In 2022, Henderson County ranked as the 43rd least government transfer-dependent county in Illinois, with 23% of total income coming from programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and income maintenance, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
In total, residents in Henderson County received $81.22 million, equivalent to $13,204 per capita.
For comparison, the average across Illinois was $1.34 billion, or $11,542 per capita.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
Breaking down the contributions in Henderson County at the time, Social Security transfers made up $31.35 million, a 38.6% share of the total. Medicare transfers accounted for $21.04 million (25.9%), while Medicaid contributed $9.01 million (11.1%). Income maintenance programs, including assistance such as SNAP or TANF, added another $8.57 million, or 10.6% of the total.
With 27.7% of the population aged 65 and older, Henderson County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Henderson County, excluding government transfers was $44,317, which is noticeably below the county’s total income of $57,521, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Henderson County saw a decrease in its government transfer dependency by 4.3%.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Henderson County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from virtually none in 1970 to 23% (or $13,204 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | State Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander County | 1 | 50.5% | 25% | 10.5% | 7.9% | 15.9% | 12.7% | $24,592 |
| Pulaski County | 2 | 42.8% | 23.3% | 10.8% | 8.8% | 11.6% | 7.4% | $19,657 |
| Hardin County | 3 | 41.2% | 27.2% | 12.1% | 10.5% | 10.6% | 5% | $18,945 |
| Pope County | 4 | 39.5% | 31.3% | 15.3% | 7.8% | 6.5% | 6.3% | $14,432 |
| Saline County | 5 | 36.6% | 21.5% | 10.2% | 8% | 9.8% | 5.1% | $17,090 |
| Lawrence County | 6 | 36.1% | 18.8% | 10.1% | 8.4% | 10.7% | 4.1% | $14,211 |
| Massac County | 7 | 35.2% | 22% | 11% | 8.4% | 7.6% | 5.1% | $15,812 |
| Marion County | 8 | 34.2% | 20.1% | 8.8% | 9.1% | 8.1% | 4.7% | $17,107 |
| Franklin County | 9 | 34% | 20.9% | 10.4% | 8.2% | 6.8% | 4.9% | $15,398 |
| Union County | 10 | 33.9% | 22.5% | 9.4% | 6.9% | 10.4% | 4.5% | $16,320 |
| Gallatin County | 11 | 31.9% | 25.5% | 9.8% | 8.4% | 6.7% | 4% | $17,397 |
| Knox County | 12 | 31.8% | 22.5% | 9.4% | 6.7% | 8% | 3.8% | $14,923 |
| Clay County | 13 | 31.6% | 21.1% | 9% | 7.4% | 9.2% | 3.6% | $15,563 |
| Montgomery County | 14 | 30.7% | 21.1% | 10.5% | 7.7% | 6.3% | 3.5% | $13,336 |
| Jefferson County | 15 | 29.5% | 20% | 9.1% | 7.1% | 5.7% | 4.5% | $13,930 |
| Perry County | 16 | 29.4% | 20.3% | 10.1% | 8% | 4.3% | 3.8% | $12,597 |
| Vermilion County | 17 | 29.2% | 20.4% | 9% | 7% | 4.9% | 5.5% | $14,318 |
| Johnson County | 18 | 28.6% | 19.7% | 10.3% | 7.9% | 3.9% | 3.3% | $11,238 |
| Fulton County | 19 | 28.3% | 21.4% | 9.9% | 6.7% | 5.9% | 3.4% | $13,558 |
| Randolph County | 20 | 28% | 21% | 9.7% | 7.6% | 4.8% | 3.3% | $12,984 |
| White County | 21 | 27.5% | 23.2% | 8.8% | 7.2% | 5.6% | 3.3% | $15,608 |
| Fayette County | 22 | 27.4% | 18.9% | 8.7% | 6.7% | 5.8% | 3.9% | $12,226 |
| Bond County | 23 | 27.2% | 18.8% | 9.1% | 7.5% | 4.4% | 3.4% | $12,338 |
| Morgan County | 24 | 26.8% | 21.2% | 9.2% | 6.7% | 5.3% | 3.3% | $13,419 |
| Christian County | 25 | 26.7% | 20.1% | 9.3% | 6.9% | 5.2% | 3.1% | $13,111 |
| Hamilton County | 26 | 26.7% | 22.2% | 7.9% | 6.3% | 7.2% | 3% | $14,269 |
| Wayne County | 27 | 26.4% | 22.3% | 8.8% | 6.5% | 5.7% | 3.2% | $12,992 |
| Richland County | 28 | 26.4% | 21.1% | 8.3% | 6.5% | 5.1% | 3.5% | $13,718 |
| Mason County | 29 | 26.3% | 22.8% | 9% | 7.5% | 4.4% | 3.2% | $14,794 |
| Greene County | 30 | 26.3% | 21.1% | 8.4% | 7.4% | 4.5% | 3.7% | $14,050 |
| Pike County | 31 | 26.2% | 21.9% | 8% | 7.4% | 5.2% | 3.2% | $14,458 |
| Edgar County | 32 | 26.2% | 24.5% | 8.6% | 7.1% | 5% | 3.4% | $14,731 |
| Jackson County | 33 | 26.1% | 16.8% | 6.9% | 6% | 4.7% | 5.2% | $12,095 |
| Macoupin County | 34 | 26.1% | 21.8% | 9.7% | 6.9% | 4% | 2.9% | $13,295 |
| Clark County | 35 | 26% | 20.1% | 9% | 7.4% | 4.3% | 3% | $13,295 |
| Whiteside County | 36 | 26% | 22% | 9.4% | 6.4% | 5.1% | 2.8% | $13,588 |
| Wabash County | 37 | 25.8% | 22.6% | 9.2% | 6.9% | 4.3% | 3% | $13,470 |
| Stephenson County | 38 | 25.6% | 24.2% | 9.7% | 6.9% | 3.3% | 3.6% | $13,544 |
| Carroll County | 39 | 25.5% | 24.7% | 9.4% | 6.8% | 3.9% | 2.6% | $13,184 |
| Kankakee County | 40 | 25% | 17.8% | 7.9% | 6.4% | 5% | 3.8% | $12,783 |
| Jersey County | 41 | 24.9% | 20.7% | 9.4% | 7.4% | 3.8% | 2.3% | $13,060 |
| Logan County | 42 | 24.6% | 19.6% | 9% | 6% | 4.6% | 3.1% | $11,890 |
| St. Clair County | 43 | 24.4% | 17.3% | 6.8% | 5.1% | 4.7% | 4.1% | $13,353 |
| Williamson County | 44 | 24.4% | 20.1% | 8% | 5.8% | 4.1% | 3.6% | $12,651 |
| Calhoun County | 45 | 24.4% | 25.1% | 9.7% | 6.6% | 3.6% | 2.4% | $13,500 |
| Crawford County | 46 | 24.2% | 20% | 8.9% | 6.8% | 3.6% | 2.8% | $12,626 |
| McDonough County | 47 | 24.1% | 19% | 7.3% | 6.4% | 3.8% | 3.5% | $11,598 |
| Winnebago County | 47 | 24.1% | 18.6% | 8.5% | 5.5% | 4% | 4.3% | $12,038 |
| Iroquois County | 49 | 24.1% | 22.7% | 8.6% | 6.5% | 4.2% | 2.9% | $13,810 |
| Shelby County | 49 | 24.1% | 23.7% | 8.9% | 6.8% | 3.4% | 2.4% | $12,657 |
| Macon County | 51 | 24% | 21.1% | 8.1% | 5.6% | 4.3% | 3.7% | $13,606 |
| Hancock County | 52 | 24% | 24.5% | 9.2% | 6.4% | 3.3% | 2.6% | $13,443 |
| Coles County | 53 | 23.8% | 18.6% | 7.1% | 6% | 4.5% | 3.4% | $12,430 |
| Rock Island County | 54 | 23.7% | 20.5% | 8.7% | 5.8% | 3.6% | 3.5% | $11,541 |
| Lee County | 55 | 23.5% | 21.1% | 8.9% | 6.3% | 4.4% | 2% | $12,225 |
| Cass County | 56 | 23.3% | 18.3% | 7.3% | 5.6% | 4.6% | 3.1% | $11,658 |
| Marshall County | 56 | 23.3% | 24.1% | 9.4% | 5.8% | 3.7% | 2.4% | $13,256 |
| Edwards County | 58 | 23.1% | 22.7% | 9.4% | 6.2% | 2.6% | 2.6% | $11,482 |
| Jasper County | 59 | 23% | 21.1% | 8.1% | 6.8% | 3.3% | 2.3% | $12,986 |
| Henderson County | 60 | 23% | 27.7% | 8.9% | 5.9% | 2.5% | 2.4% | $13,204 |
| Schuyler County | 61 | 22.9% | 23.7% | 8% | 6.8% | 2.7% | 2.5% | $12,216 |
| Bureau County | 62 | 22.5% | 23.1% | 9.2% | 5.6% | 3.1% | 2.6% | $11,610 |
| Adams County | 63 | 22.4% | 20.8% | 7.7% | 6.1% | 3.5% | 2.9% | $12,604 |
| LaSalle County | 64 | 21.9% | 20% | 8.7% | 5.7% | 2.9% | 2.8% | $11,653 |
| Jo Daviess County | 65 | 21.7% | 30% | 10.1% | 6.3% | 1.4% | 1.7% | $12,579 |
| Madison County | 66 | 21.6% | 18.5% | 7.5% | 5.5% | 3.6% | 2.8% | $12,071 |
| De Witt County | 67 | 21.5% | 20.6% | 8.1% | 5.3% | 3.8% | 2.5% | $12,327 |
| Mercer County | 68 | 21.3% | 21.8% | 8.5% | 6.1% | 2.5% | 1.9% | $12,576 |
| Stark County | 69 | 21.1% | 23.1% | 7.7% | 5.9% | 3.9% | 2.1% | $13,238 |
| Warren County | 70 | 21% | 20.3% | 7% | 5.3% | 3.4% | 2.9% | $11,619 |
| Scott County | 71 | 20.9% | 21.4% | 7.2% | 6.1% | 3.2% | 2.4% | $11,631 |
| Menard County | 72 | 20.7% | 20.6% | 8% | 5.9% | 2.8% | 1.9% | $11,855 |
| Peoria County | 73 | 20.3% | 18.4% | 7.1% | 4.5% | 3.4% | 3.6% | $11,651 |
| Sangamon County | 74 | 20.3% | 19.4% | 7.5% | 5.2% | 2.7% | 2.9% | $11,592 |
| Washington County | 75 | 20.2% | 21.7% | 7.6% | 5.8% | 3% | 1.7% | $12,246 |
| Tazewell County | 76 | 19.9% | 19.9% | 8.2% | 5% | 2.9% | 2.1% | $11,262 |
| Livingston County | 77 | 19.9% | 20% | 7.9% | 5% | 3.2% | 2.3% | $11,269 |
| Ogle County | 78 | 19.7% | 19.7% | 8% | 5.1% | 2.4% | 2.5% | $10,783 |
| Henry County | 79 | 19.5% | 21.7% | 8.2% | 5% | 2.3% | 2.2% | $10,939 |
| Ford County | 80 | 19.3% | 19.5% | 6.6% | 5.3% | 3.5% | 2.1% | $12,408 |
| Clinton County | 81 | 19% | 18.6% | 6.8% | 4.6% | 3.6% | 1.7% | $11,193 |
| Brown County | 82 | 18.7% | 14.9% | 6.6% | 4.7% | 3.9% | 2% | $8,751 |
| Effingham County | 83 | 18.6% | 18.8% | 6.7% | 5.1% | 2.7% | 1.9% | $11,579 |
| DeKalb County | 84 | 18.3% | 13.9% | 6.2% | 5% | 2.2% | 2.6% | $9,349 |
| Putnam County | 85 | 17.2% | 24.9% | 8.1% | 4.7% | 1.3% | 1.5% | $11,530 |
| Boone County | 86 | 17.1% | 17% | 7.1% | 4.3% | 1.8% | 2.2% | $9,468 |
| Douglas County | 87 | 16.7% | 18.8% | 6% | 4.4% | 2.7% | 1.9% | $10,542 |
| Piatt County | 88 | 16.4% | 21.2% | 6.4% | 5.4% | 1.9% | 1.2% | $10,973 |
| Cook County | 89 | 15.6% | 16.1% | 4% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 2.7% | $11,388 |
| Moultrie County | 90 | 15.5% | 19.1% | 5.6% | 4% | 2.9% | 1.6% | $11,637 |
| Woodford County | 91 | 15.4% | 19.2% | 6.9% | 3.9% | 1.9% | 1.3% | $9,752 |
| Monroe County | 92 | 14.6% | 19.7% | 6.4% | 4.1% | 1.4% | 0.8% | $10,035 |
| Champaign County | 93 | 14.5% | 14.1% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 1.9% | 2.7% | $7,920 |
| Grundy County | 94 | 14.4% | 15.1% | 6.2% | 4.4% | 1.1% | 1.4% | $8,778 |
| McLean County | 95 | 14.2% | 14.6% | 5.6% | 3.4% | 1.4% | 2.1% | $8,250 |
| McHenry County | 96 | 13.7% | 16.4% | 5.8% | 4.4% | 0.8% | 1.2% | $8,989 |
| Kane County | 97 | 13.4% | 15.6% | 5.2% | 3.4% | 1.6% | 2% | $8,539 |
| Cumberland County | 98 | 13% | 21.2% | 4.7% | 3.5% | 2% | 1.5% | $11,661 |
| Will County | 99 | 13% | 14.5% | 5.1% | 3.6% | 1.2% | 1.6% | $8,251 |
| Kendall County | 100 | 10.2% | 11.2% | 4.6% | 2.7% | 0.4% | 1.3% | $5,985 |
| DuPage County | 101 | 10% | 17.4% | 4.2% | 2.7% | 1.1% | 0.9% | $8,865 |
| Lake County | 102 | 9.3% | 15.8% | 3.6% | 2.6% | 1.1% | 1.1% | $8,746 |
