Macoupin County, Illinois
This profile presents Macoupin County’s demographic characteristics, prioritized needs, key inputs from residents, and the partnership and funding landscape in the county.
Who Lives in Macoupin County?
The following data highlight some important demographic information about the people who live in Macoupin County:
Total Population 45,960
41% of the population live in urban areas
59% of the population live in rural areas
15.5% of the population live with a disability
Population in Poverty
Prioritized Needs
The Community Needs Assessment (CNA) began with listening through a public survey, focus groups, and individual interviews, and with a review of existing or secondary data. To identify and prioritize the needs in each county, the CNA researchers gave each topic (or need) a score using all of the data collected. The scores were assigned using these criteria: how many people were impacted; how great the racial disparity was; and if the need was a root cause (main reason) for a condition or outcome. These scores were also driven by how community members responded to the topic through the survey, focus groups, and interviews. Using the scores given by the CNA researchers, United Way ranked the top half of each county’s needs.
| Ranking | Topic/Need | Impact Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jobs | Financial Stability |
| 2 | K-12 Education and Out-of-School Time | Foster Learning |
| 3* | Access to Healthcare | Improve Health |
| 3* | Aging and Senior Support | Strengthen Communities |
| 5* | Built Environment | Strengthen Communities |
| 5* | Food Security | Provide Food and Shelter |
| 7 | Early Childhood Education | Foster Learning |
| 8 | Community Building | Strengthen Communities |
| 9 | Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse | Improve Health |
| 10 | Justice System | Strengthen Communities |
| 11 | Transportation | Provide Food and Shelter |
| 12 | Safety | Strengthen Communities |
| *scores were tied |
Community Engagement
The findings below highlight what was heard and learned from community members. The community engagement process included: gathering insight from residents on individual, family, and community needs through public surveys; perspective on community challenges and resources from local government and social services providers through focus groups; and in-depth accounts of individuals’ daily successes and challenges through one-on-one interviews.
After CNA partners reviewed all collected data to identify a list of priority needs for each county, residents were given the opportunity to identify the needs they believed to be highest priority. Residents identified the following as the highest priority needs in Macoupin County:
- Aging and Senior Support (4/5)*
- Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse (4/5)
- Jobs (4/5)
*Number of community members who picked this topic / number of total community members who voted.
This community feedback was not used in the final needs prioritization because in many counties, the participant sample was not representative of the entire county.
Resident Words
“Stable. We don’t have many opportunities for jobs. Most jobs are entry-level – gas station clerks, fast food, manual labor. Substance use is high in our community and for a small community, we’ve experienced our share of overdose deaths. In times of trouble, however, our community does come together and help each other as much as we can.”
A total of 40 responses for Macoupin County were recorded through the public survey, focus group, and one-on-one interviews. For the public survey, none of the 30 participants were people of color. The one-on-one interviews included six individuals, two were people of color. No demographic data was recorded for the four supplemental social service and local government survey participants.
Key takeaways from survey, interview, and focus groups in this county:
- Macoupin County residents are commonly concerned about financial security for themselves and their families. For survey and interview participants, the most frequent concern shared was about providing for their families today and saving for retirement (13/30 responses). Staying healthy was the second most common concern (10/30 responses).
- Many households had at least one expense unpaid or delayed in payment over the last year. Of the nine surveyed residents who noted missing payment on a bill in the last 12 months, three said they were late paying their medical care or health insurance bills.
- Macoupin County may not be ideal for many of its residents. When asked about desired quality of life, 15 of 26 survey participants felt a community outside of Macoupin County would be better for their families. This sentiment was shared across all age groups.
- A thriving community that is more accepting and supportive is what residents most commonly desire for the future of Macoupin County. The two most common hopes shared by survey and interview participants for the future of their community include one that is growing and prosperous (10/32 responses) and more accepting of and civil towards personal makeup and worldview differences.
Key takeaways from respondents of color in survey, interview, and focus groups in this county:
- Racial discrimination in Macoupin County is prevalent for participants of color. The two interview participants of color shared their discomfort with frequent instances of racial profiling and social exclusion from community members.
Funding Analysis
The funding map tracked government and philanthropic grants of $50,000 or more awarded in fiscal year 2017. Grants were recorded in the county the terminal grantee is located in, not the terminal grantee’s service area, which may underrepresent grant funding in Macoupin County.
In 2017, Macoupin County received a total of $12.9 million in grant funding across 67 unique grants. These funds amounted to 0.9 percent of total regional funding and a per capita investment of $282.
Community Partnerships
Macoupin County has 1 dedicated Community Partnership in the Improve Health impact area, and is also served by 43 regional and statewide partnerships that serve this county across Impact Areas.