illinois for retirement suitability, scoring each on health care access (35%), safety (30%), property tax (20%), and cost of living (15%).

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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.