USDA eligibility map: Illinois
About 91.1% of Illinois's area is in USDA-eligible rural areas, by HeritageDeed's estimate from USDA Rural Development's published eligibility map, the 41st highest share among the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. 76 of 102 counties have no ineligible area at all, and Cook County and DuPage County are entirely ineligible. 375 Census places in Illinois lie mostly inside ineligible areas, including Chicago city, Naperville city, Waukegan city, Aurora city and Joliet city.
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USDA eligible area by county
The share of each county's area that is USDA eligible, and the places (cities, towns and census-designated places) at least half inside ineligible areas. These are estimates; check any single property with the lookup.
| county | Area eligible | Mostly ineligible places |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 98.1% | Quincy city |
| Alexander County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Bond County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Boone County | 68.8% | Belvidere city, Argyle CDP |
| Brown County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Bureau County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Calhoun County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Carroll County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Cass County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Champaign County | 91.1% | Champaign city, Urbana city, Savoy village |
| Christian County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Clark County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Clay County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Clinton County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Coles County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Cook County | 0% | Chicago city, Barrington Hills village, Orland Park village, Hoffman Estates village, Schaumburg village, Arlington Heights village, Tinley Park village, Glenview village, and 112 more |
| Crawford County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Cumberland County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| De Witt County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| DeKalb County | 94.7% | DeKalb city, Sycamore city |
| Douglas County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| DuPage County | 0% | Naperville city, Bartlett village, West Chicago city, Downers Grove village, Wheaton city, Lombard village, Elmhurst city, Addison village, and 21 more |
| Edgar County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Edwards County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Effingham County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Fayette County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Ford County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Franklin County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Fulton County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Gallatin County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Greene County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Grundy County | 93.9% | None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible |
| Hamilton County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Hancock County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Hardin County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Henderson County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Henry County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Iroquois County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Jackson County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Jasper County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Jefferson County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Jersey County | 99.9% | None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible |
| Jo Daviess County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Johnson County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Kane County | 22.5% | Aurora city, Elgin city, Campton Hills village, St. Charles city, Batavia city, Sugar Grove village, Geneva city, Hampshire village, and 13 more |
| Kankakee County | 89.2% | Kankakee city, Bourbonnais village, Bradley village |
| Kendall County | 47.8% | Yorkville city, Oswego village, Montgomery village, Minooka village, Plano city, Boulder Hill CDP |
| Knox County | 94.2% | Galesburg city |
| Lake County | 0.1% | Waukegan city, Lake Forest city, Gurnee village, Long Grove village, Highland Park city, Mundelein village, Grayslake village, Old Mill Creek village, and 47 more |
| LaSalle County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Lawrence County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Lee County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Livingston County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Logan County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Macon County | 78.3% | Decatur city, Mount Zion village, Forsyth village, Long Creek village |
| Macoupin County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Madison County | 67.8% | Godfrey village, Edwardsville city, Granite City city, Madison city, Alton city, Collinsville city, Pontoon Beach village, Glen Carbon village, and 7 more |
| Marion County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Marshall County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Mason County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Massac County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| McDonough County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| McHenry County | 50.2% | Crystal Lake city, McHenry city, Huntley village, Woodstock city, Algonquin village, Lake in the Hills village, Bull Valley village, Spring Grove village, and 18 more |
| McLean County | 89.5% | Bloomington city, Normal town, Twin Grove CDP |
| Menard County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Mercer County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Monroe County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Montgomery County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Morgan County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Moultrie County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Ogle County | 99.9% | None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible |
| Peoria County | 83.7% | Peoria city, Peoria Heights village, Bellevue village, West Peoria city, Mossville CDP, Norwood village |
| Perry County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Piatt County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Pike County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Pope County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Pulaski County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Putnam County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Randolph County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Richland County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Rock Island County | 72.2% | Rock Island city, Moline city, East Moline city, Milan village, Silvis city, Coal Valley village, Rock Island Arsenal CDP, Carbon Cliff village, and 5 more |
| Saline County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Sangamon County | 85.5% | Springfield city, Chatham village, Southern View village, Leland Grove city, Jerome village, Grandview village |
| Schuyler County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Scott County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Shelby County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| St. Clair County | 71.3% | Belleville city, Cahokia Heights city, O'Fallon city, East St. Louis city, Shiloh village, Fairview Heights city, Caseyville village, Swansea village, and 4 more |
| Stark County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Stephenson County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Tazewell County | 74.5% | East Peoria city, Pekin city, Morton village, Washington city, Creve Coeur village, North Pekin village, Marquette Heights city |
| Union County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Vermilion County | 97.9% | Danville city |
| Wabash County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Warren County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Washington County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Wayne County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| White County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Whiteside County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Will County | 39.4% | Joliet city, Plainfield village, Bolingbrook village, Homer Glen village, Romeoville village, Channahon village, New Lenox village, Frankfort village, and 23 more |
| Williamson County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
| Winnebago County | 48.8% | Rockford city, Loves Park city, Machesney Park village, Roscoe village, Cherry Valley village, Rockton village, South Beloit city, New Milford village |
| Woodford County | 100% | None: the whole county is eligible |
How USDA decides what is rural
The rural-area definition is section 520 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490): open country and places not part of or associated with an urban area with up to 2,500 people, up to 10,000 if rural in character, or up to 20,000 outside a metropolitan statistical area with a serious lack of mortgage credit for lower and moderate-income families. Areas that lost rural status in the 1990 to 2020 censuses stay rural until 2030 census data arrive if they have 10,000 to 35,000 people and meet the same conditions. Income is a separate test, applied to the household by the lender and USDA.
For other address-level designations in Illinois, the free census tract lookup shows the income level and QCT and DDA status, and Illinois has 327 designated Opportunity Zone tracts (Opportunity Zone lookup).
Questions
Is Illinois eligible for USDA loans?
Much of it is. About 91.1% of the state's area is outside USDA's ineligible areas (5,011 of about 56,278 square miles are ineligible). 76 counties are entirely eligible. Most people live in the larger towns, which are often ineligible, so check the specific address.
Which Illinois counties have the least USDA eligible area?
Cook County (0% eligible), DuPage County (0% eligible), Lake County (0.1% eligible), Kane County (22.5% eligible), Will County (39.4% eligible). The share is of land area, by HeritageDeed's estimate from USDA's map; eligibility is decided for each property.
Which Illinois towns are not eligible for USDA loans?
Places USDA's map shows as mostly inside an ineligible area include Chicago city, Naperville city, Waukegan city, Aurora city, Joliet city, Yorkville city, Rockford city and Crystal Lake city. The county table on this page lists every place that is mostly ineligible. Edges matter: part of a town, or land just outside it, can be on the other side of the line, so check the address.
How do I check a Illinois address for USDA eligibility?
Enter the street address in the lookup on this page. It locates the address and checks it against USDA's published rural eligibility map. It is a screening: Rural Development makes the final determination on a complete application, and household income is a separate test (USDA's income eligibility tool).
When was the USDA eligibility map for Illinois last updated?
The ineligible areas on USDA's map for Illinois carry an effective date of July 25, 2023. USDA updates the map from ineligible-area changes sent in by its state offices. The statute keeps formerly rural areas of 10,000 to 35,000 people rural until data from the 2030 census arrive, if they still meet its conditions.
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Legal references
- 42 U.S.C. 1490, definition of rural area (Housing Act of 1949, section 520)
Areas are computed by HeritageDeed: estimates, not USDA figures. USDA's map is not a final determination; Rural Development decides on a complete application. HeritageDeed is not affiliated with USDA.
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