| Rank |
County |
Deficiency Payments
1995-2011 | Pct of
Total | Running
Percentage |
| 1 | McLean County, Illinois | $10,495,820 | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| 2 | Iroquois County, Illinois | $9,312,612 | 3.0% | 6.5% |
| 3 | Livingston County, Illinois | $9,193,809 | 3.0% | 9.5% |
| 4 | La Salle County, Illinois | $8,701,284 | 2.8% | 12.3% |
| 5 | Bureau County, Illinois | $8,624,839 | 2.8% | 15.2% |
| 6 | Henry County, Illinois | $8,149,341 | 2.7% | 17.8% |
| 7 | Champaign County, Illinois | $7,647,579 | 2.5% | 20.3% |
| 8 | Lee County, Illinois | $7,095,586 | 2.3% | 22.6% |
| 9 | DeKalb County, Illinois | $6,701,087 | 2.2% | 24.8% |
| 10 | Vermilion County, Illinois | $6,700,386 | 2.2% | 27.0% |
| 11 | Whiteside County, Illinois | $6,093,497 | 2.0% | 29.0% |
| 12 | Ogle County, Illinois | $6,072,603 | 2.0% | 31.0% |
| 13 | Sangamon County, Illinois | $5,923,924 | 1.9% | 33.0% |
| 14 | Christian County, Illinois | $5,758,785 | 1.9% | 34.8% |
| 15 | Kankakee County, Illinois | $5,672,956 | 1.9% | 36.7% |
| 16 | Warren County, Illinois | $5,387,657 | 1.8% | 38.5% |
| 17 | Knox County, Illinois | $5,255,578 | 1.7% | 40.2% |
| 18 | Logan County, Illinois | $5,116,310 | 1.7% | 41.8% |
| 19 | Macon County, Illinois | $5,072,586 | 1.7% | 43.5% |
| 20 | Edgar County, Illinois | $4,860,750 | 1.6% | 45.1% |
| 21 | Tazewell County, Illinois | $4,596,680 | 1.5% | 46.6% |
| 22 | Piatt County, Illinois | $4,392,325 | 1.4% | 48.0% |
| 23 | Douglas County, Illinois | $4,270,726 | 1.4% | 49.4% |
| 24 | Ford County, Illinois | $4,170,945 | 1.4% | 50.8% |
| 25 | Mercer County, Illinois | $4,127,842 | 1.4% | 52.2% |
| 26 | McDonough County, Illinois | $4,107,302 | 1.3% | 53.5% |
| 27 | Stephenson County, Illinois | $4,030,810 | 1.3% | 54.8% |
| 28 | Woodford County, Illinois | $3,862,642 | 1.3% | 56.1% |
| 29 | Shelby County, Illinois | $3,831,156 | 1.3% | 57.3% |
| 30 | Carroll County, Illinois | $3,811,804 | 1.2% | 58.6% |
| 31 | Coles County, Illinois | $3,757,217 | 1.2% | 59.8% |
| 32 | Hancock County, Illinois | $3,733,016 | 1.2% | 61.0% |
| 33 | Morgan County, Illinois | $3,685,893 | 1.2% | 62.2% |
| 34 | Grundy County, Illinois | $3,504,698 | 1.1% | 63.4% |
| 35 | Henderson County, Illinois | $3,301,582 | 1.1% | 64.5% |
| 36 | Montgomery County, Illinois | $3,231,443 | 1.1% | 65.5% |
| 37 | De Witt County, Illinois | $3,191,358 | 1.0% | 66.6% |
| 38 | Macoupin County, Illinois | $3,130,290 | 1.0% | 67.6% |
| 39 | Will County, Illinois | $3,100,226 | 1.0% | 68.6% |
| 40 | Kane County, Illinois | $3,028,257 | 1.0% | 69.6% |
| 41 | Moultrie County, Illinois | $3,016,032 | 1.0% | 70.6% |
| 42 | Winnebago County, Illinois | $3,001,366 | 1.0% | 71.6% |
| 43 | Stark County, Illinois | $2,985,770 | 1.0% | 72.5% |
| 44 | Fulton County, Illinois | $2,869,171 | 0.9% | 73.5% |
| 45 | Marshall County, Illinois | $2,867,481 | 0.9% | 74.4% |
| 46 | Mason County, Illinois | $2,861,062 | 0.9% | 75.3% |
| 47 | Peoria County, Illinois | $2,801,355 | 0.9% | 76.3% |
| 48 | Kendall County, Illinois | $2,800,253 | 0.9% | 77.2% |
| 49 | Menard County, Illinois | $2,548,742 | 0.8% | 78.0% |
| 50 | McHenry County, Illinois | $2,539,583 | 0.8% | 78.8% |
| 51 | Clark County, Illinois | $2,456,182 | 0.8% | 79.7% |
| 52 | Adams County, Illinois | $2,401,747 | 0.8% | 80.4% |
| 53 | Boone County, Illinois | $2,400,244 | 0.8% | 81.2% |
| 54 | Pike County, Illinois | $2,383,635 | 0.8% | 82.0% |
| 55 | Jo Daviess County, Illinois | $2,381,482 | 0.8% | 82.8% |
| 56 | Jasper County, Illinois | $2,249,394 | 0.7% | 83.5% |
| 57 | Greene County, Illinois | $2,105,061 | 0.7% | 84.2% |
| 58 | Cass County, Illinois | $2,104,962 | 0.7% | 84.9% |
| 59 | Rock Island County, Illinois | $1,982,574 | 0.6% | 85.5% |
| 60 | White County, Illinois | $1,888,849 | 0.6% | 86.2% |
| 61 | Washington County, Illinois | $1,835,164 | 0.6% | 86.8% |
| 62 | Crawford County, Illinois | $1,790,646 | 0.6% | 87.3% |
| 63 | Gallatin County, Illinois | $1,787,055 | 0.6% | 87.9% |
| 64 | Cumberland County, Illinois | $1,763,352 | 0.6% | 88.5% |
| 65 | Fayette County, Illinois | $1,757,882 | 0.6% | 89.1% |
| 66 | Lawrence County, Illinois | $1,756,806 | 0.6% | 89.7% |
| 67 | Effingham County, Illinois | $1,732,810 | 0.6% | 90.2% |
| 68 | Richland County, Illinois | $1,632,072 | 0.5% | 90.8% |
| 69 | Wayne County, Illinois | $1,631,062 | 0.5% | 91.3% |
| 70 | Saint Clair County, Illinois | $1,600,677 | 0.5% | 91.8% |
| 71 | Clay County, Illinois | $1,501,432 | 0.5% | 92.3% |
| 72 | Clinton County, Illinois | $1,496,654 | 0.5% | 92.8% |
| 73 | Madison County, Illinois | $1,437,094 | 0.5% | 93.3% |
| 74 | Schuyler County, Illinois | $1,319,316 | 0.4% | 93.7% |
| 75 | Scott County, Illinois | $1,275,984 | 0.4% | 94.1% |
| 76 | Hamilton County, Illinois | $1,272,806 | 0.4% | 94.5% |
| 77 | Brown County, Illinois | $1,221,623 | 0.4% | 94.9% |
| 78 | Jersey County, Illinois | $1,212,907 | 0.4% | 95.3% |
| 79 | Wabash County, Illinois | $1,150,329 | 0.4% | 95.7% |
| 80 | Putnam County, Illinois | $1,138,288 | 0.4% | 96.1% |
| 81 | Marion County, Illinois | $1,105,919 | 0.4% | 96.4% |
| 82 | Monroe County, Illinois | $1,105,872 | 0.4% | 96.8% |
| 83 | Randolph County, Illinois | $1,104,897 | 0.4% | 97.2% |
| 84 | Edwards County, Illinois | $969,645 | 0.3% | 97.5% |
| 85 | Bond County, Illinois | $930,806 | 0.3% | 97.8% |
| 86 | Saline County, Illinois | $867,601 | 0.3% | 98.1% |
| 87 | Jefferson County, Illinois | $795,440 | 0.3% | 98.3% |
| 88 | Perry County, Illinois | $717,198 | 0.2% | 98.6% |
| 89 | Franklin County, Illinois | $660,735 | 0.2% | 98.8% |
| 90 | Massac County, Illinois | $571,596 | 0.2% | 99.0% |
| 91 | Jackson County, Illinois | $531,705 | 0.2% | 99.1% |
| 92 | Calhoun County, Illinois | $420,402 | 0.1% | 99.3% |
| 93 | Williamson County, Illinois | $357,194 | 0.1% | 99.4% |
| 94 | Pulaski County, Illinois | $327,636 | 0.1% | 99.5% |
| 95 | Lake County, Illinois | $299,783 | 0.1% | 99.6% |
| 96 | Johnson County, Illinois | $264,190 | 0.1% | 99.7% |
| 97 | Union County, Illinois | $213,793 | 0.1% | 99.8% |
| 98 | Pope County, Illinois | $191,091 | 0.1% | 99.8% |
| 99 | Cook County, Illinois | $158,416 | 0.1% | 99.9% |
| 100 | Alexander County, Illinois | $146,172 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 101 | DuPage County, Illinois | $140,610 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 102 | Hardin County, Illinois | $103,106 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
Source: Environmental Working Group. Compiled from USDA data.
Note: The information on conservation spending for 2011 is incomplete due to missing data from USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service. In addition some payments made in 2010 were not assigned to recipients in the data received from NRCS. Those payments are also not included.
The information provided for the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) provides an inaccurate picture of how WRP payments are distributed. USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service uses title companies as intermediaries to finalize wetlands easements under the Wetlands Reserve Program. As a result, the data provided to us shows large sums of money going to these title companies. In reality, the payments are ultimately distributed to landowners participating in the WRP.
Unfortunately, NRCS has not provided the data to show where these farms and wetlands are located or which farmers or landowners are enrolling in the program, so EWG is unable to allocate these large sums of money to individuals beyond the title companies. Therefore, these companies skew the conservation rankings and payment concentration, which EWG cannot avoid unless and until NRCS makes available the additional farm attribution data. Therefore, we have not included WRP payments in the 2011 data update.
We have separated data on farm commodity, disaster and conservation payments in order to provide a more accurate picture of top recipients and concentration of payments among the three main categories of USDA programs.
Finally, EWG works hard to ensure the accuracy of the information it provides through its products and services, but obtains data for the Farm Subsidy Database from the U.S. Department of Agriculture pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. Therefore, EWG cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information USDA provides or any analysis based thereon. If you find an error or discrepancy on the site, please contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office to check its records before contacting EWG.
