John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the largest contributor. Medicare was the second largest, totaling $33.32 billion, equating to $2,649 per capita and making up 24.4% of total transfers.
Medicaid was the third largest contributor in Illinois in 2022, accounting for $27.43 billion, averaging $2,180 per capita, and represented 20.1% of transfers in the state. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $20.37 billion, averaging $1,619 per capita and comprising 14.9% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Statewide, including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $136.49 billion, and accounted for 16% of residents’ total income, with an average of $10,848 per resident.
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).
With 17% of the population aged 65 and older, Illinois has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The total per capita income in Illinois, excluding government transfers was $56,807.5, which is noticeably below the county's total income of $67,656, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Illinois saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 0.3%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
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 Illinois, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 7% (or $1,894 per capita) in 1970 to 16% (or $10,848 per capita) in 2022.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 1 | 15.6% | 16.1% | 4% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 2.7% | $11,388 |
| DuPage County | 2 | 10% | 17.4% | 4.2% | 2.7% | 1.1% | 0.9% | $8,865 |
| Lake County | 3 | 9.3% | 15.8% | 3.6% | 2.6% | 1.1% | 1.1% | $8,746 |
| Will County | 4 | 13% | 14.5% | 5.1% | 3.6% | 1.2% | 1.6% | $8,251 |
| Kane County | 5 | 13.4% | 15.6% | 5.2% | 3.4% | 1.6% | 2% | $8,539 |
| Winnebago County | 6 | 24.1% | 18.6% | 8.5% | 5.5% | 4% | 4.3% | $12,038 |
| St. Clair County | 7 | 24.4% | 17.3% | 6.8% | 5.1% | 4.7% | 4.1% | $13,353 |
| Madison County | 8 | 21.6% | 18.5% | 7.5% | 5.5% | 3.6% | 2.8% | $12,071 |
| McHenry County | 9 | 13.7% | 16.4% | 5.8% | 4.4% | 0.8% | 1.2% | $8,989 |
| Sangamon County | 10 | 20.3% | 19.4% | 7.5% | 5.2% | 2.7% | 2.9% | $11,592 |
| Peoria County | 11 | 20.3% | 18.4% | 7.1% | 4.5% | 3.4% | 3.6% | $11,651 |
| Champaign County | 12 | 14.5% | 14.1% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 1.9% | 2.7% | $7,920 |
| Rock Island County | 13 | 23.7% | 20.5% | 8.7% | 5.8% | 3.6% | 3.5% | $11,541 |
| Tazewell County | 14 | 19.9% | 19.9% | 8.2% | 5% | 2.9% | 2.1% | $11,262 |
| McLean County | 15 | 14.2% | 14.6% | 5.6% | 3.4% | 1.4% | 2.1% | $8,250 |
| Macon County | 16 | 24% | 21.1% | 8.1% | 5.6% | 4.3% | 3.7% | $13,606 |
| Kankakee County | 17 | 25% | 17.8% | 7.9% | 6.4% | 5% | 3.8% | $12,783 |
| LaSalle County | 18 | 21.9% | 20% | 8.7% | 5.7% | 2.9% | 2.8% | $11,653 |
| Vermilion County | 19 | 29.2% | 20.4% | 9% | 7% | 4.9% | 5.5% | $14,318 |
| DeKalb County | 20 | 18.3% | 13.9% | 6.2% | 5% | 2.2% | 2.6% | $9,349 |
| Williamson County | 21 | 24.4% | 20.1% | 8% | 5.8% | 4.1% | 3.6% | $12,651 |
| Kendall County | 22 | 10.2% | 11.2% | 4.6% | 2.7% | 0.4% | 1.3% | $5,985 |
| Adams County | 23 | 22.4% | 20.8% | 7.7% | 6.1% | 3.5% | 2.9% | $12,604 |
| Whiteside County | 24 | 26% | 22% | 9.4% | 6.4% | 5.1% | 2.8% | $13,588 |
| Knox County | 25 | 31.8% | 22.5% | 9.4% | 6.7% | 8% | 3.8% | $14,923 |
| Jackson County | 26 | 26.1% | 16.8% | 6.9% | 6% | 4.7% | 5.2% | $12,095 |
| Marion County | 27 | 34.2% | 20.1% | 8.8% | 9.1% | 8.1% | 4.7% | $17,107 |
| Stephenson County | 28 | 25.6% | 24.2% | 9.7% | 6.9% | 3.3% | 3.6% | $13,544 |
| Macoupin County | 29 | 26.1% | 21.8% | 9.7% | 6.9% | 4% | 2.9% | $13,295 |
| Coles County | 30 | 23.8% | 18.6% | 7.1% | 6% | 4.5% | 3.4% | $12,430 |
| Franklin County | 31 | 34% | 20.9% | 10.4% | 8.2% | 6.8% | 4.9% | $15,398 |
| Ogle County | 32 | 19.7% | 19.7% | 8% | 5.1% | 2.4% | 2.5% | $10,783 |
| Henry County | 33 | 19.5% | 21.7% | 8.2% | 5% | 2.3% | 2.2% | $10,939 |
| Jefferson County | 34 | 29.5% | 20% | 9.1% | 7.1% | 5.7% | 4.5% | $13,930 |
| Boone County | 35 | 17.1% | 17% | 7.1% | 4.3% | 1.8% | 2.2% | $9,468 |
| Grundy County | 36 | 14.4% | 15.1% | 6.2% | 4.4% | 1.1% | 1.4% | $8,778 |
| Fulton County | 37 | 28.3% | 21.4% | 9.9% | 6.7% | 5.9% | 3.4% | $13,558 |
| Christian County | 38 | 26.7% | 20.1% | 9.3% | 6.9% | 5.2% | 3.1% | $13,111 |
| Morgan County | 39 | 26.8% | 21.2% | 9.2% | 6.7% | 5.3% | 3.3% | $13,419 |
| Lee County | 40 | 23.5% | 21.1% | 8.9% | 6.3% | 4.4% | 2% | $12,225 |
| Clinton County | 41 | 19% | 18.6% | 6.8% | 4.6% | 3.6% | 1.7% | $11,193 |
| Livingston County | 42 | 19.9% | 20% | 7.9% | 5% | 3.2% | 2.3% | $11,269 |
| Effingham County | 43 | 18.6% | 18.8% | 6.7% | 5.1% | 2.7% | 1.9% | $11,579 |
| Saline County | 44 | 36.6% | 21.5% | 10.2% | 8% | 9.8% | 5.1% | $17,090 |
| Randolph County | 45 | 28% | 21% | 9.7% | 7.6% | 4.8% | 3.3% | $12,984 |
| Bureau County | 46 | 22.5% | 23.1% | 9.2% | 5.6% | 3.1% | 2.6% | $11,610 |
| Montgomery County | 47 | 30.7% | 21.1% | 10.5% | 7.7% | 6.3% | 3.5% | $13,336 |
| Woodford County | 48 | 15.4% | 19.2% | 6.9% | 3.9% | 1.9% | 1.3% | $9,752 |
| Iroquois County | 49 | 24.1% | 22.7% | 8.6% | 6.5% | 4.2% | 2.9% | $13,810 |
| Monroe County | 50 | 14.6% | 19.7% | 6.4% | 4.1% | 1.4% | 0.8% | $10,035 |
| Logan County | 51 | 24.6% | 19.6% | 9% | 6% | 4.6% | 3.1% | $11,890 |
| McDonough County | 52 | 24.1% | 19% | 7.3% | 6.4% | 3.8% | 3.5% | $11,598 |
| Jersey County | 53 | 24.9% | 20.7% | 9.4% | 7.4% | 3.8% | 2.3% | $13,060 |
| Jo Daviess County | 54 | 21.7% | 30% | 10.1% | 6.3% | 1.4% | 1.7% | $12,579 |
| Union County | 55 | 33.9% | 22.5% | 9.4% | 6.9% | 10.4% | 4.5% | $16,320 |
| Shelby County | 56 | 24.1% | 23.7% | 8.9% | 6.8% | 3.4% | 2.4% | $12,657 |
| Fayette County | 57 | 27.4% | 18.9% | 8.7% | 6.7% | 5.8% | 3.9% | $12,226 |
| Perry County | 58 | 29.4% | 20.3% | 10.1% | 8% | 4.3% | 3.8% | $12,597 |
| Edgar County | 59 | 26.2% | 24.5% | 8.6% | 7.1% | 5% | 3.4% | $14,731 |
| Crawford County | 60 | 24.2% | 20% | 8.9% | 6.8% | 3.6% | 2.8% | $12,626 |
| Hancock County | 61 | 24% | 24.5% | 9.2% | 6.4% | 3.3% | 2.6% | $13,443 |
| Massac County | 62 | 35.2% | 22% | 11% | 8.4% | 7.6% | 5.1% | $15,812 |
| White County | 63 | 27.5% | 23.2% | 8.8% | 7.2% | 5.6% | 3.3% | $15,608 |
| Lawrence County | 64 | 36.1% | 18.8% | 10.1% | 8.4% | 10.7% | 4.1% | $14,211 |
| Richland County | 65 | 26.4% | 21.1% | 8.3% | 6.5% | 5.1% | 3.5% | $13,718 |
| Pike County | 66 | 26.2% | 21.9% | 8% | 7.4% | 5.2% | 3.2% | $14,458 |
| Douglas County | 67 | 16.7% | 18.8% | 6% | 4.4% | 2.7% | 1.9% | $10,542 |
| Wayne County | 68 | 26.4% | 22.3% | 8.8% | 6.5% | 5.7% | 3.2% | $12,992 |
| Carroll County | 69 | 25.5% | 24.7% | 9.4% | 6.8% | 3.9% | 2.6% | $13,184 |
| Bond County | 70 | 27.2% | 18.8% | 9.1% | 7.5% | 4.4% | 3.4% | $12,338 |
| Clay County | 71 | 31.6% | 21.1% | 9% | 7.4% | 9.2% | 3.6% | $15,563 |
| Clark County | 72 | 26% | 20.1% | 9% | 7.4% | 4.3% | 3% | $13,295 |
| Mercer County | 73 | 21.3% | 21.8% | 8.5% | 6.1% | 2.5% | 1.9% | $12,576 |
| Warren County | 74 | 21% | 20.3% | 7% | 5.3% | 3.4% | 2.9% | $11,619 |
| De Witt County | 75 | 21.5% | 20.6% | 8.1% | 5.3% | 3.8% | 2.5% | $12,327 |
| Mason County | 76 | 26.3% | 22.8% | 9% | 7.5% | 4.4% | 3.2% | $14,794 |
| Piatt County | 77 | 16.4% | 21.2% | 6.4% | 5.4% | 1.9% | 1.2% | $10,973 |
| Washington County | 78 | 20.2% | 21.7% | 7.6% | 5.8% | 3% | 1.7% | $12,246 |
| Moultrie County | 79 | 15.5% | 19.1% | 5.6% | 4% | 2.9% | 1.6% | $11,637 |
| Ford County | 80 | 19.3% | 19.5% | 6.6% | 5.3% | 3.5% | 2.1% | $12,408 |
| Greene County | 81 | 26.3% | 21.1% | 8.4% | 7.4% | 4.5% | 3.7% | $14,050 |
| Marshall County | 82 | 23.3% | 24.1% | 9.4% | 5.8% | 3.7% | 2.4% | $13,256 |
| Johnson County | 83 | 28.6% | 19.7% | 10.3% | 7.9% | 3.9% | 3.3% | $11,238 |
| Wabash County | 84 | 25.8% | 22.6% | 9.2% | 6.9% | 4.3% | 3% | $13,470 |
| Cass County | 85 | 23.3% | 18.3% | 7.3% | 5.6% | 4.6% | 3.1% | $11,658 |
| Menard County | 86 | 20.7% | 20.6% | 8% | 5.9% | 2.8% | 1.9% | $11,855 |
| Cumberland County | 87 | 13% | 21.2% | 4.7% | 3.5% | 2% | 1.5% | $11,661 |
| Jasper County | 88 | 23% | 21.1% | 8.1% | 6.8% | 3.3% | 2.3% | $12,986 |
| Alexander County | 89 | 50.5% | 25% | 10.5% | 7.9% | 15.9% | 12.7% | $24,592 |
| Hamilton County | 90 | 26.7% | 22.2% | 7.9% | 6.3% | 7.2% | 3% | $14,269 |
| Pulaski County | 91 | 42.8% | 23.3% | 10.8% | 8.8% | 11.6% | 7.4% | $19,657 |
| Gallatin County | 92 | 31.9% | 25.5% | 9.8% | 8.4% | 6.7% | 4% | $17,397 |
| Schuyler County | 93 | 22.9% | 23.7% | 8% | 6.8% | 2.7% | 2.5% | $12,216 |
| Henderson County | 94 | 23% | 27.7% | 8.9% | 5.9% | 2.5% | 2.4% | $13,204 |
| Stark County | 95 | 21.1% | 23.1% | 7.7% | 5.9% | 3.9% | 2.1% | $13,238 |
| Edwards County | 96 | 23.1% | 22.7% | 9.4% | 6.2% | 2.6% | 2.6% | $11,482 |
| Hardin County | 97 | 41.2% | 27.2% | 12.1% | 10.5% | 10.6% | 5% | $18,945 |
| Putnam County | 98 | 17.2% | 24.9% | 8.1% | 4.7% | 1.3% | 1.5% | $11,530 |
| Calhoun County | 99 | 24.4% | 25.1% | 9.7% | 6.6% | 3.6% | 2.4% | $13,500 |
| Scott County | 100 | 20.9% | 21.4% | 7.2% | 6.1% | 3.2% | 2.4% | $11,631 |
| Brown County | 101 | 18.7% | 14.9% | 6.6% | 4.7% | 3.9% | 2% | $8,751 |
| Pope County | 102 | 39.5% | 31.3% | 15.3% | 7.8% | 6.5% | 6.3% | $14,432 |
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